Yao โ App Runtime for the AI Era
Yao is an open-source runtime for building AI agents and web applications โ shipped as a single binary.
๐ Homepage: https://yaoagents.com
๐ Docs: https://yaoagents.com/docs
๐ฅ๏ธ Yao Desktop: https://yaoagents.com/download
How It Works
Think of Yao Agent as a cage, not an animal. What you put inside determines the behavior; the cage keeps it controlled.
Every request flows through the same pipeline:
Create Hook runs before the executor โ inject context, enforce constraints, route requests.
Next Hook runs after โ validate output, trigger downstream actions, drive multi-step loops.
The AI does the heavy lifting. You define the boundaries.
Three Modes
| Mode | Executor | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| LLM | OpenAI, Anthropic, etc. | Conversational assistants, Q&A, content generation |
| CLI Agent | OpenCode, Claude Code, Codex in a container | Computer use, sandbox isolation, SKILL ecosystem |
| Pure Hook | Your own TypeScript code | Deterministic logic, routing, menu flows โ no AI needed |
All three share the same Hook interface. You can mix them freely โ route some requests through the LLM, handle others with pure code, all inside a single Create Hook.
Features
Agent Framework
- TypeScript Hooks โ
CreateandNexthooks intercept every request; built-in V8 engine - Native MCP Support โ Connect tools via process, SSE, or STDIO transport
- Memory API โ Four scopes: request-level, session, user, team
- Multi-Agent โ Delegate to specialist agents or call agents in parallel
- CLI Agent / Sandbox โ Run Claude Code (or other CLI runners) in an isolated container with VNC desktop support
- Skills Ecosystem โ Drop reusable capability packs (
SKILL.md) into any CLI Agent
Full-Stack Runtime
Everything in a single executable:
- Data Models โ Define database tables and relations in JSON/YAML
- REST APIs โ Map routes to model queries or TypeScript processors
- SUI Pages โ Component-based web UI with server-side rendering
- Chat UI (CUI) โ Built-in conversation interface for agents
- TypeScript โ Built-in V8 engine; no Node.js required
- Single Binary โ Runs on ARM64/x64; no Python, Node, or containers needed on the host
Built-in Search
- Vector Search โ Embeddings with OpenAI or FastEmbed
- Knowledge Graph โ Entity-relationship retrieval
- GraphRAG โ Hybrid vector + graph search
About the Name
Yao (็ป, yรกo) is the fundamental symbol in the I Ching โ the building block of the eight trigrams. Like a binary digit, it has two states. Their combinations describe the patterns of everything.