Makana is a practice medium for developing intentional strength by starting, stopping, and shaping life with care, alignment, and respect for energy.
The name Makana comes from Sudanese slang, referring to a person who is strong, intelligent, and formidable.
In Arabic, makana can also mean machine, often said of someone exceptionally capable.
It echoes the literal meaning of Kung Fu: mastery cultivated through practice over time.
- 🚀 Quick Start
- 🧭 The idea
- ✨ What Makana helps with
- 🌊 Core flow
- 🧲 Clutch (alignment & pull)
- 🧩 Setups (modular ways of practicing)
- 🌿 Vitality & healthspan
- 🕹️ Gamification (practice & mastery)
- 💰 Monetization philosophy
- 🤖 AI & privacy
- 🛠️ Tech stack
- 📬 Contributing
# Clone and setup
git clone https://github.com/sakialabs/makana.git
cd makana
./scripts/setup.sh # or .\scripts\setup.ps1 on Windows
# Start development
./scripts/dev.sh # or .\scripts\dev.ps1 on WindowsAPI runs at http://localhost:8000 • Docs at http://localhost:8000/docs
See testing.md for running tests.
Makana is not a productivity framework, habit tracker, or doctrine.
It is a practice medium.
Like clay.
Like an instrument.
Like martial arts forms.
Makana provides structure, timing, and gentle constraints so people can practice living in a way that fits their energy, values, and season.
The user is the practitioner.
Makana provides the medium.
Makana focuses on fundamentals that matter in real life:
- Starting when it's hard to start
- Stopping cleanly, without guilt or crashing
- Protecting energy over time
- Adjusting force instead of forcing consistency
These are not hacks.
They are skills.
They compound.
Makana is intentionally minimal.
-
Daily Check
A short check-in and one task for tomorrow -
Ignition
Begin a short session (default 25 minutes). Bad starts count. -
Braking
Save the next tiny step. Stop clean. -
Reduced Mode
Focus narrows by design. One meaningful action is enough. -
Weekly Check
Scope adjusts based on energy and stress
Minimal by design.
Foundational by intent.
Clutch is Makana's alignment layer.
Clutch represents attraction, alignment, and gentle pull toward what matters.
It:
- Nudges gently
- Speaks in short lines
- Respects silence
- Protects energy
Mechanically, Clutch:
- Engages smoothly
- Limits force when needed
- Disengages early to prevent damage
Clutch preserves momentum instead of extracting output.
Makana is modular by design.
A Setup is a temporary way of holding life.
Not identity.
Not goals.
Not habits.
Setups define constraints, defaults, and tone.
Examples:
- The Calm Setup
- Reduced Setup
- Vitality Setup
- Alignment Setup
- Studio Setup
- Presence Setup
People move between setups as life changes.
Makana adapts to people.
People do not adapt to Makana.
Makana treats health as part of living, not a separate grind.
The Vitality Setup:
- Installs once
- Runs quietly
- Learns by asking, not assuming
- Respects culture, belief, and preference
- Surfaces one insight at most
- Offers one gentle suggestion, if needed
What it avoids:
- Guilt
- Grind culture
- Medical claims
- Over-optimization
- Anxiety dashboards
More life feels good.
Makana helps protect that.
Makana gamifies practice and mastery, not addiction.
It does not use:
- Streaks
- Leaderboards
- Pressure loops
- Shame resets
Instead, Makana recognizes form, quietly.
Examples of practiced forms:
- Clean Start
- Clean Stop
- Gentle Recovery
- Return to Alignment
- Continuity Through Low Weeks
Progress is felt, not shouted.
Makana is free at the core.
People pay to deepen, not to unlock dignity.
Always free:
- Core flow
- Reduced Mode
- Core Clutch behavior
- Daily use
Optional paid layers (later):
- Multiple custom setups
- Advanced Clutch tuning
- Gentle history views (patterns, not pressure)
- Export and backup
- Optional AI language enhancement (opt-in)
Never:
- Ads
- Selling data
- Guilt-based upsells
- Locking survival behind paywalls
Makana stays on the user's side.
Makana does not require large language models to work.
- v1: deterministic rules and heuristics
- Future: optional, opt-in AI augmentation
- No raw personal data sent by default
- Users choose if and how AI is used
Predictability and trust come first.
- Web: Next.js (TypeScript)
- Mobile: Expo (React Native + TypeScript)
- Backend: Python + FastAPI
- Database/Auth: Supabase (Postgres + Auth + RLS)
One engine.
Multiple expressions.
Makana is open because practices should be shareable.
Fork it. Remix it. Take what works.
Want to contribute? See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.
Built with 💖 for people practicing life intentionally.