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doriandarko/claude-engineer

11,170PythonAudience · developerComplexity · 3/5Setup · moderate

TLDR

A Python coding assistant powered by Claude 3.5 Sonnet that reads and edits your files, runs code, and can write new tools for itself mid-conversation, available as a terminal CLI or local web app.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      AI coding assistant
      File read and edit
      Run and lint code
    Self-improvement
      Dynamic tool creation
      Tools saved to disk
      Reused next session
    Interfaces
      Web browser UI
      Command-line CLI
    Setup
      Python and API key
      Optional E2B sandbox
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Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Chat with an AI that reads and edits files in your project and runs your code directly.

USE CASE 2

Let the assistant invent and add new tools to itself during a conversation, making it more capable over time.

USE CASE 3

Use the local web interface to upload images and track token usage while working with the AI.

USE CASE 4

Run the CLI version in any terminal for AI-assisted file editing, linting, and package management.

Tech stack

PythonAnthropic API

Getting it running

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 30min

Requires an Anthropic API key, optional E2B API key needed for sandboxed code execution.

In plain English

Claude Engineer v3 is a Python application that gives you a coding assistant powered by Anthropic's Claude 3.5 Sonnet model. You can use it either as a command-line tool in your terminal or through a web interface that runs locally in your browser. The main idea is that you have a conversation with the AI and it can help you write, read, and edit files, run code, manage packages, and perform other development tasks. The distinguishing feature of this version is self-improvement: during a conversation, Claude can identify that it needs a new capability, write the code for a new tool itself, load it into memory, and start using it immediately. The project calls this dynamic tool creation, and it means the assistant becomes more capable the more you use it. Tools it creates are stored in a tools directory and can be reused in future sessions. The web interface runs on a local server and includes image upload, markdown rendering, and a visual display of how many tokens the conversation has used so far. The command-line interface provides the same capabilities in a terminal, with text-based formatting and progress indicators. Both interfaces share the same underlying assistant logic. Setup requires Python and an Anthropic API key. The README recommends installing a package manager called uv, then cloning the repository, creating a virtual environment, and running either app.py for the web interface or ce3.py for the CLI. The project also supports running Python code in a sandboxed environment via a separate service called E2B, which requires its own API key. The built-in tools cover common development tasks: creating folders and files, reading multiple files at once, editing files, running a Python linter, and managing packages. The tool creator tool is what enables new tools to be added at runtime based on a natural language description during a conversation.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
I'm using claude-engineer. Read the files in my project directory and suggest the best approach to implement [feature].
Prompt 2
Create a new tool that can [describe capability], then use it immediately to [describe task].
Prompt 3
Help me debug this error in my Python project: [paste error]. Read the relevant files and fix the issue.
Prompt 4
I want to refactor [filename] to [goal]. Read the file, make the changes, and explain what you changed.
Prompt 5
Using claude-engineer, set up a new Python project for [purpose] with the right folder structure and starter files.
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