Build Otis, a minimal AI agent that runs local models out of the box

Shipped I built Otis, a minimal AI agent that runs local models out of the box and shared it as a Show HN.

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Source

petrenk0n on Hacker News · 2026-09-14 · Project link

Written in our own words. Credit to the original author. Link checked 2026-10-16.

What they did

Shipped I built Otis, a minimal AI agent that runs local models out of the box and shared it as a Show HN.

Result (as claimed)

Launched publicly; shared on Show HN (19 points).

Tools they used

Claude Code Cursor

Cost: Claude Code: free plan, paid from $17/mo; Cursor: free plan, paid from $8/mo. Checked 2026-10-14.

Set it up

Pick a contained repo or task
Start on a branch or side project where mistakes are cheap.
Install and configure
Set up Claude Code, Cursor. Read what it can run on your machine and limit permissions where possible.
Run it on a real task
Give it a well-scoped issue and let it work. Review the diff like any pull request.
Add guardrails
Keep tests and CI in the loop, and never let an agent push to main or touch production secrets unattended.

Copy the full setup prompt

Paste into your agent and it will walk you through the setup, asking before anything that sends, posts or spends.

You are helping me set up this AI use case end to end in Claude Code.

Goal: Build Otis, a minimal AI agent that runs local models out of the box
What the original author did: Shipped I built Otis, a minimal AI agent that runs local models out of the box and shared it as a Show HN.
Reported result (as claimed by the author): Launched publicly; shared on Show HN (19 points).
Source: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49696084
Tools they used: Claude Code, Cursor
Category: Dev & ops

Please:
1. Ask me 3 short questions about my situation (accounts I have, budget, what I want the output to look like).
2. Propose a step-by-step plan using these tools or cheaper alternatives, with the time and cost of each step. Use official pricing pages; say "check pricing" if unsure.
3. Then do the setup with me one step at a time, waiting for my OK before anything that sends messages, posts publicly, spends money or deletes data.
4. Finish with a checklist to run it again next time.

You are helping me set up this AI use case end to end in Codex.

Goal: Build Otis, a minimal AI agent that runs local models out of the box
What the original author did: Shipped I built Otis, a minimal AI agent that runs local models out of the box and shared it as a Show HN.
Reported result (as claimed by the author): Launched publicly; shared on Show HN (19 points).
Source: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49696084
Tools they used: Claude Code, Cursor
Category: Dev & ops

Please:
1. Ask me 3 short questions about my situation (accounts I have, budget, what I want the output to look like).
2. Propose a step-by-step plan using these tools or cheaper alternatives, with the time and cost of each step. Use official pricing pages; say "check pricing" if unsure.
3. Then do the setup with me one step at a time, waiting for my OK before anything that sends messages, posts publicly, spends money or deletes data.
4. Finish with a checklist to run it again next time.

You are helping me set up this AI use case end to end in Grok Bot.

Goal: Build Otis, a minimal AI agent that runs local models out of the box
What the original author did: Shipped I built Otis, a minimal AI agent that runs local models out of the box and shared it as a Show HN.
Reported result (as claimed by the author): Launched publicly; shared on Show HN (19 points).
Source: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49696084
Tools they used: Claude Code, Cursor
Category: Dev & ops

Please:
1. Ask me 3 short questions about my situation (accounts I have, budget, what I want the output to look like).
2. Propose a step-by-step plan using these tools or cheaper alternatives, with the time and cost of each step. Use official pricing pages; say "check pricing" if unsure.
3. Then do the setup with me one step at a time, waiting for my OK before anything that sends messages, posts publicly, spends money or deletes data.
4. Finish with a checklist to run it again next time.

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