Skip to content

nodetool-ai/nodetool

BranchesTags

Repository files navigation

Logo

Conda Release Lint and Test Docker CodeQL

Privacy‑First Open‑Source AI Studio

Your Machine. Your Models. Your Control.

Effortlessly build multimodal AI workflows—text, vision, audio & video.

Run locally, on‑prem, self‑host on GPU clouds, or connect to OpenAI®, Anthropic, HuggingFace, Gemini and other providers.

Screenshot

Build once, run anywhere.

Core Principles

Local‑First Multi‑Cloud Provider‑Agnostic True Ownership
Run on your own hardware for privacy and instant iteration. Deploy on‑prem or burst to GPU clouds with one click. Swap between Ollama, Hugging Face, OpenAI, Anthropic & 10+ providers. 100% AGPL codebase — no vendor lock‑in, no telemetry.

Who It's For

Indie Hackers & Researchers Engineering Teams Regulated Enterprises
"Turn your laptop into a personal AI lab—no API keys, no credit cards, total privacy." "Deploy internal AI services today, scale smoothly as demand grows." "Secure by default—move to cloud only after compliance clearance."

Why NodeTool

  • Comprehensive Multimodal — mix text, image, audio & video in a single canvas.
  • Drag‑and‑Drop Workflows — snap nodes together visually, no boilerplate.
  • Agent Orchestration — chain reasoning, planning & tools across tasks.
  • Built‑In RAG & Vector Store — ChromaDB ready out of the box.
  • Templates & Packs — start fast; extend with Python when you need.
  • One Workflow, Any Provider — local CUDA/MPS, RunPod, AWS, GCP, Azure, Hugging Face, OpenAI, Anthropic and more.

Quick Start (Desktop Studio)

OS Download Requirements
Windows Installer Nvidia GPU, 20 GB free
macOS (Apple Silicon) Installer M1+
Linux AppImage Nvidia GPU
  1. Install & launch NodeTool.
  2. Open a template or blank canvas.
  3. Drag nodes → connect → Run. Local inference executes instantly; burst to cloud when you need muscle.

From Workflow to Production

graph LR
  A[Local Canvas] --> B(Ollama / CUDA / MPS)
  A --> C(Cloud GPU<br>RunPod • AWS • GCP • Azure)
  A --> D(OpenAI / Anthropic / Replicate)
  B --> E{One‑Click Deploy}
  C --> E
  D --> E
  E --> F(API / Web Service)
Loading

🤖 NodeTool Agent System

Design sophisticated AI agents capable of handling complex, multi-step tasks using NodeTool's agent framework.

Core Capabilities:

  • Strategic Task Planning: Automatically break down complex objectives into structured, executable plans.
  • Chain of Thought Reasoning: Enable agents to perform step-by-step problem solving with explicit reasoning paths.
  • Tool Integration: Equip agents with tools for web browsing, file operations, API calls, and more.
  • Streaming Results: Get live updates as agents reason and execute tasks.

Ready-to-Use Agent Examples

NodeTool includes several pre-built agent examples:

  • Wikipedia-Style Research Agent: Generates structured documentation via web research.
  • ChromaDB Research Agent: Processes and indexes documents for semantic querying.
  • Social Media Analysis Agents: Tracks and analyzes content from Twitter/X, Instagram, and Reddit.
  • Professional Research Tools: Analyzes the LinkedIn job market and performs advanced Google searches.
  • Utility Agents: Processes emails and integrates web search capabilities.

Find full implementations and more examples in the examples directory of the nodetool-core repository.

🎯 Build Anything

From simple automations to complex multi-agent systems:

🧠 Build Smart Assistants

Create AI that knows your documents, emails, and notes. Keep everything private on your machine.

⚡ Automate Boring Tasks

Turn repetitive work into smart workflows. Let AI handle the routine while you focus on creating.

🎨 Generate Creative Content

From text to images to music — create anything with AI. Combine models for unique results.

📸 Enhance Images & Video

Upscale, enhance, and transform visual content. Professional results with consumer hardware.

🎵 Process Voice & Audio

Transcribe, analyze, and generate speech. Build voice-first applications that actually work.

📊 Analyze Data Visually

Turn spreadsheets into insights. Create charts, find patterns, and make decisions faster.

🔗 Connect Multiple Models

Chain LLMs with diffusion models. Create workflows that no single AI can handle alone.

🚀 Deploy Anywhere

From desktop shortcuts to web APIs. Your workflows run where your users are. (Coming soon)

🛠️ Extend with Code

Add custom Python nodes when you need them. The visual canvas grows with your expertise.

🔍 Monitor & Debug

See exactly what your AI is thinking. Debug workflows with clear visual feedback.

🤝 Share & Collaborate

Export workflows as code or templates. Build on what others have created. (Coming soon)

💡 Join Our Community

Connect with other NodeTool users and the development team:

Let's build amazing AI workflows together! ✨

🚀 Quickstart (Release Info)

Release 0.6 is in pre-release.

