TaewoooPark/Motifcode

A coding agent harness built for one model: Motif-3.

English  ·  한국어

Choose your provider. First launch offers Infron or Morphfactory (BETA). Switch later with /provider or from /config; each provider keeps its own API key.

Not an official Motif project. Motifcode is an independent open-source project. It is not certified, endorsed, sponsored or maintained by Motif Technologies or by Infron. Motif and Motif-3 are their names; this repository is only a client of the model.

Motifcode is a terminal coding agent in the shape of Claude Code — a transcript above, a bordered prompt below, / commands, @ mentions, a permission prompt, a .motif/ directory behind it — whose tool set, prompt layout, parser and failure handling are consequences of things that are specifically true about Motif-3, most of them measured rather than assumed. It is not a general harness pointed at a different base URL.

On 18 August 2026 Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT announced the second-stage result of its Independent AI Foundation Model programme (독자 AI 파운데이션 모델, the national sovereign-model project). Four teams were evaluated; LG AI Research, SK Telecom and Upstage went on to the next round, and Motif Technologies was eliminated — with the highest benchmark score of the four. The vice minister's explanation was that the technology was excellent but that the model "received a somewhat lower evaluation than the other companies on usability and applicability" (사용성·활용성). A week earlier Motif-3 had been released as open weights, scoring 47 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index — first among Korean models. (THE ELEC, Biz Hankook, HelloT; the score has since been revised to 34 following changes to the scoring system)

Usability, for a coding model, is mostly not a property of the weights. It is whether the model's tool calls parse; whether the prompt is laid out the way its own chat template expects; whether one malformed turn is repaired or ends the session; whether the tools it is given are the ones it scored with; and whether the terminal in front of the person behaves like the tools they already use. Every one of those is a property of the harness — and a harness can be written by anyone.

Motifcode was built to prove that the usability an open-weight model was marked down on can be raised far enough with open source. The harness is written for this one model, measured against it, and given an interactive session checked feature by feature against Claude Code's.

Wide window. The hero, the welcome card and the prompt.	Narrow window. The hero picks the size that fits; the session is the same.
First run. Choose a provider, then paste an API key to check and save once.	/skills. The built-in skills, each of them also a command: /commit fix the parser.

The hero fits the window; the welcome card says what to type; the first run asks for the key in place of the prompt. In a session, your line follows >, the model's prose and each tool call sit behind a ⏺, results under a ⎿, reasoning stays hidden unless you ask for it, and the status line shows the context used and how much of the prompt the server served from cache.

Needs Node 20.3+. The package is one file with no runtime dependencies.

cd your-project
npx motifcode          # first run: asks for your key, then offers to install the `motif` command

The first session lets you choose Infron or Morphfactory (BETA), asks for your API key once, and saves it to ~/.motif/.env. Because npx leaves no command behind, it then offers to run npm install -g motifcode for you; say yes and motif (or motifcode) opens the session from any folder from then on. npm install -g motifcode directly does the same without the question.

Flags: --model, --endpoint, --env-file, --theme, --thinking, --verbose, --permissions ask|auto, --cwd, --channel, --max-turns, --max-output-tokens, --seed, --no-hero. motif --help has the full list. MCP servers and Skills walk through the mcp, skills and plugins commands.

If your terminal is configured to render East Asian Ambiguous characters as two columns, launch with MOTIF_AMBIGUOUS_WIDTH=2 motif to match its cursor and wrapping behavior. The default is one column. Set this in the shell environment; it is a terminal preference, not an API configuration value in .env.

MCP servers give Motif outside tools: library documentation, GitHub, a browser, your own local services. Motif connects to stdio, Streamable HTTP and legacy SSE servers. Every server sits behind the one mcp tool, so connecting a server never changes the model's tool list. Each server tool is still called by its own name against its own JSON Schema, and the arguments are checked before they are sent. Server tools follow the session's permissions, and a write whose outcome is unknown is never repeated on its own.

Eight presets ship with Motif. Browsing them is offline, and registering one downloads, starts and signs in to nothing.

npx presets download their pinned package on the first connection. See preset requirements for the details.

In a session. Type /mcp. The manager lists the registered servers and the presets you can add. Select a preset to see what it needs and where it will be saved, then register and connect it. Its tools are usable in the same session, with no restart. /mcp list, /mcp connect NAME, /mcp disconnect NAME, /mcp reconnect NAME and /mcp login NAME work straight from the prompt.

