Questions, answered.
What Fermata is, what it costs, and where your code goes.
What is Fermata?
Fermata is a native macOS software factory. You describe a feature in a short interview, and it plans the work, builds it across coding agents, reviews it, and opens a pull request. Everything runs on your own Mac. You supervise at the gates you choose; it never merges on its own.
How much does Fermata cost?
Fermata is free. There is no license, no seat, and no subscription. Running agents uses your own Claude, and Anthropic meters that usage; Fermata does not include or cover it.
Do I need Claude Code CLI?
Yes. Fermata runs the build through Anthropic's Claude Code CLI, so you need it installed and authenticated before using Fermata. You also need the GitHub CLI: Fermata opens pull requests through the gh command, so install it and run gh auth login before your first piece.
What macOS version do I need?
Fermata requires macOS 15 (Sequoia) or later, running on Apple Silicon (M1 or newer). macOS 26 (Tahoe) is recommended: on 26 you get the full canvas and the Liquid Glass interface, while macOS 15 runs a simpler fallback canvas.
Does my code or my data leave my machine?
Your code, prompts, and agent conversations stay on your Mac. Fermata does not send them anywhere. When agents run, the Claude CLI sends your prompts and code to Anthropic's API, the same as running the CLI yourself; Fermata adds nothing on top of that. Fermata does include opt-out crash reporting and anonymous usage analytics: you choose both at first launch, they default to on, and you can turn them off any time in Settings under Privacy. Neither ever collects your code, prompts, file paths, or project names: crash reports are scrubbed stack traces, and usage analytics are anonymous counts.
Does the factory stop when I close my laptop?
Closing the lid sleeps the Mac, and the run pauses with it. For unattended runs, turn on Keep Mac Awake in Settings and leave the lid open: Fermata then holds the system awake while agents are working (the display can still sleep). It runs while your Mac is on, on your own machine, not in a datacenter. That is the point: local, private, yours.
How is this different from using Claude Code directly?
Claude Code runs one agent in one terminal, driven by you. Fermata is the factory around it: you describe a feature in a scored interview, and it plans the work, builds it across coding agents working in the piece's own git worktree, reviews it, and opens the pull request. You supervise at the gates you choose, or go hands-off, and get a visual Loop board and local analytics that a bare terminal does not show.
Can I use models other than Claude via Anthropic?
Yes. The engine is a swappable backend. Claude via Anthropic, Amazon Bedrock, and Google Vertex all work today, and a broader third-party catalog is on the roadmap. The phases are the same whichever you run.
Will there be a Windows or Linux version?
Not currently planned. Fermata is built with 100% native SwiftUI and is deeply integrated with macOS. We're focused on making the Mac experience excellent first.
How do git worktrees work in Fermata?
A piece runs in its own git worktree and branch, off to the side of your checkout. Agents on that piece share it and commit per agent, so nothing lands in your working copy. Standalone sessions can get their own worktree too; turn that on in Settings. When the work is done, you review the diff and it opens a pull request; you merge, edit, or discard.
Still have questions? Ask on Discord or email hello@fermata.run.