Codify Agent
Set up your developer environment by describing it in plain English
The Codify Agent is an AI assistant that turns plain English descriptions into working developer environment setups. You describe what you need and the agent figures out the rest. No config files, no docs to read.
How it works
The agent uses Codify's resource library: a catalog of validated operations for tools like Homebrew, nvm, pyenv, Docker, VS Code, and more. When you describe what you want, the agent finds the right resources, builds a configuration, and validates it before showing it to you.
Unlike a general AI assistant, the Codify Agent does not write shell scripts. It generates configurations that Codify knows how to apply, modify, and reverse cleanly. Every change is reviewable before it runs.
Setting up your environment
Open the Desktop App and start a new conversation with the Codify Agent.
Describe what you need. Be as specific or as general as you like:
"Set up my machine for Python data science work"
"I need Node.js 20, VS Code, and Docker for a web project"
"Set up a Go backend development environment with Postgres"
Answer any clarifying questions. The agent may ask follow-up questions to get things right (for example, which version of a tool you prefer or whether you need a database running locally).
Review the configuration. The agent generates a codify.jsonc config and shows it to you before doing anything.
Click Apply. Codify shows you the full plan (exactly what will be installed or changed) and asks for your confirmation. Once you approve, it runs.
You can also access the agent from the terminal by running codify edit, which opens the desktop app.
Editing an existing configuration
Every codify.jsonc file you open in the Desktop App has an agent sidebar. Use it to make changes without editing JSON directly.
For example:
- "Add Python 3.11"
- "Remove Docker"
- "Switch to Node 22"
The agent proposes a diff showing exactly what changed. Accept or reject it before anything is written to the file.
Why use the agent instead of a general AI
Most AI assistants generate shell scripts or command lists. This approach has drawbacks: the commands may not be idempotent, there is no easy way to reverse them, and you have to trust they do exactly what you expect.
The Codify Agent is different:
- Built on validated resources — Every resource in Codify's library handles install, modify, and remove correctly. The agent tries it's best to use Codify resources. It will fall back to action resources (scripts) if something is not available.
- Review before anything runs — The generated config is shown to you first. Codify always presents a plan before making changes. Nothing runs without your approval.
- Reversible — Changes with Codify are generally reversible.
- Handles dependencies — The agent knows that Homebrew must be installed before Homebrew formulae, for example. It handles ordering automatically.
Supported tools
The agent can configure any tool in Codify's resource library. This includes Homebrew, apt, nvm, pyenv, jenv, VS Code, Docker, AWS CLI, Git, SSH keys, and many more. See the full resource list for details.
Don't see a tool you need? Request it on GitHub. This kicks off an AI process to generate the resource. The Codify team then reviews and tests it before merging - the turnaround is 10 business days.