A preset from the shell.

motif mcp presets                                  # the catalog, offline
motif mcp presets playwright                       # one preset's requirements
motif mcp install context7 --enable
motif mcp install filesystem --root /absolute/project/path --enable
motif mcp install github --enable && motif mcp login github

install saves the registration, disabled unless --enable is given.

Any other server. Motif's options go before --, the server's own command after it. HTTP and SSE servers take a URL:

motif mcp add local -- node /absolute/path/to/server.mjs
motif mcp add local-api --env-ref TOKEN=SERVICE_TOKEN -- node /absolute/path/to/server.mjs
motif mcp add docs --transport http https://developers.openai.com/mcp
motif mcp add remote --transport http --header 'Authorization=Bearer ${SERVICE_TOKEN}' https://example.com/mcp
motif mcp add legacy --transport sse --header-env X-Api-Key=SERVICE_TOKEN https://example.com/sse

Pass credentials as environment references (--env-ref, --header-env, ${VAR}) rather than values; private headers require them. Registrations are saved in ~/.motif/mcp.json, which can also be edited by hand.

From Codex or Claude.

motif mcp import codex ~/.codex/config.toml
motif mcp import claude /path/to/claude-config.json --write ./mcp.imported.json

Import is a preview until --write names a new file. Imported entries stay disabled for review, and inline secrets are not copied.

By asking. Paste the server's repository or URL with a clear request, and the built-in mcp-setup skill takes over:

Connect this MCP to Motifcode and check it: https://github.com/TaewoooPark/Trendchaser-mcp

It reads the server's installation instructions, registers it and checks the connection under your usual permissions. /mcp-setup <URL> runs it explicitly.

motif mcp list                       # registrations and presets, offline
motif mcp doctor --connect           # start enabled servers, list their tools, close them
motif mcp connect NAME --login       # connect, signing in through the browser if needed
motif mcp login NAME --no-browser    # print the sign-in URL instead, for SSH or headless machines

Servers that use standard MCP OAuth sign in through the browser. Motif opens the provider's page, receives the callback on a loopback port and keeps the tokens in private files under ~/.motif/auth, never in mcp.json or in the model's context. In a session, a server that needs sign-in offers it, and the panel also shows the URL in case no browser can open. The GitHub preset reuses GitHub CLI's saved account instead: Motif stores only a delegation grant, gh keeps the token, and access survives restarts. motif mcp logout NAME removes Motif's credentials without signing you out of the provider or of gh.

~/.motif/mcp.json is trusted. Project files are never picked up automatically: review one, then pass --mcp-config FILE together with the SHA-256 it prints to --trust-mcp. Servers added in /mcp connect at once; edits made from another terminal need a relaunch. The MCP guide covers tool allowlists, timeouts, form and URL approvals and the full support matrix.

A skill is a folder with a SKILL.md (YAML frontmatter with a name and a description, then the instructions) and any scripts, references and assets beside it. It is the Agent Skills format that Claude Code and Codex use, and Motif reads both clients' variants. Only a short index sits in the system prompt; a skill's full body loads when it is used.

Motif ships 18 core skills and 6 more in five workflow bundles. Run one as /<name> [input] (/commit fix the parser), attach it with @skill:name, or let the model choose it through the skill tool. /skills lists what is loaded.

By asking. Paste a skill link with a clear request. The built-in skill-setup inspects the source, installs the skill and checks it:

Install this skill for this project: https://github.com/anthropics/skills/tree/main/skills/webapp-testing

Asking for it "globally" or "for all projects" installs into ~/.motif/, for every project. /skill-setup <source or request> runs it explicitly, including for a Claude or Codex skill you already have.

From a link, a repository or a folder.

motif skills add https://github.com/anthropics/skills/tree/main/skills/webapp-testing
motif skills add https://github.com/anthropics/skills/blob/main/skills/brand-guidelines/SKILL.md --scope project
motif skills add anthropics/skills --path skills/webapp-testing
motif skills add ./my-skill --scope project
motif skills inspect ./my-skill                    # preview without installing

A GitHub folder, SKILL.md or raw link installs the whole skill folder. --ref pins a branch, tag or commit, --dry-run previews, and the resolved commit and content digest are recorded with each installation.

From Claude Code or Codex.

motif skills import claude                         # list candidates; nothing is copied yet
motif skills import codex --json
motif skills import claude --skill webapp-testing --scope project

Claude import reads ~/.claude/skills, the project's .claude/skills and the plugins enabled in Claude Code. Codex import reads ~/.agents/skills, ~/.codex/skills, the project's .agents/skills up to the Git root and the plugins enabled in Codex. Skills are copied into Motif's own store; the other client's files and settings are never changed.

