p0deje/Maccy
Dimensions
Interface surface 2 partial An automation interface: AppleScript, App Intents/Shortcuts, D-Bus, COM, IPC commands, or a local API.
Can another program use it through a documented, machine-readable surface?
- next: L3 Its functions run without the GUI (a headless/batch mode or a companion CLI). (nothing runs without the GUI)
desktop ladder · level 2
- ✓ L1 Launchable by other programs with input: command-line arguments, a URL scheme or file associations. Maccy/AppDelegate.swift 1 match
- ✓ L2 An automation interface: AppleScript, App Intents/Shortcuts, D-Bus, COM, IPC commands, or a local API. Maccy/Intents/Clear.swift 2 matchesMaccy/Intents/Delete.swift 2 matches
- ✗ L3 Its functions run without the GUI (a headless/batch mode or a companion CLI). nothing runs without the GUI
- ✓ L4 The automation interface is specified machine-readably (an AppleScript sdef, D-Bus introspection XML, App Intents, an OpenAPI spec, MCP). Maccy/Intents/Clear.swift 1 matchMaccy/Intents/Delete.swift 1 match
Contract stability 1 ad hoc Releases are versioned (semver tags or versioned changelog sections).
Can integrators rely on it not changing under them?
- next: L2 A changelog exists and marks breaking changes. (no changelog)
all ladder · level 1
- ✓ L1 Releases are versioned (semver tags or versioned changelog sections). 92 semver tags, latest 2.7.1
- ✗ L2 A changelog exists and marks breaking changes. no changelog
- ✗ L3 A deprecation mechanism is used in code (warnings, @deprecated, Deprecation/Sunset headers) or the API is versioned. no deprecation mechanism or API versioning
- ✓ L4 Across tagged releases, no OpenAPI operation, CLI option or __all__ symbol was removed without first being deprecated. 20 tagged releases compared
Events n/a Not applicable: no service and no long-running CLI mode (batch CLIs, libraries and desktop apps have no events).
Can others react to state changes without polling?
Identity n/a Not applicable: uses no credentials and has no service surface.
Can a machine act with its own revocable, least-privilege identity?
Data portability 0 absent Not yet: The data schema is explicit (migrations, DDL, schema files).
Can its data get in and out, in bulk, in open formats, with an explicit schema?
- next: L1 The data schema is explicit (migrations, DDL, schema files). (no migrations or schema files)
all ladder · level 0
- ✗ L1 The data schema is explicit (migrations, DDL, schema files). no migrations or schema files
- ✗ L2 An export exists (endpoint or command, not only the UI). no export
- ✗ L3 A bulk export in an open format, and a bulk import. no open export format
- ✗ L4 The export format is documented and the round trip is tested. the export format isn't documented
Agent ergonomics 0 absent Not yet: In headless mode, failures end with a non-zero exit status instead of a dialog.
Can an automated caller use it without guessing, and recover from failure?
- next: L1 In headless mode, failures end with a non-zero exit status instead of a dialog. (no headless mode for automated callers)
desktop ladder · level 0
- ✗ L1 In headless mode, failures end with a non-zero exit status instead of a dialog. no headless mode for automated callers
- ✗ L2 In headless mode, data goes to stdout and diagnostics to stderr. no headless mode for automated callers
- ✗ L3 Documented exit statuses distinguish error classes, and headless output is machine-readable (JSON). no headless mode for automated callers
- ✗ L4 Dry-run for side-effecting operations, and agent docs. no headless mode for automated callers
Embeddability 1 ad hoc Buildable from source with documented steps (a README with commands).
Can another system run and compose it without a human?
- next: L2 Packaged as an installer (dmg/pkg, MSI/MSIX, AppImage/Flatpak/Snap, electron-builder, Tauri bundle, PyInstaller). (no installer packaging)
desktop ladder · level 1
- ✓ L1 Buildable from source with documented steps (a README with commands). README.md
- ✗ L2 Packaged as an installer (dmg/pkg, MSI/MSIX, AppImage/Flatpak/Snap, electron-builder, Tauri bundle, PyInstaller). no installer packaging
- ✗ L3 Distributed for unattended installation: a package manager (Homebrew cask, winget, Chocolatey, Flathub, Snap) or release artifacts built in CI. no package-manager distribution or CI releases
- ✓ L4 Settings can be managed without the GUI: documented environment variables or config file, macOS defaults/MDM profiles, or Windows policies. README.md 3 matches
Extensibility 0 absent Not yet: Internal seams: a registry, registration function or plugin manager.