🛠️ Development Setup

Follow these steps to set up a local development environment for the entire NodeTool platform, including the UI, backend services, and the core library (nodetool-core). If you are primarily interested in contributing to the core library itself, please also refer to the nodetool-core repository for its specific development setup using Poetry.

Prerequisites

  • Python 3.11: Required for the backend.
  • Conda: Download and install from miniconda.org.
  • Node.js (Latest LTS): Required for the frontend. Download and install from nodejs.org.

1. Set Up Conda Environment

# Create and activate the Conda environment
conda create -n nodetool python=3.11 -y
conda activate nodetool

# Install essential system dependencies via Conda
conda install -c conda-forge ffmpeg cairo x264 x265 aom libopus libvorbis lame pandoc uv -y

2. Install Core Python Dependencies

These are the essential packages to run NodeTool.

Make sure to activate the conda environment.

# Install nodetool-core and nodetool-base
# On macOS / Linux / Windows:
uv pip install git+https://github.com/nodetool-ai/nodetool-core
uv pip install git+https://github.com/nodetool-ai/nodetool-base

3. Install Optional Node Packs (As Needed)

NodeTool's functionality is extended via packs. Install only the ones you need.

NOTE:

  • Activate the conda environment first
  • Use uv for faster installs.
# List available packs (optional)
nodetool package list -a

# Example: Install packs for specific integrations
uv pip install git+https://github.com/nodetool-ai/nodetool-huggingface
uv pip install git+https://github.com/nodetool-ai/nodetool-fal
uv pip install git+https://github.com/nodetool-ai/nodetool-replicate
uv pip install git+https://github.com/nodetool-ai/nodetool-elevenlabs

Note: Some packs like nodetool-huggingface may require specific PyTorch versions or CUDA drivers. Use the -index-url when necessary:

4. Run NodeTool Backend & Web UI

Ensure the nodetool Conda environment is active.

Option A: Run Backend with Web UI (for Development)

This command starts the backend server:

# On macOS / Linux / Windows:
nodetool serve --reload

Run frontend in web folder:

npm start

Access the UI in your browser at http://localhost:3000.

Option B: Run with Electron App

This provides the full desktop application experience.

Configure Conda Path: Ensure your settings.yaml file points to your Conda environment path:

  • macOS/Linux: ~/.config/nodetool/settings.yaml
  • Windows: %APPDATA%/nodetool/settings.yaml
CONDA_ENV: /path/to/your/conda/envs/nodetool # e.g., /Users/me/miniconda3/envs/nodetool

Build Frontends: You only need to do this once or when frontend code changes.

# Build the main web UI
cd web
npm install
npm run build
cd ..

# Build the apps UI (if needed)
cd apps
npm install
npm run build
cd ..

# Build the Electron UI
cd electron
npm install
npm run build
cd ..

Start Electron:

cd electron
npm start  # launches the desktop app using the previously built UI

The Electron app will launch, automatically starting the backend and frontend.

🤝 Contributing

We welcome community contributions!

  1. Fork the repository on GitHub.
  2. Create a new branch for your feature (git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name).
  3. Make your changes and commit them (git commit -am 'Add some amazing feature').
  4. Push your branch to your fork (git push origin feature/your-feature-name).
  5. Open a Pull Request against the main branch of the original repository.

Please follow our contribution guidelines and code of conduct.

📄 License

AGPL‑3.0 — True Ownership, Zero Compromise.

📬 Get in Touch

We'd love to hear from you! Whether you have questions, suggestions, or feedback, feel free to reach out through any of the following channels:

We're excited to collaborate and build amazing AI workflows together! 🚀✨

📦 NodeTool Packs Registry

Extend NodeTool's capabilities with specialized Node Packs. The NodeTool Packs Registry manages discovery, installation, and distribution.

Using Packs (For Users)

Manage packs easily through the NodeTool UI:

  • Browse available packs.
  • Install, uninstall, and update packs (uses pip behind the scenes).
  • View pack details and documentation.

Alternatively, install directly via pip (see Development Setup).

Refer to the NodeTool Registry repository for detailed guidelines on creating and publishing packs.

📚 Documentation

The documentation site is built with Jekyll on GitHub Pages. Markdown files live in the docs/ directory and changes on main are deployed automatically. Start with the Getting Started guide and browse our new Tips and Tricks section for handy workflow shortcuts.

NodeTool — innovate locally, scale globally, always with your privacy first. ❤️

About

Privacy‑First Open‑Source AI Studio

nodetool.ai/

Topics

ai openai chroma agents privacy-first huggingface llm stable-diffusion chatgpt anthropic comfyui

Resources

Readme

License

AGPL-3.0 license
Activity
Custom properties

Stars

126 stars

Watchers

6 watching

Forks

15 forks
Report repository

Releases

74 tags

Contributors 6

Languages