Preparing for the first public release
A fast, open AI agent
built in Rust.
Russ is a cross-platform, open-source agent designed around local inference, deterministic tools, efficient small models, and user-controlled workflows.
Language models are powerful — but they're also expensive. Russ is built around a simple principle: use the language model only when language reasoning is genuinely required. Everything else is implemented with deterministic Rust code whenever practical.
AI agents should not require enormous models or remote services to be useful. Russ is being built to keep common work local, fast, inspectable, and under the user's control.
Open core principles
Rust First
Build native, memory-safe software with predictable performance.
Cross-Platform
Designed to run natively across Linux, Windows, and macOS, with additional platforms supported over time.
Local First
Run models and tools on hardware you control whenever practical.
Deterministic Where Possible
Use fast, reliable Rust code whenever language-model reasoning is unnecessary.
Efficient by Design
Reduce duplicate work, unnecessary allocations, oversized prompts, and wasted compute.
Open Development
Transparent code, documentation, issues, merge requests, and community discussion.
Current public development focus
Russ is preparing for its first public release. Current priorities include:
- Reliable agent chat
- Fast local Qwen 4B-class inference
- Stable model routing
- Deterministic tool execution
- Efficient context management
- Native cross-platform integration
- CLI and terminal workflows
- Contributor documentation
- Release hardening
Join the conversation
Russ's real-time discussion happens on IRC. It's the best place to follow development and talk with the maintainer during early development.
irc.libera.chat / #russproject
Open #russproject in webchat