Can behaviour be added without modifying the code?
- next: L1 Internal seams: a registry, registration function or plugin manager. (no registry or registration function)
all ladder · level 0
- ✗ L1 Internal seams: a registry, registration function or plugin manager. no registry or registration function
- ✗ L2 The docs show how to add behaviour through those seams (even in-tree). no registration functions to document
- ✗ L3 Out-of-tree extensions are discovered (entry points, a plugin directory, configuration) without editing the package. extensions must be added inside the package
- ✗ L4 The extension API is versioned, has lifecycle hooks, and has example extensions. the extension API isn't versioned
Observability 1 ad hoc Writes logs through a standard logger (os_log/Logger, electron-log, logging, Qt categories).
Can an operator, or an orchestrating agent, tell whether it works and why not?
- next: L2 Log verbosity can be raised for diagnosis (--verbose/--debug, a log-level setting). (no verbosity control)
desktop ladder · level 1
- ✓ L1 Writes logs through a standard logger (os_log/Logger, electron-log, logging, Qt categories). Maccy/Observables/History.swift 2 matchesMaccy/Observables/SlideoutController.swift 2 matches
- ✗ L2 Log verbosity can be raised for diagnosis (--verbose/--debug, a log-level setting). no verbosity control
- ✗ L3 Crashes are reported (Sentry, Crashpad/Breakpad, Crashlytics, MetricKit). no crash reporting
- ✗ L4 Tracing or metrics (OpenTelemetry). no tracing
Change legibility 1 ad hoc A README and some tests.
Can an agent change it safely with limited context?
- next: L2 CI runs the tests; applications pin dependencies (libraries and zero-dependency projects are exempt). (no CI)
all ladder · level 1
- ✓ L1 A README and some tests. README.mdMaccyTests/ClipboardTests.swift 11 test files
- ✗ L2 CI runs the tests; applications pin dependencies (libraries and zero-dependency projects are exempt). no CI
- ✗ L3 At least 90% of modules fit 32k tokens and no file exceeds 12k; test/source token ratio at least 0.3; at least 70% of the code is typed. test/source token ratio 0.29 < 0.3
- ✗ L4 No import cycles, and agent docs (AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, llms.txt). no agent docs (AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, llms.txt)
Make or buy
Make with agents
281,471 output + 7,036,775 input tokens
on anthropic:claude-opus-5-5 ≈ $11.
3.1 agent-hours · 109.9 human days (3.9 steering + 106.0 rediscovering history).
$85,450 over 3 years
Buy (adopt as is)
120 min to running (via desktop) + 5 min to first use (via desktop UI).
240 min/year of upgrades; price $0/year.
$944 over 3 years
Buying wins below $28,169 per year. How this is estimated.
Classic COCOMO vs neosloc value
Classic COCOMO (sloccount)
7.8 KSLOC → 20.8 person-months over 7.9 months.
$234k
The effort to write it by hand, as COCOMO priced it in 1981.
neosloc value (neoCOCOMO)
Reproduce with agents: 7.0 PM (×0.34 of classic; 47% of behaviour captured by tests, contract and docs).
Rediscover uncaptured history: 5.0 PM (192 fixes in 1138 commits by 96 authors).
× leverage 0.84 (integrability) × obsolescence 0.9.
$103k (9.2 PM)
What survives
44% of the classic figure
42% of the replacement cost lives only in code and history.
History
| Evaluated | Commit | neosloc | Index | Make or buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-07 | a92c11ae3e7a | 0.8.0 | 0.75 | buy |
| 2026-10-07 | a92c11ae3e7a | 0.7.4 | 0.75 | buy |
| 2026-10-07 | a92c11ae3e7a | 0.7.3 | 0.75 | buy |
| 2026-10-07 | a92c11ae3e7a | 0.7.2 | 0.75 | buy |