Apache Maka (Incubating)

Incubating at The Apache Software Foundation

A local-first Agent workspace built for real work.
Maka inspects projects, runs tools under a sandbox boundary, and records model messages and tool calls as recoverable execution facts — on your machine, through one Runtime Host.

Apache Maka (Incubating) is an effort undergoing incubation at The Apache Software Foundation (ASF), sponsored by the Apache Incubator PMC. Incubation is required of all newly accepted projects until a further review indicates that the infrastructure, communications, and decision-making process have stabilized in a manner consistent with other successful ASF projects. While incubation status is not necessarily a reflection of the completeness or stability of the code, it does indicate that the project has yet to be fully endorsed by the ASF.

Maka is under active development. The macOS Apple Silicon desktop build is an early public release; data formats, CLI commands, and experimental capabilities may still change.

Why Maka

• Your machine, your data. Sessions, settings, and run records stay local by default. You bring the model: a cloud API, a local model, or a compatible gateway.
• The record is kept. Model messages, tool calls, tool results, and how a turn ended are written down. The UI and the next model call are views of that record, not the only copy.
• Shorter context is not deleted history. Maka can omit old tool output from the next prompt without throwing away the saved evidence.
• One place runs the agent. Desktop, the terminal, and Maka evaluation all go through Runtime Host. Eval only owns the experiment and its scores.

Surfaces

Current capabilities

Agent Runtime

• Multiple model connections, streaming output, thinking, usage, and clearer provider errors;
• Built-in tools: Read, Write, Edit, Bash, Glob, Grep. Computer Use and catalog skills are optional and not on by default;
• Tools that leave the sandbox must be approved; runs can be aborted; failures are classified;
• A durable execution record, crash recovery, and optional resume of an interrupted turn.

Desktop workspace

• Create, archive, search, rename, retry, regenerate, and branch sessions from a Turn;
• Artifact lists and previews, workspace instructions, model settings, and sandbox settings;
• Local memory and web search when configured;
• Chat apps (IM bots) are experimental.

Evaluation

• Declarative multi-arm experiments expanded into task × repetition × subject cells;
• Immutable per-cell attempts with targeted infrastructure replacement and earliest-valid selection;
• A small result kernel for score, normalized usage, attributable cost, duration, status, failure reason, and artifacts;
• Maka subjects execute only through Runtime Host; external subjects use generic external subject adapters.

Quick start

Releases and downloads

Apache Maka has not made an Apache release yet. Everything currently published from this repository or from a package registry was produced before or during incubation, is not an Apache Software Foundation release, and has not been reviewed or voted on by the Incubator PMC.

Requirements

• Node.js 22.19 or newer;
• npm;
• Git;
• ripgrep, used by Runtime's Grep tool.

Start Desktop

git clone https://github.com/apache/maka.git
cd maka
npm ci
npm run dev

Terminal entry points

npm run build
npm run cli:dev
npm run cli:dev -- run "Summarize this repository and identify its most important risk"

Architecture

Desktop / TUI / CLI → Runtime Host → SessionManager → AgentRun
                                             ↓
                         Model + Tool Runtime → Runtime Event Log
                                             ↓
                              Context / Session / UI projections

Experiment → Cells → Attempts → Results
                    ↓
       Runtime Host executes Maka subjects

Repository layout

apps/desktop/          Electron main / preload / React renderer

packages/core/         Pure contracts for Sessions, Events, Permissions, and Connections
packages/storage/      SQLite operational state, configuration, and payload stores
packages/mcp/          Provider-neutral Model Context Protocol client integration
packages/runtime/      AgentRun, model adapters, tools, context, and recovery
packages/runtime-host/ Single-owner Runtime Host lifecycle, protocol, and client bootstrap
packages/eval/         Experiment cells, attempts, results, and executor/subject adapters
packages/computer-use/ Computer-use backend selection, host lifecycle, and protocol adapters
packages/cli/          TUI and non-interactive CLI
packages/ui/           Shared conversation, Markdown, Artifact, and UI primitives

docs/                  Architecture, product, security, privacy, and test contracts
scripts/               Build hygiene, visual checks, smoke tests, and release helpers

Local data and recovery

Workspace data lives under Electron userData by default.

• API keys and similar secrets are a local plaintext file, readable only by your OS account. The renderer never sees them.
• Tools that write files or run a shell must pass the sandbox boundary first.
• runtime.sqlite is the live record.

License

Maka is licensed under the Apache License 2.0. See NOTICE for attribution information. Third-party components remain subject to their respective licenses and notices.

Apache Maka, Maka, Apache, the Apache feather, and the Apache Maka project logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of The Apache Software Foundation.