From a marketplace.

motif skills marketplace OWNER/CATALOG
motif skills add OWNER/CATALOG --plugin ENTRY --skill SKILL_NAME

A plugin package with its own MCP servers. motif plugins add OWNER/REPO --skill NAME installs its skills, motif plugins inspect NAME shows the servers it brings, and motif plugins connect NAME --login registers and connects them after you approve. Hooks, agents and commands written for another host stay inactive. /plugin-setup <source or request> does the same by request.

Write your own. Create ~/.motif/skills/<name>/SKILL.md for every project, or <project>/.motif/skills/<name>/SKILL.md for one; /skill-creator can draft it.

---
name: explain-widget
description: Explain this project's widget lifecycle and check its invariants.
---

Read references/lifecycle.md relative to this skill's directory.
Explain the widget named in $ARGUMENTS, citing the relevant source.

motif skills installed, motif skills update NAME and motif skills remove NAME maintain installed copies. Restart a running session to load newly installed skills. The skills guide has the precedence rules and the full compatibility table.

Five plugins ship with Motif. Their skills run as slash commands in every project, and their instructions and references load only when used. A bundle tied to an MCP service is listed for the model only while that server is enabled. User and project skills can override them, and listing plugins never starts a service.

motif plugins list
motif plugins inspect library-docs --json
motif plugins connect library-docs

Connecting a bundle's service is a separate step you approve; --yes confirms a reviewed plan in a noninteractive shell. Existing registrations are preserved, and a bundle being available does not mean its service is signed in. See bundled workflows.

First launch offers Infron and Morphfactory (BETA). Existing sessions keep their current connection; use /provider or the provider row in /config to switch. Both use the model id motif/motif-3 and an OpenAI-compatible endpoint:

1. Create a key at Infron's API Keys dashboard or Morphfactory's console.
2. Run motif, choose the provider and paste its key. A one-token request checks it before saving it to ~/.motif/.env (readable only by you). Provider keys are stored separately, so switching or /logout preserves the other key.
3. In a script, use motif login --provider morphfactory, then motif --provider morphfactory -p "your question". --provider infron selects Infron; explicit --endpoint and --model flags override the preset.
4. motif doctor --provider morphfactory checks the connection, tool calls, reasoning and prefix caching. Infron's account balance is only available with Infron; local session token usage remains available for both providers.

Environment variables or a project .env work too; --env-file <path> reads that file first. Set MOTIF_ENDPOINT to select a provider through an env file. Infron remains the default when no provider is configured.

Only MOTIF_* keys are read from a .env file, none of them are exported, and the key is removed from the harness's own environment before anything is spawned — the agent's bash cannot see it, and neither can a project hook.

enter send · \ + enter newline · esc interrupt or clear · ctrl-c twice quit · ctrl-d quit
↑ ↓ history · tab show or hide reasoning · ctrl-o output viewer · ctrl-l redraw · shift-tab permissions
@ attach a file · ! run a shell line · # add a project note · / commands · ? hide this

Tool results show a three-row preview by default, including long single-line JSON and errors. Ctrl+O opens the full output in a read-only transcript viewer. Use ↑/↓, PageUp/PageDown or Home/End to browse, then Esc, q or Ctrl+O to return to the same draft and scrollback. This does not truncate the model's tool data. --verbose or /config verbose true explicitly keeps full inline output.

The Infron balance connects automatically using the key entered at first login. Press r in Usage to refresh. The account balance and costs recorded in local journals are separate: unreported or unrecorded charges are not estimated.

Skills are covered in Skills. A subagent is Markdown with frontmatter — name, description, tools (a count, or a prefix of the canonical list), readOnly, maxTurns. A plugin is a directory with plugin.json and its own skills/ and agents/.

~/.motif/settings.json      your defaults: model, endpoint, channel, budgets, theme, thinking, compactAt, permissions
~/.motif/.env               the credential
~/.motif/mcp.json           MCP server registrations
~/.motif/auth/              MCP sign-in credentials and delegation grants, private to you
~/.motif/skills/<n>/SKILL.md, ~/.motif/agents/<n>.md      yours, on every project
~/.motif/skills-installed.json, ~/.motif/skill-packages/ managed skill copies and sources
<repo>/.motif/settings.json the project's settings and hooks — applied once `motif trust` approves it
<repo>/.motif/skills/, agents/, NOTES.md                    the project's
~/.motif/plugins/<n>/, <repo>/.motif/plugins/<n>/          plugin.json + skills/ + agents/
<repo>/.motif/sessions/*.jsonl                              one journal per task
<repo>/.motif/history.jsonl                                 what you typed, for ↑

A generic harness assumes the model's tool calls parse, that the tool list is free to change, and that reasoning is optional. None of that holds for Motif-3, and each fact below, checked rather than assumed, became a design constraint.

