{
  "id": 9301007,
  "title": "I built a free, BYOK AI coding agent IDE that runs fully offline on local LLMs",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/i-built-a-free-byok-ai-coding-agent-ide-that-runs-fully-offline-on",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-09-23T08:33:21.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dev.to",
    "slug": "dev-to",
    "url": "https://dev.to/cuculhart/i-built-a-free-byok-ai-coding-agent-ide-that-runs-fully-offline-on-local-llms-4bdb"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Forger is a free, standalone AI coding agent IDE built by cuculhart. This single exe application bundles a file explorer, Monaco editor, AI chat, Git, and a TTY terminal into one window. Users can bring their own Gemini API key and pay Google directly for usage, with no subscription or markup. The AI agent runs fully offline on local LLMs such as Gemini, Ollama (Gemini, Gemma, Qwen), etc., ensuring that code never leaves the machine and no data is transmitted over the internet. Every write, edit, and command requires approval, maintaining a human-in-the-loop approach. LiteLLM proxy support allows for token-efficient context, fetching file contents on demand via specific commands. The tech stack includes Electron, React, TypeScript, Monaco Editor, Gemini API, and Vite. The source code is available under the FSL-1.1-MIT license, permitting free use, modification, and redistribution, with the restriction that it cannot be sold as a competing product. The roadmap includes features like PDF/image recognition, a more reliable agent loop for small local models, and chat improvements.",
  "summary": "I built Forger , a standalone Electron app that bundles a file explorer, Monaco editor, AI chat, Git, and a real TTY terminal into one window — with an agent loop that lists, reads, searches, and edits files across multiple steps, all behind approval dialogs. Repo: https://github.com/cuculhart/forger-ide Setup guide: https://cuculhart.com/forger-howto.en.html Not a VS Code fork, not an extension…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}