NEON NOODLE OS — an AI-native web desktop

What happens to the PC when software stops being something you install — and becomes something you describe?

For 40 years the desktop has been a fixed set of apps someone else shipped. NEON NOODLE OS is a research prototype exploring the next step: an operating system where the interface generates itself on demand, around what you need in the moment. The unit of computing shifts from the app to the intent.

It's a single-page web app that behaves like a real desktop OS — windows, apps, and state are genuinely functional, not a mockup. The heart of the system is an AI that generates missing applications on demand and installs them live.

Open the assistant (⌘/Ctrl + Space), type "build me a calculator", and a few seconds later a fully working, on-brand calculator is sitting on your desktop. If it crashes, it repairs itself.

Built by ZeroPerson, where we research AI use cases. This one probes a simple question: when generating software becomes nearly free and instant, what is an "operating system" even for?

Quick start

npm install
npm run dev                 # → http://localhost:5173

The OS boots and runs without any key — you get the full desktop, window manager, filesystem, terminal, and built-in apps. The AI features (app generation, the assistant chat, terminal ai, self-healing) light up once you add a key.

Add a key in Settings → Language Model. Pick a provider and paste a key — keys are stored locally in your browser (IndexedDB) and never hard-coded. Supported providers:

Provider	API shape
Anthropic (Claude)	Messages API
OpenAI · OpenRouter · Grok (xAI) · Groq · Cerebras	OpenAI-compatible

Prefer env vars? Copy .env.example to .env and set VITE_ANTHROPIC_API_KEY — it seeds the Anthropic provider on boot, and Settings still overrides it.

What it does

• Boot → Lockscreen → Desktop with a coherent "NEON NOODLE OS" amber/dark glass aesthetic.
• Real window manager: drag, resize from any edge/corner, snap-to-edge (left/right/top), maximize, minimize-to-dock, z-stacking, multiple windows.
• Spotlight (⌘/Ctrl + Space): search installed apps or describe a new one to build.
• AI app generation: returns strict JSON {name, icon, category, defaultSize, code}, the code is Babel-transformed and run in a sandboxed scope (only React + the OS SDK are reachable — fetch, localStorage, eval, etc. are blocked).
• Self-healing: if a generated app crashes, an error boundary offers to let the AI read the error and rewrite the code.
• Persistence: the virtual filesystem and installed apps live in IndexedDB and survive a reload.

Built-in apps

App	What it is
Assistant	Chat with the OS AI; turn any request into an app.
App Builder	Watch the generation pipeline; one-click app ideas.
Files	Browse & edit the virtual filesystem.
Terminal	ls, cd, cat, mkdir, touch, rm, echo > file, open, and ai <prompt>.
Settings	Theme (light/dark), wallpaper, manage installed apps.

The System SDK (what generated apps may use)

Every app — built-in or generated — receives an injected os object and may only touch the outside world through it:

• os.fs — virtual filesystem (read/write/list/delete/mkdir/exists)
• os.window — setTitle / close / setSize / minimize
• os.ai — ask(prompt), stream(prompt, onToken), available
• os.notify(title, body) — system notifications
• os.storage — per-app key/value persistence
• os.theme — current design tokens (apps style themselves on-brand)
• os.bus — inter-app message bus

Architecture

src/
  kernel/      state (zustand), fs (IndexedDB), ai + providers (multi-provider LLM), sdk, appRuntime (Babel+sandbox), registry
  design/      design tokens — the single source of visual truth
  system-ui/   Boot, Lockscreen, Desktop, MenuBar, Dock, Window(Manager), Spotlight, Notifications
  apps/        Files, Terminal, Settings, Assistant, AppBuilder

Build it iteratively in this order if you want to read along: boot + desktop + window manager → a static app → the AI generation pipeline.

Notes

• In dev, LLM requests route through a same-origin Vite proxy so every provider works without CORS headaches. A production build calls the provider directly — for a real deployment, proxy the API through a backend so keys never reach the client.
• The generated-app sandbox (Babel transform + restricted new Function scope) is defense-in-depth, not a true security boundary — generated code shares the page realm. Real isolation would use an iframe/worker. Fine for a local research prototype.
• The bundle is large because @babel/standalone (the in-browser JSX compiler) ships with it. That's the cost of compiling AI-authored React in the browser.

About ZeroPerson

We research AI use cases — prototypes that probe where AI changes the shape of software, not just its features. NEON NOODLE OS is one such probe into the future of the desktop. MIT-licensed; explore, fork, and build on it.