Show HN: Krate, AI-made apps as permissioned files for Mac, Windows, and Linux

Make apps with AI. Share them like documents.

One app file that opens on Mac, Windows, and Linux. The user sees what it wants to access before it runs.

AI can make useful small apps for one person or one team. Sharing those apps is still hard.

A browser link cannot handle every local use case. A normal desktop app can, but it is tied to an operating system and may reach more of the computer than the user expects.

request ↓ checklist.krate ↓ review access ↓ open on Mac, Windows, or Linux Krate is open source and currently in pre-alpha.

Install the command line tool on macOS or Linux:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/incyashraj/krate/main/scripts/install.sh | sh Check the installation:

krate --version Run the public Notes app:

krate run \ https://github.com/incyashraj/krate/releases/download/notes-v0.1.0/notes.krate \ --native-window \ --prompt Krate fetches the file, shows what it requests, and runs it with the access you approve.

For a guided walkthrough, use Try Krate Notes .

Download the krate-app zip for your Mac from the current release . Unzip Krate.app , then download notes.krate .

The current app is not signed. On first open:

The macOS permission window appears before the Notes app runs.

Download the newest x86_64-pc-windows-msvc.zip from Releases , extract krate.exe , and place its folder on your PATH .

krate -- version krate run https: // github.com / incyashraj / krate / releases / download / notes - v0. 1.0 / notes.krate -- native - window -- prompt Windows file association support is available through scripts/install-krate-desktop.ps1 .

After installing krate , register .krate files for your current user:

git clone https://github.com/incyashraj/krate cd krate scripts/install-krate-desktop.sh You can then open a .krate file from your file manager.

The current release includes krate create . It turns a supported request into a complete .krate file:

krate create \ " Make a checklist app that saves locally " \ --output checklist.krate Krate writes the app, builds it, checks what system features it uses, packages it, and confirms that denied access is blocked before writing the file.

The public release has two built-in examples:

Creating an app currently needs Rust, the wasm32-wasip1 target, and cargo-component . Check your machine with:

krate doctor The full guide is Make and share a Krate app .

The built-in examples prove the complete path, but an AI coding agent can write the app from your request instead. With Claude Code installed and signed in:

krate create \ " A grocery list app called My Groceries " \ --agent claude \ --output groceries.krate Krate hands the request to the agent, then builds, checks, packages, and verifies exactly as with the built-in path — a broken app is caught, not shipped. For any other tool, --author-cmd "<your command>" is the lower-level seam; it receives:

Everything after authoring stays the same. Krate builds the result, refuses imports outside the Krate interfaces, packages the app, and verifies its requested access.

The public release can also return output that AI tools and scripts can read:

krate run app.krate --json --auto-grant The output follows the krate.run.v1 schema.

Opening the file does not grant access by itself. Krate creates a session from the user's decision and connects only the approved operations to the computer.

krate run app.krate --dump-caps Run it and review each request:

krate run app.krate --prompt What works today Capability Current state One .krate file Working Mac, Windows, and Linux execution Working Desktop windows on all three systems Working Text input, editing, selection, and local saving Working File and network capabilities Working Permission checks before app execution Working Run a .krate file from an HTTPS URL Working Create a supported app from a request Working Let an external AI command author the app Working JSON output for agents and scripts Working Convert an existing native app automatically Not available yet Public app cloud, discovery, identity, and updates Planned The public CI runs the project on Linux, macOS, and Windows. See CI and the current status for exact evidence.

macOS Windows Linux Runs .krate apps Yes Yes Yes Opens desktop windows Yes Yes Yes Notes editing and saving Yes Yes Yes .krate file registration Krate.app Registration script Registration script Permission review in v0.1.0-rc4 Native window Terminal Terminal The current macOS path uses AppKit controls. Windows and Linux use Krate's drawn widget path inside a native window.

Development has already improved the Linux no-terminal permission path, but that change is not part of v0.1.0-rc4 . Release claims in this README describe the public release unless a section clearly says otherwise.

Krate gives an app no access to the user's files or network by default. It can use only the access approved for the current run.

That boundary is useful, but it does not make every app bug-free or prove that every author is trustworthy.

Read the current threat model for technical detail.

Krate does not convert an existing Swift, Electron, Tauri, or native app. The built-in author currently creates a small supported set of applications. A coding agent must use the current Krate APIs. The public macOS app is not code-signed yet. Permission review and desktop polish differ between operating systems. Krate Cloud does not exist yet. Signing, publisher identity, public discovery, managed updates, and a transparency log are planned work. These limits are part of the product status, not hidden footnotes.

A browser is the right answer for many applications.

Some useful local apps need desktop windows, local files, keyboard shortcuts, devices, or operating system behavior that a browser cannot provide cleanly. Normal native apps can do those things, but sharing them means packaging for each system. The person opening one also has to trust code they did not write.

Krate is for the space between those two choices.

The portability is how one file works across operating systems. The capability model is how the user controls what that file can reach.

apps/ Sample apps and apps used to test Krate crates/ Runtime, CLI, policy, adapters, authoring, and SDK code docs/ Website, book, design records, and technical documentation Plan/ Current and future implementation plans scripts/ Build, install, test, evidence, and release tools test/ Integration fixtures and cross-language tests wit/ Krate interface definitions Build from source Requirements:

git clone https://github.com/incyashraj/krate cd krate cargo build --workspace cargo test --workspace cargo clippy --all-targets --all-features -- -D warnings cargo fmt --all -- --check Build the release CLI:

cargo build --release -p krate-cli target/release/krate --version Documentation Start here Link Plain guide for making an app Make an app with AI First app walkthrough Try Krate Notes Developer quickstart Quickstart Product direction Vision Planned work Roadmap Public development history Build log Exact current evidence Status Roadmap The immediate priority is external use:

Contributions are welcome across code, documentation, design, examples, and testing.

For a larger change, open an issue or discussion before writing the full implementation.

Stage: pre-alpha Current public release: v0.1.0-rc4 Company: Krate Labs Maintainer: Yashraj Pardeshi License: MIT OR Apache-2.0 Krate was previously named Layer36. The rename is complete in the repository, commands, interfaces, and documentation.

Contributions use the same dual license.

Krate builds on work from the Bytecode Alliance , Wasmtime , the Rust community, and the wider WebAssembly community.