# What is AyCode?

URL: https://aycode.ai/what-is-aycode/

AyCode (aycode.ai) is a free desktop app by Ayont that runs AI coding agents such as Claude Code, Codex, Gemini and Grok side by side in one calm window, with your Obsidian vault as a second brain. It runs on macOS, and as a beta on Windows and Linux. Ayont is a studio in Germany.

## AyCode at a glance

- **Name:** AyCode, one word, with a capital A and C.
- **What it is:** A desktop app for AI coding agents: several agents side by side in one calm window, with your Obsidian vault as a second brain.
- **Made by:** Ayont, the studio of Niccolo Bodenstedt, a sole proprietor in Germany. Contact: hello@aycode.ai.
- **Website:** [aycode.ai](https://aycode.ai/), in English and German. The first address, aycode.app, forwards there.
- **Price:** Free to download and use. The agents run as they are signed in on your computer, or with your own API keys; AyCode resells no tokens. Your chosen provider may charge for its services.
- **Computers:** Macs with Apple Silicon (M1 or newer) and macOS 12 or later; Windows 10 and 11 on x64 (beta); 64-bit Linux as AppImage or .deb (beta).
- **Phone and watch:** A companion app for iPhone and Apple Watch is in TestFlight, pending Apple’s review. It connects to your running AyCode computer. The Android companion is available as an APK in the download section.
- **Coding agents:** Claude Code, Codex, Antigravity with Gemini, Grok, OpenCode, Cline, Kimi Code, Pi, Mistral Vibe, Z.ai, DeepSeek, Hermes, and local models through Ollama or LM Studio.
- **Features:** [Your coding agents](https://aycode.ai/features/coding-agents/), [Second brain](https://aycode.ai/features/second-brain/), [Parallel agents](https://aycode.ai/features/parallel-agents/), [Aylinge](https://aycode.ai/features/aylinge/), [Quick chat](https://aycode.ai/features/quick-chat/), [Island at the notch](https://aycode.ai/features/island/), [AyNotes](https://aycode.ai/features/aynotes/), [Usage and limits](https://aycode.ai/features/usage-and-limits/), [Team sessions](https://aycode.ai/features/team-sessions/), [iPhone and Watch](https://aycode.ai/features/phone-and-watch/), [Modules](https://aycode.ai/features/modules/), [Move in](https://aycode.ai/features/move-in/).
- **Privacy:** No telemetry by default. Chats and the vault index are stored on your computer. Prompts and any code or notes included in them go to the provider you choose.
- **Account:** Not needed for the app itself. Only the phone on the go, team sessions, encrypted chat backups and the community need one (GitHub, Google, Apple or e-mail).
- **AyCode Cloud:** Optional, on infrastructure operated by Ayont: your phone on the go, end-to-end encrypted chat backups, and team sessions for up to 12 guests.
- **Updates:** Built in and signed: AyCode checks for updates itself and installs them on the next restart, from the Stable or the Nightly channel.
- **Languages:** English and German; the app follows the system language. The website and the docs are in both languages.
- **Source code:** Not public. Installers, checksums and release notes are public on GitHub, at [Ayont/AyCode](https://github.com/Ayont/AyCode/releases).
- **Version:** AyCode 7.4.6; see [what’s new](https://aycode.ai/changelog/).
- **Not to be confused with:** Acode, a code editor for Android; AyeCode, a maker of WordPress plugins; or any company with a similar name. None of them is affiliated with AyCode.

## What AyCode does

AyCode gives the coding agents you already use one calm place to work. You pick the agent and the model per chat, see what it changes while it works, and run several chats side by side. Every part has its own page:

- [Your coding agents](https://aycode.ai/features/coding-agents/): Your coding agents in one window
- [Second brain](https://aycode.ai/features/second-brain/): Your notes become the memory of your agents
- [Parallel agents](https://aycode.ai/features/parallel-agents/): Several agents at once, each on its own branch
- [Aylinge](https://aycode.ai/features/aylinge/): A crew of agents that know their job
- [Quick chat](https://aycode.ai/features/quick-chat/): Ask your agent from any app
- [Island at the notch](https://aycode.ai/features/island/): Your agents, right at the notch
- [AyNotes](https://aycode.ai/features/aynotes/): Meetings become notes, speech becomes text
- [Usage and limits](https://aycode.ai/features/usage-and-limits/): Know what your agents cost, before the limit hits
- [Team sessions](https://aycode.ai/features/team-sessions/): One agent chat, the whole team in it
- [iPhone and Watch](https://aycode.ai/features/phone-and-watch/): Your agents keep working when you leave the desk
- [Modules](https://aycode.ai/features/modules/): Build your own modules for AyCode
- [Move in](https://aycode.ai/features/move-in/): Move in from the tools you used before

## How it works

The agents run on your computer through their official tools, as they are signed in there, or with your own API keys. AyCode starts them, shows their work, lets you approve the steps they ask for and shows what each one costs.

