Zero network egress. Guaranteed.
Bodega One is the only AI coding IDE with a built-in air-gap mode. Enable it and 9 separate enforcement layers activate — covering every network egress path from tool calls to git remotes.
What is air-gap mode in an AI IDE?
Air-gap mode is a setting that prevents all outbound network connections during an AI coding session. In Bodega One, enabling it activates 9 enforcement layers that block every network egress path — tool calls, shell commands (curl, wget, git push), auto-updater pings, cloud speech-to-text, and git remotes. The result is a fully offline session with complete AI agent capability using a local LLM.
Most offline AI coding tools in 2026 that claim to protect your data rely on a single toggle. That toggle might disable web search. It won't stop a shell command from running curl. It won't stop the auto-updater from pinging our servers. Real air-gap enforcement has to cover every egress path.
So we enumerated all of them and blocked each one separately — 9 layers, each targeting a specific vector.
The 9 enforcement layers
Each layer targets a specific network egress path. All 9 must be active to guarantee zero outbound traffic.
- 01
Tool filtering
Network-capable tools (web_fetch, web_search) are removed from the available toolset before the agent loop starts. The AI never sees them — it can't call what isn't there.
- 02
Pre-execution guard
Even if a tool bypassed filtering, a second check runs at execution time. Any blocked call returns a clear error to the agent. No silent failures. No partial data leaks.
- 03
Shell command blocking
The shell is the most dangerous egress path. curl, wget, npm install, pip install, git push, git fetch — all blocked. An agentic loop can't execute what it can't run in the terminal.
- 04
Context assembly guard
During system prompt assembly, references to external APIs and service URLs are stripped from the context. The model doesn't get prompted with anything that would make it reach out.
- 05
Auto-updater blocking
App update checks run in the background and ping our servers. In air-gap mode, they're disabled. Bodega One doesn't phone home during a session.
- 06
UI feedback
The interface shows an active indicator confirming air-gap is on. If you have a cloud LLM provider configured, a visible warning reminds you that routing AI calls through that provider would break air-gap.
- 07
Cloud STT blocking
Voice input via cloud speech-to-text is disabled. Audio would go to a remote API. In air-gap mode, voice falls back to local transcription only, or turns off entirely.
- 08
System prompt filtering
A final pass over the assembled context strips external references and URL patterns. The model receives no pointers to outside services.
- 09
Git IPC blocking
Git push, fetch, and clone operations that target remote URLs are blocked through the IPC layer — the bridge between the renderer and the main process that actually runs git.
Want the full technical breakdown? Read the deep-dive post.
Who needs air-gap mode?
Regulated industries
Healthcare, legal, defense, and financial services all have specific data handling requirements. Air-gap mode means your code and prompts never touch a third-party server — no compliance exceptions to file.
Corporate security policies
Many enterprise environments restrict outbound connections from developer workstations. Air-gap mode satisfies those policies without requiring a separate, locked-down machine.
Client work under NDA
When you're working on a client's proprietary code under a non-disclosure agreement, having no network egress isn't a preference — it's an obligation. Air-gap mode makes it enforceable.
Privacy-first developers
Not everyone in a regulated industry. Some developers simply don't want their code and business logic on anyone else's servers. Air-gap mode is for them too.
Why other AI IDEs can't do this
Cursor, GitHub Copilot, and Claude Code are cloud-native by architecture. The model lives on their servers. Your prompts have to travel there to get processed. There's no version of air-gap mode that's compatible with that design — the product would stop working.
Bodega One was designed local-first from day one. Bring Your Own LLM means the model runs on your machine. Air-gap mode is a natural extension of that — once inference is local, all you have to do is close the remaining network paths.
That's what the 9 layers do.
Common
questions
What is air-gap mode in an AI IDE?+
Air-gap mode is a setting that prevents all outbound network connections during an AI session. In Bodega One, enabling air-gap mode activates 9 enforcement layers that block every network egress path — tool calls, shell commands, auto-updater pings, cloud speech-to-text, git remotes, and more. The result is a guaranteed-offline coding session with full AI agent capability using a local LLM.
Does air-gap mode work with cloud LLMs like OpenAI or Anthropic?+
No — and by design. If you have a cloud LLM provider configured, Bodega One shows a visible warning. Routing your prompts through OpenAI or Claude would break air-gap by definition. Air-gap mode is for sessions using a local model (Ollama, LM Studio, llama.cpp, etc.) where all inference runs on your machine.
Why do you need 9 layers? Isn't one toggle enough?+
A full AI coding environment has more network egress paths than a chat window. A single toggle might disable web search. It won't stop a shell command from running curl, or the auto-updater from pinging our servers, or a git push command from uploading your code. Real air-gap enforcement covers every path — so we enumerated all of them and blocked each one separately.
Can the agent still write and execute code in air-gap mode?+
Yes. The agent retains all file system tools (read, write, edit), local shell execution (minus network commands), and the full Monaco IDE. It can write code, run local tests, edit files, and complete agentic tasks. Only outbound network operations are blocked.
Is Bodega One the only AI IDE with a built-in air-gap mode?+
As of 2026, yes — Bodega One is the only standalone AI IDE that ships air-gap mode as a first-class feature. Most AI coding tools (Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Claude Code) are cloud-native by architecture and cannot operate in a genuinely air-gapped environment. Bodega One was designed local-first, which makes real air-gap enforcement possible.
Own your AI. Offline.
Beta opens May 1, 2026. Pay once. Air-gap mode included. Complete 14 days and get a $30 promo code before launch.