Files
autocoder/README.md
Auto f31ea403ea feat: add GLM/alternative API support via environment variables
Add support for using alternative API endpoints (like Zhipu AI's GLM models)
without affecting the user's global Claude Code settings. Configuration is
done via AutoCoder's .env file.

Changes:
- Add API_ENV_VARS constant and pass through ClaudeAgentOptions.env parameter
  in client.py and all server service files (spec, expand, assistant sessions)
- Add glm_mode to settings API response to indicate when GLM is configured
- Add purple "GLM" badge in UI header when GLM mode is active
- Update setup status to accept GLM credentials as valid authentication
- Update .env.example with GLM configuration documentation
- Update README.md with AutoCoder-scoped GLM setup instructions

Supported environment variables:
- ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL: Custom API endpoint (e.g., https://api.z.ai/api/anthropic)
- ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN: API authentication token
- API_TIMEOUT_MS: Request timeout in milliseconds
- ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_SONNET_MODEL: Model override for Sonnet
- ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_OPUS_MODEL: Model override for Opus
- ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_HAIKU_MODEL: Model override for Haiku

This approach routes API requests through the alternative endpoint while
keeping all Claude Code features (MCP servers, hooks, permissions) intact.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-01-12 12:25:13 +02:00

344 lines
11 KiB
Markdown

# AutoCoder
[![Buy Me A Coffee](https://img.shields.io/badge/Buy%20Me%20A%20Coffee-FFDD00?style=flat&logo=buy-me-a-coffee&logoColor=black)](https://www.buymeacoffee.com/leonvanzyl)
A long-running autonomous coding agent powered by the Claude Agent SDK. This tool can build complete applications over multiple sessions using a two-agent pattern (initializer + coding agent). Includes a React-based UI for monitoring progress in real-time.
## Video Tutorial
[![Watch the tutorial](https://img.youtube.com/vi/lGWFlpffWk4/hqdefault.jpg)](https://youtu.be/lGWFlpffWk4)
> **[Watch the setup and usage guide →](https://youtu.be/lGWFlpffWk4)**
---
## Prerequisites
### Claude Code CLI (Required)
This project requires the Claude Code CLI to be installed. Install it using one of these methods:
**macOS / Linux:**
```bash
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
```
**Windows (PowerShell):**
```powershell
irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex
```
### Authentication
You need one of the following:
- **Claude Pro/Max Subscription** - Use `claude login` to authenticate (recommended)
- **Anthropic API Key** - Pay-per-use from https://console.anthropic.com/
---
## Quick Start
### Option 1: Web UI (Recommended)
**Windows:**
```cmd
start_ui.bat
```
**macOS / Linux:**
```bash
./start_ui.sh
```
This launches the React-based web UI at `http://localhost:5173` with:
- Project selection and creation
- Kanban board view of features
- Real-time agent output streaming
- Start/pause/stop controls
### Option 2: CLI Mode
**Windows:**
```cmd
start.bat
```
**macOS / Linux:**
```bash
./start.sh
```
The start script will:
1. Check if Claude CLI is installed
2. Check if you're authenticated (prompt to run `claude login` if not)
3. Create a Python virtual environment
4. Install dependencies
5. Launch the main menu
### Creating or Continuing a Project
You'll see options to:
- **Create new project** - Start a fresh project with AI-assisted spec generation
- **Continue existing project** - Resume work on a previous project
For new projects, you can use the built-in `/create-spec` command to interactively create your app specification with Claude's help.
---
## How It Works
### Two-Agent Pattern
1. **Initializer Agent (First Session):** Reads your app specification, creates features in a SQLite database (`features.db`), sets up the project structure, and initializes git.
2. **Coding Agent (Subsequent Sessions):** Picks up where the previous session left off, implements features one by one, and marks them as passing in the database.
### Feature Management
Features are stored in SQLite via SQLAlchemy and managed through an MCP server that exposes tools to the agent:
- `feature_get_stats` - Progress statistics
- `feature_get_next` - Get highest-priority pending feature
- `feature_get_for_regression` - Random passing features for regression testing
- `feature_mark_passing` - Mark feature complete
- `feature_skip` - Move feature to end of queue
- `feature_create_bulk` - Initialize all features (used by initializer)
### Session Management
- Each session runs with a fresh context window
- Progress is persisted via SQLite database and git commits
- The agent auto-continues between sessions (3 second delay)
- Press `Ctrl+C` to pause; run the start script again to resume
---
## Important Timing Expectations
> **Note: Building complete applications takes time!**
- **First session (initialization):** The agent generates feature test cases. This takes several minutes and may appear to hang - this is normal.
- **Subsequent sessions:** Each coding iteration can take **5-15 minutes** depending on complexity.
- **Full app:** Building all features typically requires **many hours** of total runtime across multiple sessions.
**Tip:** The feature count in the prompts determines scope. For faster demos, you can modify your app spec to target fewer features (e.g., 20-50 features for a quick demo).
---
## Project Structure
```
autonomous-coding/
├── start.bat # Windows CLI start script
├── start.sh # macOS/Linux CLI start script
├── start_ui.bat # Windows Web UI start script
├── start_ui.sh # macOS/Linux Web UI start script
├── start.py # CLI menu and project management
├── start_ui.py # Web UI backend (FastAPI server launcher)
├── autonomous_agent_demo.py # Agent entry point
├── agent.py # Agent session logic
