goose
goose is an open-source, general-purpose AI agent under Apache-2.0 that runs on your machine, part of the Agentic AI Foundation at the Linux Foundation. It ships as a native desktop app for macOS, Linux and Windows, a CLI and an API, built in Rust. It works with more than 15 providers including Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Ollama and Bedrock, or with existing Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini subscriptions, and connects to over 70 extensions through MCP.
What does goose do?
goose is "your native open source AI agent", available as a "desktop app, CLI, and API", for "code, workflows, and everything in between." Its README says it "is a general-purpose AI agent that runs on your machine" and is "not just for code": research, writing, automation and data analysis are named. It is built in Rust for performance and portability. The project is part of the Agentic AI Foundation at the Linux Foundation, with published governance and a Linux Foundation health score in its badges.
Providers: "goose works with 15+ providers", naming Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Ollama, OpenRouter, Azure and Bedrock, and it can use API keys or existing Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini subscriptions through ACP. Extensions come through the Model Context Protocol, "70+ extensions" by the README's count. Organisations can build a custom goose distribution with preconfigured providers, extensions and branding. What the agent does with files, commands and the web is not spelled out in the README, which points to the documentation site.
Key facts
- Licence: Apache-2.0, unmodified, with no added conditions.
- Part of the Agentic AI Foundation at the Linux Foundation, with a GOVERNANCE.md; the repository moved from block/goose to aaif-goose/goose and Block is not named in the README.
- A native desktop app for macOS, Linux and Windows, a CLI, and an API to embed the agent; built in Rust.
- 15+ providers: Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Ollama, OpenRouter, Azure, Bedrock and more; API keys or existing Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini subscriptions via ACP.
- 70+ extensions through the Model Context Protocol.
- Custom distributions with preconfigured providers, extensions and branding.
- Install: download the desktop app, or the CLI through the download_cli.sh script on the stable release.
- Latest tagged release when read: v1.51.0 on 2026-09-17; 54,399 stars on 2026-09-18.
What does it replace, and where does it fall short?
goose replaces Claude Code for a developer who wants an agent with a desktop app as well as a terminal, any of 15+ providers including a local Ollama model, and tools through MCP, under a foundation's governance rather than one vendor's. Its general-purpose scope and API make it a self-run stand-in for the task-running half of Devin. It is the pick for a foundation-governed agent with a desktop app on the open-source alternatives to Claude Code page.
Where it falls short: the README says little about what the agent can do with files, commands and the web, deferring to the documentation site, so those specifics are not stated on this page. It does not describe sandboxing or a cloud runner. For an always-on server-side agent with automations, OpenHands; for a read-only planning mode built in, OpenCode.
How does goose run?
Download the desktop app for macOS, Linux or Windows from the README's link, or install the CLI with the download_cli.sh script from the stable GitHub release. Configure a provider with an API key, or sign in with an existing Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini subscription through ACP; Ollama runs local models. No Docker route and no hosted or paid goose tier is stated in the README.
Who is goose for?
A developer or a team that wants one agent for code and other work, with a desktop app, a choice of providers including local ones, and foundation governance. Someone who needs a scheduled, containerised agent on a server should look at OpenHands.
What limits does the README state?
None stated in the README, which links a known-issues page and diagnostics documentation without quoting any.
Questions people ask
Is goose open source?
Yes. goose is Apache-2.0 with an unmodified licence file, and the project is governed within the Agentic AI Foundation at the Linux Foundation with a published governance document. The repository now lives at aaif-goose/goose; the former block/goose address redirects there.
Can goose use local models?
Yes. Ollama is named among the 15+ providers in the README, alongside Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, OpenRouter, Azure and Bedrock. goose can also sign in with an existing Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini subscription through ACP instead of an API key.
Does goose have a desktop app?
Yes. The README lists a native desktop app for macOS, Linux and Windows, a full CLI for terminal workflows, and an API to embed the agent anywhere, all built in Rust. Organisations can build a custom distribution with their own providers, extensions and branding.
How does goose compare with Claude Code?
goose runs with any of 15+ providers or a local model, in a desktop app or a terminal, with 70+ MCP extensions, under Linux Foundation governance. Claude Code is Anthropic's terminal agent for Claude models. The open-source alternatives to Claude Code page compares goose with OpenCode, Codex CLI, Gemini CLI, Qwen Code, Crush and gptme.
What are goose extensions?
Tools connected through the Model Context Protocol, the open standard goose uses for integrations; the README counts more than 70. They are how goose reaches files, services and applications beyond the model, and a custom distribution can ship a preconfigured set.
Sources
- goose README and Apache-2.0 LICENSE: github.com/aaif-goose/goose, read 2026-09-17.
Compared with the others
On the open-source alternatives to Claude Code page, goose is the pick for a desktop app and a cli under foundation governance. Apache-2.0, part of the Agentic AI Foundation at the Linux Foundation, 15+ providers including Ollama, existing Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini subscriptions, and 70+ MCP extensions.
Also on that page: OpenCode for a terminal agent with a planning mode, Qwen Code for switching between hosted and local models at runtime, Crush for the widest provider list with local models.
On the open-source alternatives to Devin page, goose is the pick for a general agent with a desktop app and an api. Apache-2.0, Linux Foundation governance, 15+ providers including Ollama, 70+ MCP extensions, and an API to embed it.
Also on that page: OpenHands for an always-on agent on your own infrastructure, Cline for headless runs in ci and scheduled agents, Kilo Code for a task run from the web.
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Added September 17, 2026. Every claim above comes from the project's README, LICENSE or model card, read on September 17, 2026, or from the GitHub API on the date shown in the panel. Found an error? Write to reveneau@licheo.com and it is fixed in the next weekly pass. Repository: github.com/aaif-goose/goose.
Running one of these inside your own environment, with your own data and your own security rules, is the kind of work Reveneau does. Read how a forward deployed engagement works.