Hi HN,

We’ve been working on Habits, an open-source system for building automations, AI agents, internal tools, and full apps from the same graph-based model.

The core idea is that you design logic as nodes we call Bits, optionally attach a UI, export the result as YAML, and then package it for different targets depending on the use case. That means the same project can become a Docker deployment, a standalone binary or single executable, a desktop app, or a mobile app.

We built it because we kept running into the same gap. Workflow tools are great for automation, but they usually stop short of helping you ship complete end-user apps. App builders help with UI, but often tie you to a specific platform or runtime. AI-generated code is fast, but not always something we wanted to maintain or hand over to teams. We wanted a system where the same project could move between code, visual editing, and AI-assisted generation while still being exportable and self-hostable.

The project has two main parts. Base is the visual builder for logic and UI, while Cortex is the runtime that executes the exported app or workflow. A Habit can be created by writing YAML files directly, building visually in Base, or generating it with AI.

The project is released under Apache 2.0.

GitHub: https://github.com/codenteam/habits

Docs: https://codenteam.com/intersect/habits

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhim-Y7b1vA

I’d especially love feedback on the architecture, the export and packaging model, and whether this feels more useful as an automation tool, an app builder, or something in between.

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Show HN: Habits, an open-source builder and runtime for automations and apps