Vendo: open-source layer that lets users build features on your product
Launch HN: Vendo (YC S26) – Let users build features on top of your product
Vendo (YC S26) is an open-source embedded agent that lets B2B SaaS customers build their own features and micro-apps on top of your product. It acts through your product's API as the signed-in user, rendering generated UI in a sandboxed, brand-native surface. Install in 60 seconds with npm install @vendoai/vendo.
Vendo is for B2B SaaS teams whose customers keep asking for bespoke features.
- staticshock
Not sure if this is productizable as-is, but I think it's absolutely the right direction. A lot of software has to become WAY more malleable directly in the hands of users.
Software vendors should be providing the platform, including any hard-to-build widgets, and "stock" look-and-feel so that the software is usable out of the box, but then the customers should be able to send their product feature requests directly to a chatbot, whether it is embedded into the platform (i.e. same vendor) or rides on top (i.e. different vendor).
This is the new form of UGC. The vendor can turn it into a marketplace within that platform, promote popular 3rd party features in that marketplace, etc.
- blakeashleyjr
What benefit does this provide over an excellent API + MCP access?
I often find my users want to throw their Claude at it and have everything handled. Users have even developed their own local UIs using Claude Design. As long as they are within the bounds of the MCP I already provide access to, no problem. This also has the added benefit of using the AI subscription the org already pays for (or using the customers).
Edit: Congrats on the launch and thanks for open sourcing!
- mcmcmc
I’ll say it: this sounds like it would be absolute hell for customer support. “Special” clients are already tough to manage with weird little workarounds and random business requirements. If you let them start making changes themselves, they will inevitably break it and then come to support freaking out because some “business critical” feature they made isn’t working how they want it to, or isn’t working at all. And how is customer support to know what the AI generated feature is, or how to fix it? Now make that possible for every customer, not just those paying enough money to throw their weight around, and you’ve got a recipe for a pissed off, burnt out help desk. And probably some stressed out account managers who have to smooth things over to try and retain the client. Does not surprise me the founders don’t appear to have much experience in customer-facing roles.