Cohere releases North Mini Code, its first open-source AI coding agent
Cohere has launched 'North Mini Code', its first-ever open-source model built specifically for writing code and carrying out multi-step tasks on its own. Anyone can download and run it for free, making it a no-cost option for building AI coding assistants.
Cohere is a company known for selling AI services to businesses, so releasing an open-source model is a first for them. North Mini Code is a compact model — 'Mini' signals it's designed to run on ordinary hardware rather than requiring expensive servers — but it's focused on agentic coding: the ability to write code and work through a series of steps autonomously without needing a human to guide each one.
Because it's open-source, developers can download the model and run it locally on their own machines, avoiding cloud API fees entirely. For anyone experimenting with AI agents or trying to automate coding tasks on a budget, this adds a capable, free option to the toolbox.
Key points
- Cohere's first open-source release — free to download and use by anyone
- Designed for code generation and multi-step autonomous tasks (agentic coding)
- 'Mini' size means it can likely run on a regular PC or low-cost server
- No cloud API needed — run it locally to keep costs at zero
- A ready-made base model for experimenting with AI coding agents
Quick term guide
- open-source
- Software whose code is shared publicly so others can inspect, use, or change it.
- agentic coding
- Using an AI agent that can autonomously read, edit, and navigate code to complete programming tasks.
- autonomous
- The ability of an AI to complete tasks or make decisions without constant human guidance.
- developers
- Developers are people who build software, apps, or websites.
- AI agents
- AI agents are AI tools that can carry out steps toward a goal, not just answer once.
- AI coding agents
- AI tools that can help write, edit, or organize software code.
- AI coding agent
- An AI tool that can write, edit, and run code from your instructions.
- coding agent
- An AI tool that writes or edits code from a person’s instructions.