Your Obsidian vault becomes a second brain: AyCode reads it in the background and hands each message the notes that fit, so your agents know what you decided last month.

The **AyCode Cloud** is optional. It carries the connection to your phone on the go, end-to-end encrypted chat backups and team sessions, and needs an account. You can use the desktop app without it. A remote agent provider still receives your prompts and any code or notes you include.

## Where to start

- Install the app using the [Mac, Windows and Linux install guide](https://aycode.ai/docs/install/). Windows and Linux are in beta.
- Connect an agent you already use; the [provider setup guide](https://aycode.ai/docs/providers/) explains sign-in, API keys and local models.
- Add a folder of Markdown notes with the [Second Brain guide](https://aycode.ai/docs/brain/), or start a chat without a notes folder.

## The name

AyCode is written as one word, with a capital A and C. It is the app by Ayont at aycode.ai, not a company. It is not affiliated with Acode (a code editor for Android), AyeCode (WordPress plugins) or any company with a similar name.

## Questions and answers

### What is AyCode?

AyCode (aycode.ai) is a free desktop app by Ayont that runs AI coding agents such as Claude Code, Codex, Gemini, Grok, OpenCode and Cline side by side in one calm window, with your Obsidian vault as a second brain. It runs on macOS, and as a beta on Windows and Linux. Ayont is a studio in Germany.

### Who makes AyCode?

Ayont, the studio of Niccolo Bodenstedt in Germany. The website is aycode.ai, and you reach the team at hello@aycode.ai.

### Is AyCode free?

Yes. AyCode is free to download and use. The agents run as they are signed in on your computer, or with your own API keys, and AyCode resells no tokens. Your chosen provider may charge for its services.

### Is AyCode open source?

No. AyCode is free to use, but its source code is not public. Installers, checksums and release notes are public on GitHub, in the repository Ayont/AyCode.

### Which coding agents does AyCode support?

Claude Code, Codex, Antigravity with Gemini, Grok, OpenCode, Cline, Kimi Code, Pi, Mistral Vibe, Z.ai, DeepSeek, Hermes and local models through Ollama or LM Studio, each in its own chat or side by side.

### Which systems does AyCode run on?

Macs with Apple Silicon (M1 or newer) and macOS 12 or later, Windows 10 and 11 on x64, and 64-bit Linux as AppImage or .deb; Windows and Linux are still a beta. A companion app for iPhone and Apple Watch is in TestFlight, pending Apple’s review. The Android companion is available as an APK in the download section.

### Does my code leave my computer?

The agent tools run on your computer. When you use a remote model, its provider receives your prompts and any code or notes included in them. AyCode sends no usage data unless you turn it on. The optional AyCode Cloud carries the phone connection on the go, end-to-end encrypted backups and team sessions.

### Do I need an account?

Not for the app on your computer. An account (GitHub, Google, Apple or e-mail) is only needed for your phone on the go, team sessions, encrypted chat backups and the community portal.

### How is AyCode different from an agent’s own app?

AyCode brings agents from different providers into one workspace. It adds context from your Markdown notes, a shared view of agent usage, phone access and team sessions. You can keep using the providers’ own apps alongside it.

### Is AyCode the same as Acode or AyeCode?

No. AyCode, at aycode.ai, is the desktop app for AI coding agents made by Ayont. Acode is a code editor for Android and AyeCode is a maker of WordPress plugins; neither is affiliated with AyCode, and neither is any company with a similar name.

### Which languages does AyCode speak?

English and German. The app follows your system language, and the website and the docs exist in both.

## Official channels

- [Website](https://aycode.ai/)
- [AyCode on X](https://x.com/AyCodeAI): @AyCodeAI
- [AyCode on Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/aycodeai.bsky.social): @aycodeai.bsky.social
- [AyCode on Mastodon](https://mastodon.social/@aycodeai): @aycodeai@mastodon.social
- [AyCode on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/aycodeai/): @aycodeai
- [AyCode on TikTok](https://www.tiktok.com/@ayontus): @ayontus
- [AyCode on Threads](https://www.threads.com/@aycodeai): @aycodeai
- [AyCode on Twitch](https://www.twitch.tv/aycodeai): @aycodeai
- [AyCode on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/aycodeai/)
- [AyCode on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@aycode-ai): @aycode-ai
- [Ayont on X](https://x.com/AyontMe): @AyontMe
- [Ayont on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/ayont.me/): @ayont.me
- [Ayont on Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/user/AyontMe/): u/AyontMe
- [Ayont on GitHub](https://github.com/Ayont)
- [AyCode releases on GitHub](https://github.com/Ayont/AyCode): Ayont/AyCode