I recently revived an open source Apple II Agent project I began in January: An Apple IIe with a custom client that allows AI to easily write software through a chat taking place on the machine itself, similar to Anthropic’s Claude Code.

Through an Ethernet card, the client links to Anthropic’s Claude Opus AI model using a Mac proxy with API access to Claude. After automated testing in emulators on the proxy (allowing rapid iteration in an accelerated Apple II simulation), the agent deploys the new program (in BASIC or assembly) directly into real Apple II memory, over the Ethernet link (it’s an Uthernet II card). That part feels like magic.

The goal is that a user sitting at the Apple II can type whatever they want and just have it appear in front of them, and so far it works very well! I’ve made some solitaire games with mouse support (and a Sim City clone) that are really fun to play. I might get addicted to creating hi-res monochrome Apple II games with the mouse (using Apple’s official Apple II mouse card of course!).

The code for the agent is currently available on GitHub if you want to try it yourself. The proxy runs on a Unix-like machine (can be a Mac), and right now the Apple II end requires an Uthernet II card, but it could be adapted to other types of network interfaces.

Aside from the Apple II Agent, I’ve also been experimenting with using AI to make multiplayer mods of classic NES games (four-player Super Mario Bros. is my fave so far) and to port PC games to unusual platforms (such as ZZT for the NES, a BBS door game for the NES, and the first NES game with a built-in AI language model). You can see (and play) many of them over at the BX Foundry website, which is my home for experimental projects.

Unfortunately, just after I finished getting the Apple II Agent in great working order and had coaxed Opus into creating an awesome mouse-based Solitaire engine, my wife requested that my somewhat smelly Apple IIe (musty with age) should leave the house, so now I’m searching for a less malodorous unit to keep running it on. 🙂

I recorded a quick demo back in October you can see below:

Tags: AI, AI coding, Anthropic, Apple II, Apple II Agent, BBS, BBS door, Claude, Claude Code, LLM, OOII, Seance, ZZT

This entry was posted on Monday, November 9th, 2026 at 1:48 pm and is filed under BBS History, Computer History, Hacks & Projects, Internet History, Vintage Computing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.