itayinbarr/little-coder

What is it?

Key features

• 01Runs on local llama.cpp, Ollama and LM Studio servers as well as cloud providers
• 02Plan mode researches a task, asks clarifying questions and writes a plan before editing
• 03Deep research mode produces a single cited markdown report
• 04Background shell jobs wake the model on output patterns, silence or exit
• 05Shell commands are gated by a safe-prefix whitelist and read-before-edit rules
• 06Separate models can be assigned to planning and implementation phases

Use cases

• Running a coding agent offline on a laptop with a locally hosted Qwen or similar model
• Comparing how small models perform on coding benchmarks with a fixed scaffold
• Running long builds or training jobs while the agent monitors them in the background
• Planning a change with a large model, then implementing it with a small local one

Quick start

1. 1

   Install Node.js 22.19 or newer

2. 2

   Install little-coder globally with npm

   npm install -g little-coder
3. 3

   Run little-coder inside your project directory

   little-coder

Things to know

• !Designed and tuned around local llama.cpp setups with Qwen models, so cloud models get less attention.
• !Requires Node.js 22.19 or newer at runtime even when installed with bun.
• !Running the recommended local model needs a capable GPU or substantial RAM and a manual llama.cpp build.

In collections

Topics

FAQ

What is little-coder?

A coding agent built on pi, tuned for small local LLMs, with background jobs, plan mode and per-phase model selection. little-coder is a terminal coding agent designed to get useful work out of small local language models rather than frontier cloud models. It is built on top of the pi agent framework and adds about thirty extensions, thirty skill cards that inject short tool-usage guidance, and a Python benchmark harness. The launcher loads only the bundled extensions, which keeps the cold-start context small and behavior predictable.

Is little-coder free to use? What license does it have?

little-coder is open source under the Apache-2.0 license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.

Is little-coder still maintained?

Updated within 6 months. The last commit to little-coder was on Sep 18, 2026.

What can I use little-coder for?

Running a coding agent offline on a laptop with a locally hosted Qwen or similar model Comparing how small models perform on coding benchmarks with a fixed scaffold Running long builds or training jobs while the agent monitors them in the background Planning a change with a large model, then implementing it with a small local one

How do I install little-coder?

Install Node.js 22.19 or newer Install little-coder globally with npm: npm install -g little-coder Run little-coder inside your project directory: little-coder

Where can I get little-coder?

The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/itayinbarr/little-coder