Whatever the channel, the model's own body is kept verbatim in the transcript, and the loop is tested by injecting the faults the model actually produces: invalid escapes, truncated calls, unparseable bodies, empty turns, a dead server.

Motif-3 is a 314B-parameter mixture-of-experts model with 13.2B activated per token and a native 256K context, released under MIT by Motif Technologies: weights, technical report, serving fork with the motif tool-call parser, and the Infron API used here, which also serves /v1/responses and Anthropic-style /v1/messages, so Codex, Claude Code and other harnesses reach the same model.

Aider polyglot alone cannot settle the comparison. It measures spec-to-code with a test loop in a two-file repository, one run per instance. SWE-bench Verified and Terminal-Bench 2.1, the benchmarks behind Motif-3's published scores, still need to be run with the same three harnesses before the gap can be called general.

The claim above was measured on 2026-09-20/21: the same model behind three harnesses on the Aider polyglot benchmark — 213 Exercism exercises across C++, Go, Java, JavaScript, Python and Rust (225 minus 12 excluded before the run), one attempt per instance, seed 0, a 15-minute cap, the same task text, and the same grader applying each patch to a pristine checkout. Motifcode ran in benchmark mode as shipped; Codex CLI and OpenCode ran through thin adapters against the same Infron endpoint.

The gap is the harness, not the model. Codex ended 38 rows on the time cap and 2 on a malformed tool call echoed back into history; OpenCode ended 21 on the router's repetition abort and 18 on the cap; Motifcode ended 22 on the cap and 9 on its own turn and loop guards, and 182 normally. One seed at temperature 1.0, so differences under ~8 pp are not resolved; Codex ran with its stream idle timeout raised (stock 300 s dropped the stream on this endpoint's long reasoning steps), OpenCode with web tools denied. Method, per-language results, every row and the incident log are in packages/eval/REPORT.md; the adapters and scripts to repeat the run with your own key are in packages/eval/polyglot-bench/.

packages/protocol/   chat template · tool-call repair · reasoning scrubber · channels
packages/tools/      the frozen tool set and its linter
packages/core/       agent loop · endpoint config · compaction · breakage budget · loop guard
packages/replay/     record, replay and deliberately break the transport
packages/tui/        typed cells · two-region streaming · composer · menus · themes
packages/mcp/        MCP client and manager · presets · OAuth and GitHub CLI sign-in · schema checks
packages/skills/     Claude/Codex-compatible skill parsing, the registry and the built-in skills
packages/agents/     subagent definitions and the local scheduler
packages/hooks/      lifecycle shell hooks
packages/journal/    append-only session log, resume, trajectory export
packages/cli/        the `motif` command, the interactive session, login, doctor, MCP/skill/plugin setup
packages/eval/       polyglot suite, campaign runner, worktree grader, REPORT.md and the polyglot-bench/ kit (the benchmark above)
toolkit/             prompt goldens (jinja2), expert-pruning surgery, campaign score table
corpus/              vendored template + generated goldens
docs/                logo, screenshots, benchmark figure, model guide, MCP and skills guides

pnpm install && pnpm typecheck && pnpm build
pnpm test          # unit, integration, CLI end-to-end, and an install smoke
pnpm lint:tools    # schema linter — fails the build on loose schemas

To release, bump version in both package.json files and VERSION in packages/cli/src/main.ts, commit, and push a tag (git tag v0.3.0 && git push origin v0.3.0); the release workflow runs the suite and publishes to npm through trusted publishing, with provenance and no stored token.

Prior art read closely: Claude Code for the session's shape; Codex for typed history cells, two-region streaming and the compaction handoff; gemini-cli for approval queues and loop detection; hermes-agent for the streaming think-scrubber; Terminus 2 for the persistent-terminal contract; mini-SWE-agent for proof that a thin tool set is enough.

Taewoo Park — physics and spintronics at KAIST, building harnesses for science and code. taewoopark.com · GitHub · X · LinkedIn

Apache-2.0. The Motif-3 weights and chat template are MIT, from Motif-Technologies/Motif-3; any derived checkpoint inherits that licence and credits the original. Motifcode is not affiliated with Motif Technologies or Infron.