# Chef

> Chef is Convex's open-source AI app builder, started from bolt.diy's stable branch. It builds full-stack apps on Convex with a database, built-in auth, file uploads, realtime UI and background jobs. Running it yourself still uses Convex's hosted control plane and a Convex account, plus an Anthropic, Google, OpenAI or xAI key; local models are not documented. The README says self-hosted forks must replace Convex's own login system. Apache-2.0. Last commit March 2026.

- Repository: https://github.com/get-convex/chef
- Official docs: https://docs.convex.dev/chef
- Checked: 2026-10-15

## What it replaces
- Lovable: Build a full-stack web app from a chat prompt, See the running app update as it is built, Add a database (partial). Strong backend generation, but tied to Convex's hosted platform and cloud model keys; no visual editor.
- Bolt.new: Build a full-stack web app from a chat prompt, Run and preview the app in the browser (WebContainers), Add a database and login (Bolt Database / Supabase) (partial). Built on bolt.diy's in-browser workbench with a Convex backend; Convex account and cloud model keys needed.

## Facts, with sources

| Question | Status | Answer | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runs on my machine? | Partial | The Chef UI runs locally, but it provisions projects through Convex's hosted control plane | https://github.com/get-convex/chef#running-locally | 2026-10-15 |
| Code licence | Confirmed | Apache-2.0 | https://github.com/get-convex/chef/blob/main/LICENSE | 2026-10-15 |
| Model weights licence | Confirmed | No separate model weights | https://github.com/get-convex/chef#readme | 2026-10-15 |
| Commercial use | Confirmed | Yes, Apache-2.0; production forks must replace Convex's internal authentication setup | https://github.com/get-convex/chef#getting-started | 2026-10-15 |
| Paid services needed? | No | A cloud model API key (Anthropic, Google, OpenAI or xAI) and a Convex account are required | https://github.com/get-convex/chef#running-locally | 2026-10-15 |
| Hardware | Unknown | Not documented | none found | - |
| Operating systems | Partial | macOS and Linux; Windows users may need an nvm alternative | https://github.com/get-convex/chef#running-locally | 2026-10-15 |
| Setup effort | Confirmed | Hard; Node via nvm, pnpm, a Convex project, an OAuth app and several environment variables | https://github.com/get-convex/chef#running-locally | 2026-10-15 |

GitHub: 4598 stars, 923 forks, last push 2026-10-14, archived: no.
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Source: RepoQuarry (https://repoquarry.dev/projects/chef). Data licence: CC BY 4.0. Quotes are from project documentation and belong to their authors.