# Machine Code

The desktop app for building software with Machine agents, on your own computer or in Machine Cloud. Start here if you are new.

Canonical page: https://themachine.myapps.ai/docs/code

Machine Code is a desktop app for Windows and Mac where Machine agents write
code in your projects. You describe a change, an agent makes it in its own
copy of your code, and you review the result, commit it, and open a pull
request, all in one window.

![Machine Code with a finished task: the projects and tasks on the left, the agent's reply in the middle, and the chat details on the right](/images/docs/code/main-window.webp)

It's a sister app to [Machine Desktop](/docs/desktop). Machine Desktop is for
bots that do everyday work. Machine Code is for software: a code editor, git,
terminals, a browser for your dev server, and agents that can run side by
side without stepping on each other.

## What makes it different

- **Your Machine account, no keys.** Sign in with your Machine email. Your
  plan, credits, models, and connectors come with you. There are no API keys
  to paste.
- **Agents work in their own worktree.** Each task can get a fresh git
  worktree, so several agents work at once and your own checkout stays
  untouched.
- **Local or cloud.** Run an agent on your computer, on a computer you reach
  over SSH, or in a [Machine Cloud](/docs/code/machine-cloud) sandbox so it
  doesn't tie up your machine. You can move work between them.
- **Everything Machine has.** The apps you connected in Machine (GitHub,
  Linear, Notion, and more) are available to your agents here too.

## New here? Start with these

- [1. Install Machine Code](/docs/code/install): Download, install, sign in, and keep it up to date.
- [2. Your first task](/docs/code/first-task): Add a project, start a task, and choose where it runs.
- [3. Models and engines](/docs/code/models): Machine models, your own Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor plan, and comparing models.
- [4. Review and ship](/docs/code/review-and-ship): Read the changes, commit, open a pull request, and watch it to green.

## What do you want to do?

| You want to… | Read |
|---|---|
| Ask a quick side question without derailing the agent | [Side chats](/docs/code/working-with-agents#side-chats-btw) |
| Keep an agent going until something is done | [Goals](/docs/code/working-with-agents#goals-goal) |
| See everything your agents are running | [The Running view](/docs/code/working-with-agents#the-running-view) |
| Try the same task on several models | [Compare models](/docs/code/models#compare-models) |
| Run a task without using your computer | [Machine Cloud](/docs/code/machine-cloud) |
| Edit code yourself, with AI help | [Code editor](/docs/code/code-editor) |
| Point an agent at a button on your site | [Design mode](/docs/code/browser#design-mode) |
| Have the agent fix failing checks on a PR | [Watch a pull request](/docs/code/review-and-ship#watch-a-pull-request) |
| Run an agent every night | [Automations](/docs/code/automations) |
| Decide what agents can do without asking | [Approval rules](/docs/code/approval-rules) |
| Work on another computer over SSH | [Remote computers](/docs/code/remote-computers) |
| Drive agents from a terminal | [The machine-ide command](/docs/code/cli) |