Nido
๐ชบ Nido: The Arcade Console for AI Agents. Fast, local VM orchestration (QEMU/KVM) with MCP Server support. 80s aesthetics included.
Installation
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"Hatch your agents. Let them fly." ๐ฃ๐พ
Nido is the retro-futuristic nest for your AI agents. It spawns real Virtual Machines in milliseconds, giving your autonomous code a safe place to hatch, grow, and execute.
Containers are cages. Nido is a habitat. ๐ชบ
Built on QEMU and fueled by 80s nostalgia, Nido feels like a game console for DevOps. It provides a full, unconstrained OS for your agents to explore, break, and rebuild.
๐น๏ธ The Game Loop: Spawn -> Execute -> Destroy

- INSERT COIN (Spawn): An agent needs a body. Nido "hatches" a VM from a cached genetic sequence (Image) instantly using Linked Clones technology.
- PLAY (Execute): The VM is alive. The agent connects via SSH (Neural Link) and has full
rootaccess. No shared kernels. No rules. - GAME OVER (Destroy): The mission is complete. The VM is vaporized. The nest remains pristine for the next player.
โก Loading... (Installation)
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: Linux, macOS, Android (Termux), or Windows (WSL2/PowerShell). QEMU must be installed.
๐พ Quick Install (Web)
Run this command in your terminal. Do not turn off the console while saving.
Linux & macOS:
{ curl -fsSL https://github.com/Josepavese/nido/releases/latest/download/install.sh || curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Josepavese/nido/main/installers/quick-install.sh; } | bash
# Restart your terminal or source your config to initialize the matrix
source ~/.bashrc # or ~/.zshrc, power up the path
nido version # Check checksum
Windows (PowerShell):
try { irm https://github.com/Josepavese/nido/releases/latest/download/install.ps1 | iex } catch { irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Josepavese/nido/main/installers/quick-install.ps1 | iex }
# Restart your terminal to initialize the matrix
nido version
ARM Linux SBCs:
Run this inside your favorite ARM-based Linux distro (Raspberry Pi, Pine64, etc). Android/Termux users should prefer the source installer when Android-specific packages are needed.
{ curl -fsSL https://github.com/Josepavese/nido/releases/latest/download/install.sh || curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Josepavese/nido/main/installers/quick-install.sh; } | bash
# Reload your config
source ~/.bashrc
nido version
๐ช Cheat Codes (Auto-Complete)
Tab-completion is enabled by default. If it's missing, equip it manually:
# Add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc
source <(nido completion bash) # or zsh / fish / powershell
๐ฆ Select Your Flavour

Nido supports a wide roster of "fighters" (Cloud Images). Ubuntu, Debian, Alpine, Arch, choose your pixelated champion.
๐ฎ Real World Example (Combo Move)
Let's hatch a Ubuntu 24.04 bird named agent-01, attach a graphical interface (GUI), and log in immediately.
# 1. DOWNLOAD ROM (Pull Image)
nido images pull ubuntu:24.04
# 2. START GAME (Spawn VM with GUI and custom resources)
nido spawn agent-01 --image ubuntu:24.04 --gui --memory 4096 --cpus 4
# 3. LINK CABLE (SSH Connection)
nido ssh agent-01
Result: A fresh VM boots in <2 seconds. A VNC window opens. You are root.
๐ฆพ Neural Interface (For AI Agents)
Nido is designed to be driven by Large Language Models (Claude, GPT-4, Gemini).
๐ค Model Context Protocol (MCP)
Nido speaks native MCP. The server now exposes a compact agent-facing surface: a few high-power tools (nido_vm, nido_template, nido_image, nido_system) plus read-only resources like nido://fleet/vms and nido://system/config. This reduces tool-selection ambiguity, lowers token overhead, and makes agent planning simpler than a flood of one-action tools.
nido register # Generates the config for your AI client
nido mcp --help # Human-readable MCP guide
nido mcp-help # Machine-readable MCP guide for agents
๐ง JSON Mode
Every command supports --json. Perfect for scripts and robot eyes.
nido ls --json
# Output: {"vms": [{"name": "agent-01", "state": "running", "ip": "10.0.2.15"}]}
๐น๏ธ Control Deck (Command List)
Here is the full move list for the Nido console.
๐ฃ Life Cycle (The Game Loop)
| Command | Action | Arcade Analog |
|---|---|---|
nido spawn <name> [--image <tag>] [--accel <id>|auto] ... | Create and hatch a new VM (Defaults: min(2048MB, 50% Host RAM), 1 vCPU) | INSERT COIN |
nido start <name> [--gui] [--cmdline <args>] | Revive a stopped VM | CONTINUE? 10..9.. |
nido stop <name> | ACPI Shutdown signal | PAUSE |
nido delete <name> | Destroy VM permanently | GAME OVER |
nido prune | Delete ALL stopped VMs | CLEAR HIGH SCORES |
๐ Observability (HUD)
| Command | Action | Arcade Analog |
|---|---|---|
nido ls | List all VMs | PLAYER SELECT |
nido info <name> | Show IP, Ports, PID | STATS SCREEN |
nido gui | Interactive TUI Dashboard | ARCADE MODE |
nido doctor | Diagnose system health | TEST MENU |
๐ Connectivity (Link Cable)
| Command | Action | Arcade Analog |
|---|---|---|
nido ssh <name> | SSH into VM | LINK CABLE |
๐งฌ Genetic Engineering (Images & Templates)
| Command | Action | Arcade Analog |
|---|---|---|
nido images list | Browse cloud images | CHARACTER ROSTER |
nido images pull <tag> | Download image | LOAD ROM |
nido cache ls | View local cache | MEMORY CARD |
nido cache prune | Clear unused images | DELETE SAVE |
nido template list | List custom templates | USER SKINS |
nido template create <vm> <name> | Save VM state as template | SAVE STATE |
nido template delete <name> | Delete template | ERASE |
nido build <blueprint> | Build VM image from recipe | CRAFTING |
โ๏ธ System (Options Menu)
| Command | Action | Arcade Analog |
|---|---|---|
nido config <vm> [--memory MB] [--cpu N] [--accel <id>] [--qemu-arg "-flag"] ... | Modify existing VM resources | PLAYER STATS |
nido config set <key> <val> | Update global Nido settings | OPTIONS |
nido register | Setup MCP integration | CONTROLLER CONFIG |
nido update | Self-update from GitHub | OTA PATCH |
nido uninstall | Nuclear cleanup | SELF DESTRUCT |
nido version | Show version info | CREDITS |
nido help | Show usage guide | TUTORIAL |
๐งฌ Killer Feature: Linked Clones
Why download 2GB every time? Nido downloads the generic "Common ROM" (Base Image) once.
Every VM you spawn is just a diff layer (mutation) on top of that ROM.
- Base Image: Read-Only. Safe.
- VM Disk: Read-Write. Ephemeral.
Result: Spawn 100 VMs, use disk space for 1. ๐
๐ค Contributing
Insert Coin to Join.
- Fork the repo.
go run ./cmd/nido guito test the Arcade UI.- Run
go run ./cmd/nido-validatorto insure your code withstands the pressure. - Submit a PR.
- High Scores are recorded in
AUTHORS.
๐ License
MIT License. Free as in "Free Play".
Made with ๐ and โ by digital artisans.
EST. 2025 โข "The Grid. A digital frontier."
