An AI-native operating system. No apps. No browsers. No permission dialogs. Intent-centric computing.
Replace app-centric computing — find, open, learn, grant permissions, manage files — with a single interaction:
1. Start the device
2. Ask AI (speak or text)
3. AI does something
The human sets goals. The AI operates the machine.
Two-tier AI brain on Alpine Linux, controlled via Bubble Tea TUI, talking to hardware through MCP bridges:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ User (Human) │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Bubble Tea TUI (cli) │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ cognitiveosd (daemon — message bus) │
├──────────────────┬──────────────────────────────────┤
│ Raw Model │ Wide Model (inference) │
│ (local, MCU) │ (local or remote .gguf) │
├──────────────────┴──────────────────────────────────┤
│ MCP Bridges: display, audio, network, gpio, serial │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Alpine Linux + /dev/fb0 │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
| Repo | Language | Role |
|---|---|---|
| product-specs | Markdown/JSON | Standards, schemas, .cgp format |
| sdlc | Markdown | Implementation plan, workflow, CI/CD |
| cpm | Go | Cognitive Package Manager |
| core-mcp-bridges | Go | MCP hardware tool servers |
| inference | Go/C | LLM inference engine |
| cognitiveosd | Go | System daemon |
| cli | Go | Bubble Tea TUI frontend |
| cognitiveos-distro | Shell/Docker | Alpine image builder |
| cgp-template | Template | .cgp boilerplate |
| registry-server | Go | Package registry |
- AI is the OS, not an app — The AI owns hardware, resources, software lifecycle, and interaction. No fallback desktop. No settings app.
- One user: the AI — No user accounts, no permission groups. The AI has unfettered hardware access.
- Self-managing — The AI discovers, installs, and removes its own capabilities. The human never touches a package manager.
- Ephemeral interface — No windows, no home screen, no app grid. UI exists only for the duration of a task.
- Universal substrate — Same architecture from a smartwatch to a server. The only difference is where the model runs.
# Clone the distro builder
git clone git@github.com:CognitiveOS-Project/cognitiveos-distro.git
cd cognitiveos-distro
# Build an x86_64 ISO
make isoSee each sub-repo's README for component-level build instructions.
Each component is at a different maturity level. Here is the current state across all repos:
| Repo | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|
| product-specs | ✅ Complete | All 19 specs + 7 JSON Schemas documented |
| sdlc | ✅ Complete | Implementation plan, CI/CD workflow documented |
| cpm | 🟡 Partial | 8 core commands (init/install/remove/list/info/verify/search/update) + publish implemented; Universal Protocol Router (git providers, npm/bun/deno) spec'd but not wired |
| cli | 🟡 Partial | 6/7 display modes (system, processes, hardware, logs, network, config) implemented; Media mode spec'd but not rendered |
| cognitiveosd | 🟡 Partial | Unix socket protocol + Raw Model client integration done; cgroups/seccomp/chroot isolation per spec not yet implemented |
| inference | 🟡 Partial | HTTP inference API + cograw Unix socket server exist; GGUF model loading uses mock — no real CGo bindings yet |
| core-mcp-bridges | ✅ Complete | All 5 bridges (display, audio, network, gpio, serial) implemented |
| registry-server | 🟡 Partial | Proxy/notary (302 redirect + SHA-256 ledger) + publish done; no version listing endpoint yet, still uses in-memory store |
| cognitiveos-distro | ✅ Complete | Bootable ISO (x86_64) + RPi (aarch64) image builds with CI release workflow |
| cgp-template | ✅ Complete | .cgp package skeleton template |
| raw-model | 📝 Spec'd | Specification in product-specs; no implementation yet |
| ephemeral-identity | 📝 Spec'd | Specification in product-specs; no implementation yet |
| hardware-spec | 📝 Spec'd | Specification in product-specs; no implementation yet |
| dependency-validation | 📝 Spec'd | Validation rules (A9-A10, B7-B9) documented; not wired into cpm |
| security-model | 📝 Spec'd | Specification in product-specs; no implementation yet |
All repos follow the same flow:
feature/fix/bugfix branch → PR → development → PR → main → SemVer tag
SSH-only, no rebase. See .opencode/instructions/git-workflow.md for details.
Jean Machuca — GitHub · Sponsor · LinkedIn
See ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.md for the open-source projects that make CognitiveOS possible.
MIT