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Show HN: Modo – I built an open-source alternative to Kiro, Cursor, and Windsurf

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Why This Matters

Modo introduces an open-source AI IDE that emphasizes structured planning before coding, bridging the gap between prompt-based AI tools and traditional development workflows. Its features like spec-driven development, task management, and project rules aim to enhance developer productivity and collaboration. This development offers the tech industry and consumers a customizable, transparent alternative to proprietary AI coding assistants, fostering innovation and community-driven improvements.

Key Takeaways

Modo

The open-source AI IDE that plans before it codes.

MIT License · Quick Start · What Modo Adds · Contributing

I wanted a small feature in an AI coding tool. Couldn't find a way to suggest it. So I asked myself: how hard is it to actually build something like Kiro, Cursor, or Windsurf?

Turns out — not as hard as you'd think. Starting from the Void editor (itself a fork of VS Code), I got to roughly 60–70% of what those tools offer in a short stretch of building. It was genuinely fun.

This is Modo. A standalone desktop IDE where prompts become structured plans before they become code. Open source, MIT licensed, yours to hack on.

What Modo Adds

Everything below was built on top of Void's existing AI chat, inline edit (Cmd+K), autocomplete, multi-provider LLM support, tool use, and MCP integration. Here's what's new:

Spec-Driven Development

Most AI tools go prompt → code. Modo goes prompt → requirements → design → tasks → code.

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