nativebot 1.4.0

Open-source AI app builder CLI. Create mobile apps by chatting with AI.

NativeBot

Build and ship mobile apps from your terminal. Powered by AI.

Describe your app → Claude builds it → Preview on your phone → Submit to App Store.

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Quick Start

pipx install nativebot   # or: pip install nativebot
claude login
nativebot

That's it. Three commands. No API key setup. Uses your Claude subscription.

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Demo

$ nativebot

  🚀 NativeBot — AI App Builder

  ? What would you like to do? Create new project
  ? Project name: FitnessApp
  ? Describe your app: A fitness tracker with workout logging
  ? Start building now? Yes
  ? Choose model: Sonnet 4.6 (recommended)

  🤖 Claude is working...
  ├─ Reading package.json
  ├─ Writing app/screens/WorkoutScreen.tsx
  ├─ Writing app/components/ExerciseCard.tsx
  ├─ bash → npm install react-native-chart-kit
  ├─ Writing app/screens/ProgressScreen.tsx
  └─ bash → npx expo export -p web

  ✅ Done! 8 files changed in 32s

  You: Add a dark mode toggle to the settings page

  🤖 Claude is working...
  ├─ Reading app/screens/SettingsScreen.tsx
  ├─ Writing app/context/ThemeContext.tsx
  ├─ Edit app/screens/SettingsScreen.tsx
  └─ Edit app/_layout.tsx

  ✅ Done! 3 files changed in 18s

Commands

nativebot                  # Interactive mode (recommended)
nativebot create "MyApp"   # Create a new project
nativebot list             # List all projects
nativebot open MyApp       # Open project and chat with Claude
nativebot preview MyApp    # Launch Expo dev server
nativebot files MyApp      # Show project file tree
nativebot export MyApp     # Build & submit instructions
nativebot delete MyApp     # Delete a project

Telegram Bot

Build apps from your phone — chat with NativeBot on Telegram.

NativeBot includes a self-hosted Telegram bot. You create your own private bot on Telegram and run it on your machine. It's not a public bot — it's your bot, connected to your projects.

Setup (1 minute):

# 1. Create your bot on Telegram:
#    Open Telegram → search @BotFather → send /newbot
#    Pick a name and username → BotFather gives you a token

# 2. Start the bot on your machine:
export TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN=your-token
nativebot telegram

Now open Telegram and message your bot. That's it.

Commands in Telegram:

• /create MyApp — Create a new project
• /open MyApp — Switch to a project
• /preview — Get Expo URL to open on your phone (chat keeps working)
• /list — List all projects
• /files — Show file tree
• /model opus — Switch model
• Just send any message to chat with Claude!

The bot runs on your machine — same local projects, same ~/.nativebot/projects/ directory. You can use the CLI and Telegram interchangeably on the same projects.

How It Works

1. Create — Seeds a production-ready Expo React Native template
2. Chat — Describe features in plain English, Claude writes the code
3. Preview — Run nativebot preview MyApp → scan QR with Expo Go on your phone
4. Iterate — Keep chatting to add features, fix bugs, refine UI
5. Ship — Build with EAS and submit to App Store / Google Play

Preview Your App

nativebot preview MyApp
# Opens Expo dev server — scan QR code with Expo Go

Or manually:

cd ~/.nativebot/projects/MyApp
npx expo start

Deploy to App Store

nativebot export MyApp
# Shows step-by-step build & submit instructions

Or directly:

cd ~/.nativebot/projects/MyApp
npm install -g eas-cli
eas login
eas build --platform ios
eas submit --platform ios

Requirements

Requirement	Required?	Notes
Python 3.10+	Yes	python3 --version
Node.js 18+	Yes	For Expo projects
Claude subscription	Recommended	Just run claude login — no API key needed
Anthropic API Key	Alternative	Get one if you prefer API access
Expo Go (mobile)	Recommended	For live preview on phone
Apple Developer Account	For shipping	For App Store submission

Architecture

You (terminal)          NativeBot CLI            Claude Agent SDK
┌──────────────┐    ┌────────────────┐    ┌──────────────────┐
│ nativebot open   │───▶│ Project Manager │───▶│ Claude AI         │
│ "Add login"   │◀───│ Chat Session    │◀───│ Reads/Writes code │
└──────────────┘    └────────────────┘    └──────────────────┘
                           │
                    ~/.nativebot/projects/
                    ├── FitnessApp/
                    │   ├── app/
                    │   ├── package.json
                    │   └── .nativebot/conversation.json
                    └── TodoApp/

• Projects are real directories on your filesystem
• Claude edits files directly — no database, no cloud sync
• Conversations saved locally for session continuity
• Your code, your machine, your control

Why NativeBot?

	Replit	Bolt	Lovable	Vibecode	NativeBot
Open source	❌	❌	❌	❌	✅
CLI / Terminal	❌	❌	❌	❌	✅
Self-hosted	❌	❌	❌	❌	✅
Your own API key	❌	❌	❌	❌	✅
Mobile-first (Expo)	❌	❌	❌	✅	✅
No account required	❌	❌	❌	❌	✅
Unlimited usage	❌	❌	❌	❌	✅
Free forever	❌	❌	❌	❌	✅

Project Structure

nativebot/
├── src/nativebot/
│   ├── cli.py          # Click commands
│   ├── chat.py         # Interactive chat with Claude
│   ├── projects.py     # Project management (filesystem)
│   ├── agent.py        # Claude Agent SDK integration
│   ├── constants.py    # Models, tools, system rules
│   └── display.py      # Rich terminal formatting
├── template/           # Expo seed template
├── pyproject.toml      # Package config
├── README.md
├── VISION.md
└── LICENSE

Configuration

Projects are stored in ~/.nativebot/projects/. To change:

export NATIVEBOT_PROJECTS_DIR=/path/to/projects

Default model is Claude Opus 4.6. To change:

nativebot open MyApp --model sonnet  # Use Sonnet 4.6 (faster)

Contributing

PRs welcome! See CONTRIBUTING.md.

License

MIT — see LICENSE.

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Built with ❤️ by the NativeBot community
Powered by Claude · Expo