├── client.py # Claude SDK client configuration
├── security.py # Bash command allowlist and validation
├── progress.py # Progress tracking utilities
├── prompts.py # Prompt loading utilities
├── api/
│ └── database.py # SQLAlchemy models (Feature table)
├── mcp_server/
│ └── feature_mcp.py # MCP server for feature management tools
├── server/
│ ├── main.py # FastAPI REST API server
│ ├── websocket.py # WebSocket handler for real-time updates
│ ├── schemas.py # Pydantic schemas
│ ├── routers/ # API route handlers
│ └── services/ # Business logic services
├── ui/ # React frontend
│ ├── src/
│ │ ├── App.tsx # Main app component
│ │ ├── hooks/ # React Query and WebSocket hooks
│ │ └── lib/ # API client and types
│ ├── package.json
│ └── vite.config.ts
├── .claude/
│ ├── commands/
│ │ └── create-spec.md # /create-spec slash command
│ ├── skills/ # Claude Code skills
│ └── templates/ # Prompt templates
├── generations/ # Generated projects go here
├── requirements.txt # Python dependencies
└── .env # Optional configuration (N8N webhook)
```
---
## Generated Project Structure
After the agent runs, your project directory will contain:
```
generations/my_project/
├── features.db # SQLite database (feature test cases)
├── prompts/
│ ├── app_spec.txt # Your app specification
│ ├── initializer_prompt.md # First session prompt
│ └── coding_prompt.md # Continuation session prompt
├── init.sh # Environment setup script
├── claude-progress.txt # Session progress notes
└── [application files] # Generated application code
```
---
## Running the Generated Application
After the agent completes (or pauses), you can run the generated application:
```bash
cd generations/my_project
# Run the setup script created by the agent
./init.sh
# Or manually (typical for Node.js apps):
npm install
npm run dev
```
The application will typically be available at `http://localhost:3000` or similar.
---
## Security Model
This project uses a defense-in-depth security approach (see `security.py` and `client.py`):
1. **OS-level Sandbox:** Bash commands run in an isolated environment
2. **Filesystem Restrictions:** File operations restricted to the project directory only
3. **Bash Allowlist:** Only specific commands are permitted:
- File inspection: `ls`, `cat`, `head`, `tail`, `wc`, `grep`
- Node.js: `npm`, `node`
- Version control: `git`
- Process management: `ps`, `lsof`, `sleep`, `pkill` (dev processes only)
Commands not in the allowlist are blocked by the security hook.
---
## Web UI Development
The React UI is located in the `ui/` directory.
### Development Mode
```bash
cd ui
npm install
npm run dev # Development server with hot reload
```
### Building for Production
```bash
cd ui
npm run build # Builds to ui/dist/
```
**Note:** The `start_ui.bat`/`start_ui.sh` scripts serve the pre-built UI from `ui/dist/`. After making UI changes, run `npm run build` to see them when using the start scripts.
### Tech Stack
- React 18 with TypeScript
- TanStack Query for data fetching
- Tailwind CSS v4 with neobrutalism design
- Radix UI components
- WebSocket for real-time updates
### Real-time Updates
The UI receives live updates via WebSocket (`/ws/projects/{project_name}`):
- `progress` - Test pass counts
- `agent_status` - Running/paused/stopped/crashed
- `log` - Agent output lines (streamed from subprocess stdout)
- `feature_update` - Feature status changes
---
## Configuration (Optional)
### N8N Webhook Integration
The agent can send progress notifications to an N8N webhook. Create a `.env` file:
```bash
# Optional: N8N webhook for progress notifications
PROGRESS_N8N_WEBHOOK_URL=https://your-n8n-instance.com/webhook/your-webhook-id
```
When test progress increases, the agent sends:
```json
{
"event": "test_progress",
"passing": 45,
"total": 200,
"percentage": 22.5,
"project": "my_project",
"timestamp": "2025-01-15T14:30:00.000Z"
}
```
### Using GLM Models (Alternative to Claude)
To use Zhipu AI's GLM models instead of Claude, add these variables to your `.env` file in the AutoCoder directory:
```bash
ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=https://api.z.ai/api/anthropic
ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN=your-zhipu-api-key
API_TIMEOUT_MS=3000000
ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_SONNET_MODEL=glm-4.7
ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_OPUS_MODEL=glm-4.7
ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_HAIKU_MODEL=glm-4.5-air
```
This routes AutoCoder's API requests through Zhipu's Claude-compatible API, allowing you to use GLM-4.7 and other models. **This only affects AutoCoder** - your global Claude Code settings remain unchanged.
Get an API key at: https://z.ai/subscribe
---
## Customization
### Changing the Application
Use the `/create-spec` command when creating a new project, or manually edit the files in your project's `prompts/` directory:
- `app_spec.txt` - Your application specification
- `initializer_prompt.md` - Controls feature generation
### Modifying Allowed Commands
Edit `security.py` to add or remove commands from `ALLOWED_COMMANDS`.
---
## Troubleshooting
**"Claude CLI not found"**
Install the Claude Code CLI using the instructions in the Prerequisites section.
**"Not authenticated with Claude"**
Run `claude login` to authenticate. The start script will prompt you to do this automatically.
**"Appears to hang on first run"**
This is normal. The initializer agent is generating detailed test cases, which takes significant time. Watch for `[Tool: ...]` output to confirm the agent is working.
**"Command blocked by security hook"**
The agent tried to run a command not in the allowlist. This is the security system working as intended. If needed, add the command to `ALLOWED_COMMANDS` in `security.py`.
---
## License
This project is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 - see the [LICENSE.md](LICENSE.md) file for details.
Copyright (C) 2026 Leon van Zyl (https://leonvanzyl.com)