Goose

A general-purpose AI agent that runs on your machine as a desktop app, CLI and API, for coding, research, writing and automation, with 15+ model providers.

56.1k stars, 6.5k forks Rust On GitHub since August 2024

Visit website View on GitHub How to run it

What is Goose?

Goose is an agent that installs, executes, edits and tests, but is not limited to code: it also handles research, writing, data analysis and other tasks. It comes as a native desktop app for macOS, Linux and Windows, a full command-line interface, and an API for embedding. It works with more than 15 providers, including Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Ollama, OpenRouter, Azure and Bedrock, can use existing Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini subscriptions through ACP, and connects to more than 70 extensions over MCP. The interface is translated into 13 languages.

Good fit if

  • You want one agent for code and for everyday knowledge work.
  • You want a desktop app as well as a CLI.
  • You value neutral governance under a foundation.

Look elsewhere if

  • You want an agent that lives inside your IDE: Cline or Kilo Code.
  • You need agents running on servers for a team: OpenHands.

Before you adopt it

Goose is Apache-2.0, with no paid parts. Originally created at Block, it is now part of the Agentic AI Foundation at the Linux Foundation, and about 30 people have contributed in the last three months.

Drafted with AI from the project's README and repository data, then checked against that data on 30 October 2026. Report a correction

Goose health: is it still maintained?

85 of 100, actively developed

  • Activity
    694 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 31 October 2026.
    30 / 30
  • Contributors
    36 people wrote the latest 100 commits; the most active wrote 21% of them.
    20 / 20
  • Releases
    15 releases in the last 12 months; the latest, v1.57.0, on 28 October 2026.
    19 / 20
  • Replies to issues
    Too few recent issues from outside the team to measure, so this part gets a neutral score.
    10 / 20
  • Security practices
    OpenSSF Scorecard 6 of 10.
    6 / 10

Read from GitHub on 1 November 2026. How the score works

Goose license: is it open source?

Goose uses Apache-2.0, an open-source license approved by the OSI.

  1. August 2024First published on GitHub.
  2. TodayApache-2.0.

How to run Goose yourself

Docker
Dockerfile or compose file in the repository
Compose file
None in the repository
Setup effort
Not rated: no compose file to judge from
Kubernetes
No Helm chart in the repository
Desktop and mobile
Builds for Linux, macOS, Windows, including ARM in GitHub releases
Interface languages
13 languages

Install instructions: goose-docs.ai or the README on GitHub.

Alternatives to Goose

  • Qwen CodeAn open-source AI coding agent that lives in your terminal. 80 health · Apache-2.0 · 28.9k stars
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Questions about Goose

Is Goose open source?

Yes. Goose is published under Apache-2.0, an OSI-approved open-source license.

Is Goose still maintained?

Its health score is 85 of 100 (actively developed). It had 694 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 31 October 2026, and its latest release came out on 28 October 2026.

How do I run Goose?

You can run it with Docker, as an app for Linux, macOS, Windows, including ARM. The README on GitHub has the exact steps.

What are the alternatives to Goose?

Close alternatives in the AI coding agents category include Qwen Code, Gemini CLI, Browser Use.