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https://github.com/supernovae-st/nika

Intent as Code — the workflow language for AI. One file, 4 verbs, one Rust binary. Local-first, any model, AGPL-3.0. 🦋
https://github.com/supernovae-st/nika

agents ai ai-agents ai-workflows automation cli dag developer-tools devops llm local-ai lsp mcp ollama rust structured-output supernovae workflow workflow-engine yaml

Last synced: 19 days ago
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Intent as Code — the workflow language for AI. One file, 4 verbs, one Rust binary. Local-first, any model, AGPL-3.0. 🦋

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README 

          
# Nika



> **Intent as Code.** The workflow language for AI: one file, 4 verbs,

> one binary.



[![License](https://img.shields.io/badge/engine-AGPL--3.0--or--later-blue.svg)](LICENSE)

[![Spec](https://img.shields.io/badge/spec-Apache--2.0-brightgreen.svg)](https://github.com/supernovae-st/nika-spec)

[![Rust](https://img.shields.io/badge/built_in-Rust-orange.svg)](Cargo.toml)

[![CI](https://github.com/supernovae-st/nika/actions/workflows/diamond-ci.yml/badge.svg?branch=main)](https://github.com/supernovae-st/nika/actions/workflows/diamond-ci.yml)



Useful AI work shouldn't disappear into chats. **Nika turns repeatable AI

work into files you can run, review, diff and share.** If you do the same

AI task twice, make it a workflow.



A Nika workflow is just a file: readable, portable, verifiable. It runs

locally, on whichever LLM you choose, with no cloud required. The language

is an open [Apache-2.0 spec](https://github.com/supernovae-st/nika-spec);

this repo is the reference engine, a single Rust binary (AGPL-3.0). The

way SQL pairs with PostgreSQL, or the Dockerfile with Docker.





  A repeated chat prompt becomes meeting-actions.nika.yaml; nika check audits it, then a real local run (ollama/llama3.2:3b) writes typed action items




## Does it run today?



Yes.



```sh

brew install supernovae-st/tap/nika    # or: curl -LsSf https://nika.sh/install.sh | sh

nika examples run 01-hello --model mock/echo            # zero setup: no key, no model server

nika examples run 01-hello --model ollama/qwen3.5:4b    # got Ollama? the same run, real + local

```



![nika check audits the workflow (plan, cost, secrets, types), then nika run executes it locally](media/nika-hero.gif)



Nika audits a workflow **before a single token is spent** (plan, cost

ceiling, secret flows, types, tool args), then runs it:



```text

$ nika check brief.nika.yaml

 ✔ PLAN     2 wave(s) · 2 task(s) · max parallelism 1

 ✔ SECRETS  no information-flow escapes

 ✔ TYPES    every deep output reference fits its declared shape

 ✔ TOOLS    every nika: tool names a canonical builtin

 ✔ ARGS     every invoke arg key is declared + every required arg is present

 ✔ SCHEMA   every authored schema: is satisfiable

 ✔ clean — audited before a single token was spent



$ nika run brief.nika.yaml

  🦋 nika · daily-brief · 2 tasks

  ✔  fetch_notes  exec · cat

  ✔  brief        infer · ollama/llama3.2:3b

  ── 2/2 done · $0.000 · elapsed 16.2s ───────────────────────────

```



## What a workflow looks like



```yaml

# review.nika.yaml: read a PR diff, judge its risk, comment only when it's high.

nika: v1

workflow: pr-risk-review

model: ollama/qwen3.5:9b             # local by default. swap to any provider



tasks:

  - id: diff                          # exec: a read-only shell command

    exec:

      command: "git diff origin/main...HEAD"

      capture: structured



  - id: assess                        # infer: structured LLM judgment

    with: { patch: ${{ tasks.diff.output.stdout }} }

    infer:

      prompt: "Risk-assess this diff (secrets, breaking changes, missing tests). Be terse.\n${{ with.patch }}"

      schema:

        type: object

        required: [risk]

        properties:

          risk: { type: string, enum: [low, medium, high] }



  - id: comment                       # invoke: the only write, gated on the verdict

    when: ${{ tasks.assess.output.risk == 'high' }}

    invoke:

      tool: "mcp:github/pr-comment"

      args: { body: ${{ tasks.assess.output }} }

