Goose: Dorsey's local AI

Goose is an open-source artificial intelligence agent from Block that runs on a user’s machine and can take actions across coding tools, not just suggest text. (block.xyz) Block announced “codename goose” on January 28, 2025, describing it as an agent framework that connects large language models to real-world actions through desktop and command-line interfaces. (block.xyz) (goose-docs.ai) In plain terms, a coding agent is software that can read a task, inspect files, edit code, run commands, and test results. Goose says it can do that with “any” model a user chooses, instead of tying the product to one provider. (goose-docs.ai) (github.com) Goose is built around the Model Context Protocol, a standard for connecting an artificial intelligence system to outside tools such as GitHub, Google Drive, JetBrains editors, Slack, Snowflake, and Databricks. (block.xyz) (goose-docs.ai) (block.xyz) That design puts Goose in the same broad category as GitHub Copilot’s agent features, which can plan and execute work across an editor, terminal, and GitHub. GitHub sells those capabilities through managed plans that range from free tiers to paid subscriptions. (github.com) Block has framed Goose as an alternative built around local use, open code, and model choice. In its grant-program announcement, Block said Goose runs locally, is licensed under Apache 2.0, and is meant to resist vendor lock-in. (block.xyz) The project has also grown beyond an internal experiment. Block said that within six months of its public launch, Goose had reached thousands of community members, attracted dozens of outside code contributors, and been adopted by Databricks, startups, and university labs. (block.xyz) The GitHub repository shows that public interest has been substantial: as of April 13, 2026, the project had about 40,600 stars and roughly 4,000 forks. The repository also shows active development, with recent commits in April 2026. (github.com) Block has tied Goose to its own internal productivity push. The company said Goose saves Block teams 50 percent to 75 percent of development time, and that 60 percent of its workforce uses it weekly. (block.xyz) Block has also acknowledged the security tradeoffs that come with giving an agent access to tools and data. In a January 15, 2026 engineering post, the company said its red team compromised a Block employee laptop during a Goose exercise by hiding a prompt injection attack in invisible Unicode characters. (engineering.block.xyz) So the pitch around Goose is not just “free coding help.” It is a bet that developers and companies will want an agent they can inspect, run locally, connect to their own tools, and secure on their own terms. (block.xyz) (engineering.block.xyz)