Show HN: A creator-first native macOS app for local AI image generation

[junjie_shao]

Hi HN,

I built a native macOS app for AI image generation, originally for my own creative work.

I enjoy working with models like Z-Image and FLUX, but many existing tools feel closer to research interfaces than creative tools. They expose a lot of power, but often interrupt creative flow.

This project is built around a creator-first workflow: - Easy to get started, with no configuration beyond downloading or importing models - Progressive controls: advanced options are available, but not required - A built-in prompt library to save, reuse, and evolve prompts over time - Lightweight prompt refinement that learns from your saved prompts - Simple add-ons for upscaling and background removal

Under the hood: - Runs Stable Diffusion, FLUX, and Z-Image fully locally - Optimized for Apple Silicon using MLX and Metal

This is an opinionated attempt to make local image generation feel more like a creative tool and less like a technical setup.

[vunderba]

Nice job. I'd say your biggest obstacle will be differentiating yourself from the massively successful Mac/iOS GenAI app Draw Things. I'd recommend adding a comparison table / FAQ to help people understand what MindCraft does differently.

https://drawthings.ai

[junjie_shao]

Thanks for the suggestion — that’s a good point.

[Bad_Initialism]

Requires MacOS 15 or later, so it won't run on my machine.

Does it really require MacOS 15, or have you just joined Apple in destroying the planet with relentless unnecessary upgrades and ignorantly set your requirements in XCode?

[junjie_shao]

That’s fair. The app is built and validated against the current MLX / Metal stack and a few other dependencies. Supporting older macOS versions would mean untested or degraded behavior, which I’m avoiding for now.