```



## Check before it runs



`nika check` is a static audit. It catches broken references, missing

dependencies, schema and permission problems **before any model is called**

— and when something is off, it points at the exact fix:



![nika check catches a missing depends_on and a typo'd task reference, shows the three-line fix, then the same audit passes clean](media/gifs/static-check-fix.optimized.gif)



The two fixtures behind this capture live in

[`scripts/media/fixtures/`](scripts/media/fixtures/), gated in both

directions by `scripts/media/validate-media.sh`: the broken one must keep

failing `nika check`, the fixed one must stay clean.



The same audit holds the workflow's **declared blast radius**. A `permits:`

block makes the file itself the security boundary — hosts, paths, programs,

tools, all default-deny once declared. A task that reaches beyond it is

caught statically, with the machine-applicable fix, before anything runs:



![A permits block declares GitHub-only network access; one task fetches another host; nika check flags the escape with the exact fix line; the boundary widens on purpose in review and the audit passes clean](media/gifs/permits-audit.optimized.gif)



And failure handling is part of the file, not an ops runbook. When a task

dies, `on_error: recover:` degrades to a declared fallback — the run

completes, and the output says what it is:



![The live source is missing so the task fails; on_error recover degrades to the cached snapshot; the run exits 0 and the published file says stale: true](media/gifs/on-error-recover.optimized.gif)



## Daily commands



```sh

nika inspect flow.nika.yaml          # anatomy · tasks · waves · cost floor

nika check flow.nika.yaml            # the audit · exit 0 clean · 2 findings

nika explain NIKA-VAR-001            # any code · cause · category · fix-form

nika run flow.nika.yaml --var topic=rust   # launch inputs · repeatable

nika test flow.nika.yaml --update    # pin the golden · then `nika test` = offline CI

nika run flow.nika.yaml --resume .nika/traces/.ndjson   # skip journaled successes

nika run flow.nika.yaml --resume  --answer approve=true  # re-arm a paused gate

nika trace show .nika/traces/.ndjson   # re-render any past run

```



A paused run exits `4` (a blocking `nika:prompt` journals its question);

cache hits on resume are always visible — nothing is skipped silently.



## Pick a workflow



The binary embeds a versioned pack of runnable examples. Browse with

`nika examples list`, read one with `nika examples show `, preview any

of them with `--model ollama/qwen3.5:4b` (or offline with `--model mock/echo`):



| I want to… | Run | For |

|---|---|---|

| Review a PR before merging | [`examples/pr-risk-review.nika.yaml`](examples/pr-risk-review.nika.yaml) | developers |

| Turn meeting notes into owned actions | `nika examples run showcase/t1-meeting-actions` | everyone |

| Digest a week of standups | `nika examples run showcase/t1-standup-digest` | teams |

| Draft release notes from commits | `nika examples run showcase/t2-release-notes` | maintainers |

| Triage a support inbox | `nika examples run showcase/t2-support-triage` | support · ops |

| Chase unpaid invoices politely | `nika examples run showcase/t2-invoice-chaser` | founders |

| Track competitors weekly | `nika examples run showcase/t3-competitor-radar` | founders |

| Screen resumes against a role | `nika examples run showcase/t3-resume-screener` | hiring |

| Build a Monday operating brief | `nika examples run showcase/t4-ceo-monday-brief` | founders |



The full gallery (27 workflows + 6 templates) lives in

[`examples/`](examples/): foundation patterns, business showcases, and the

skeletons `nika new --from ` instantiates.



## The model



Four verbs, and nothing else. A small core that composes into arbitrary

real-world workflows. The Unix and SQL discipline of "small surface, large

composition."



| Verb | What it does |

|---|---|

| `infer` | Call an LLM. Any provider, local or hosted |

| `exec` | Run a shell command |

| `invoke` | Call a tool or MCP server (an HTTP fetch, GitHub, a builtin…) |

| `agent` | Run an autonomous loop with tools, until the task is done |



Everything sits under one frozen, versioned envelope, `nika: v1`, that won't

break. Three properties hold across every workflow:



- **Provider-agnostic, local-first.** Local Ollama or LM Studio, or any API.

