Malleable Software

Designing and Programming Malleable Software - Tchernavskij (2019) | Malleable Software in the Age of LLMs - Litt (2023) | Malleable Software - Ink & Switch (2025) | Webstrates - Klokmose et al. (2015)

Malleable Software is the concept that users should be able to reshape and modify their software tools at runtime, rather than waiting for vendor updates. The term was coined by Philip Tchernavskij in his 2019 doctoral thesis at Universite Paris-Saclay. He identifies that traditional packaged applications lock users out of meaningful modification and proposes design patterns (“entanglers”) for reusable, composable UI components. Geoffrey Litt (Ink & Switch) extended the concept in 2023, arguing that LLMs are the missing enabling technology: non-programmers can now specify intent in natural language and create personal tools on the fly. The 2025 Ink & Switch manifesto by Litt, Horowitz, van Hardenberg and Matthews synthesizes the vision: local-first computing combined with AI restores user agency in a world of locked-down apps.