Claude Opus now writes BASIC and assembly on a real Apple IIe
Developer Benj Edwards connected a 40-year-old Apple IIe to Claude Opus and got it writing functional software on the actual hardware. The project is called Apple II Agent, it’s MIT licensed, and the code is live on GitHub.
How It Works
A custom client on the Apple IIe connects over an Uthernet II Ethernet card to a Mac proxy running on any Unix-like machine. That proxy holds the Anthropic API connection to Claude Opus. You type what you want built directly at the Apple II prompt, and the agent writes the program in BASIC or assembly, runs automated tests in an accelerated Apple II emulator on the proxy side for fast iteration, then deploys the finished code straight into real Apple II memory over the Ethernet link.
Edwards describes the memory deployment step as feeling like magic, which is a fair read for anyone who has spent time with these machines.
What It Has Produced So Far
Edwards used the agent to build several solitaire games with mouse support (via Apple’s official Apple II mouse card) and a Sim City clone. He’s also been using AI to create four-player Super Mario Bros. multiplayer mods for the NES, port ZZT to the NES, bring a BBS door game to NES hardware, and ship what he describes as the first NES game with a built-in AI language model. All of these experimental projects live at his BX Foundry site.
Requirements to Run It
- An Apple IIe with a Uthernet II Ethernet card
- A Mac or other Unix-like machine for the proxy
- Anthropic API access (Claude Opus model)
- The open source client from GitHub
Edwards notes the network interface could be adapted beyond Uthernet II. The project started in January and was revived recently, with a demo recorded in October.
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