  Your workflow doesn't change when the model does.

- **Safe by construction.** A read-XOR-write capability model. A step that

  reads cannot silently write; every effect is explicit and gated.

- **Reproducible.** The file and its execution trace are an auditable,

  re-runnable record.



```mermaid

flowchart LR

    F["workflow.nika.yaml
portable · readable · verifiable"] --> E["nika
single Rust binary"]

    E -->|infer| L["LLMs
Ollama · LM Studio · any API"]

    E -->|exec| S["shell"]

    E -->|invoke| T["tools · MCP"]

    E -->|agent| A["autonomous loop"]

```



Dependencies make every workflow a graph: independent tasks run in

parallel, an `agent` step fans out, joins wait for every branch — and the

whole plan is known, costed and audited before execution starts:



![The embedded pr-review-fanout workflow as its real execution graph: seven tasks, six waves, all four verbs in one file](media/gifs/dag-execution.optimized.gif)



## Why Nika



The closest analogues aren't products. They're **standards**. SQL. The

Dockerfile. A portable specification with a reference engine. The language is

the contribution, not a product to sell.



As AI agents start acting on the real world, the interface where they act

can't be free text (too vague) or raw code (too risky). It has to be a

**verifiable action language**: one an AI writes, a human reviews and approves,

and a machine runs deterministically. Kept open and sovereign, not locked

inside one vendor's cloud.



What no existing workflow tool offers together: a single Rust binary · portable

declarative YAML · local-first · read-XOR-write capability security · AGPL ·

no cloud required · bring-your-own-LLM.



## Status



Nika is built in the open.



The **language** (the `nika: v1` envelope and its four verbs) is stable and

won't break. The **engine** is a strict, modular Rust workspace. The latest

tagged public release is **v0.91.0**; `main` moves immediately to the next

`-dev` version after each release so local contributor binaries cannot be

confused with Homebrew assets. The 1.0.0 launch remains gated by the release

checklist, not by a date. The code, the

[spec](https://github.com/supernovae-st/nika-spec), and the

[example workflows](examples/) are all readable, and development happens on

`main` in the open.



The `nika: v1` language envelope is frozen forever. It is a separate axis from the

engine version. Every release is complete for its declared scope; no

half-features parked behind a future version.



## Get started



Install (macOS · Linux):



```sh

# Homebrew (macOS · Linux): on your PATH immediately

brew install supernovae-st/tap/nika

nika --version



# …or, without Homebrew: the install script. It downloads the verified release

# binary into ~/.nika/bin and prints the single PATH line to add to your shell

# profile (then reopen the terminal, or `source` it, and `nika --version` works).

curl -LsSf https://nika.sh/install.sh | sh

```



Prefer a guided page? Every install path, step by step: [nika.sh/install](https://nika.sh/install).



> Fully manual / air-gapped? Download the platform tarball + `SHA256SUMS` from the

> [latest release](https://github.com/supernovae-st/nika/releases/latest), verify

> with `sha256sum -c SHA256SUMS --ignore-missing`, then move `nika` onto your `PATH`.



Your first workflow runs with **zero setup**: no model, no API key:



```sh

cat > hello.nika.yaml <<'YAML'

nika: v1

workflow: hello

tasks:

  - id: greet

    exec:

      command: "echo hello from nika"

YAML



nika check hello.nika.yaml   # static audit, before a single token is spent

nika run hello.nika.yaml     # execute locally

```



Adding an AI step? Point it at a local model and nothing leaves your machine:



```yaml

model: ollama/llama3.2:3b    # local · or mistral/..., anthropic/..., any provider

tasks:

  - id: greet

    infer:

      prompt: "Say hello in one sentence."

```



(No model handy? The built-in `mock/echo` previews any workflow offline.)



For real inference, run a local model (Ollama / LM Studio) or set a provider

key, then see what's wired:



```sh

nika doctor                  # provider keys + local servers, with the exact fix

nika init                    # schema wiring + AGENTS.md for this repo

nika wire cursor             # explicit MCP wiring · also: vscode · windsurf · claude · codex · all

nika examples list           # browse the embedded examples

nika examples run 01-hello --model ollama/llama3.2:3b   # a real local run

```



From source (contributors): `git clone https://github.com/supernovae-st/nika.git && cd nika && cargo test --workspace --lib`. End-user docs: [docs.nika.sh](https://docs.nika.sh).



## Work with your agents



Nika is built to be **written by agents and reviewed by you**. `nika init`

drops the schema wiring, `AGENTS.md`, the Cursor rule and a repo-level

[agent skill](https://agentskills.io) into your repo so Claude Code, Cursor,

Codex and friends author valid workflows on the first try. `nika wire

` points each client's MCP config at

the engine — idempotent, and it preserves your other servers. `nika mcp`

exposes a read-only oracle (`nika_check` + `nika_explain`) any MCP client can

call. `nika lsp` speaks LSP to every editor.



Or install everything as a plugin — this repo hosts one plugin (the

`nika-authoring` skill + the MCP oracle) for both ecosystems:



```sh

codex plugin marketplace add supernovae-st/nika-agents && codex plugin add nika@nika

claude plugin marketplace add supernovae-st/nika-agents && claude plugin install nika@nika

```



Agents discover a working prompt chain once; Nika keeps it as a file your

team can check, run and replay.



## Send us a workflow



Do you repeat an AI task every week, in ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, Codex, or

scripts? Describe it at [nika.sh/convert](https://nika.sh/convert) or

[open a "convert my workflow" issue](https://github.com/supernovae-st/nika/issues/new/choose).

We convert the best ones into runnable `.nika.yaml` examples, credited to you.



## Editor support



This repo is the **engine**. It ships the language server (`nika lsp`, over stdio).

The VS Code / Cursor / Windsurf / VSCodium **extension** lives in its own repo and

is published as [`supernovae.nika-lang`](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=supernovae.nika-lang)

(and on [Open VSX](https://open-vsx.org/extension/supernovae/nika-lang) for Cursor / Windsurf / VSCodium):



- Install it from your editor's marketplace. It auto-downloads the matching `nika`

  release binary on first use (or reuses the `nika` already on your `PATH`).

- Source + issues: [supernovae-st/nika-vscode](https://github.com/supernovae-st/nika-vscode).

- Any other editor: `nika lsp` speaks LSP over stdio. Wire it into any LSP client.



## Documentation



- **Language spec**: [supernovae-st/nika-spec](https://github.com/supernovae-st/nika-spec) (Apache-2.0), the runtime-agnostic Nika language.

- **End-user docs**: [docs.nika.sh](https://docs.nika.sh).

- **Website**: [nika.sh](https://nika.sh).

- **Examples**: [`examples/`](examples/), the embedded gallery (also `nika examples list`).



**Building Nika?** The engine is crafted under a strict workspace discipline:

context-window-sized crates, a per-crate admission checklist, zero `.unwrap()`

in `src/` (CI-enforced), downward-only layering. The design lives in

[`docs/architecture/`](docs/architecture/) and the decisions in

[`docs/adr/`](docs/adr/README.md); the roadmap is in [`ROADMAP.md`](ROADMAP.md).



## License



The **engine** is AGPL-3.0-or-later (see [`LICENSE`](LICENSE)): modify it and

run it as a hosted service, and users of that service get the source. The

**spec** is [Apache-2.0](https://github.com/supernovae-st/nika-spec), maximally

permissive for a standard.



A commercial license (Grafana model) is available for organizations that can't

accept AGPL's network clause. Contact `contact@supernovae.studio`. Security

reports: `security@supernovae.studio`.



---



© 2024–2026 [SuperNovae Studio](https://supernovae.studio) · 🦋 Nika, the

butterfly on the SuperNovae flag. *Prompt once. Run forever.*