OpenVibe: How the AI Coding-Agent Canvas Works

What is OpenVibe?

OpenVibe is a desktop app for driving several AI coding agents at once without juggling a pile of terminal windows. Each agent runs in a real terminal (a PTY; ConPTY on Windows) drawn on an infinite canvas. You can group agents into teams, send one instruction to a group, review their diffs, and hand a larger job to an orchestrator that plans the work, gives each agent its own git branch and worktree, and merges results into a mission branch. The official pages are clear about one limit: OpenVibe never pushes, and it never merges into your own branch — you review and push yourself.

The project is open source under the MIT licence, built with Tauri 2, and tested on Windows 10 and 11. The author’s page describes it as an early preview. The interface is available in English and French. Everything runs on your machine; the author says the app adds no cloud service and no telemetry of its own, aside from an optional GitHub update check.

This is not OpenViBE, the long-standing open-source software for brain-computer interfaces and EEG. If you searched for “OpenVibe EEG,” you want that older project, not this canvas. The coding-agent app launched on Product Hunt in November 2026 and has its own site at openvibe.win. The author also notes that if you know Symvibe, OpenVibe covers similar ground as an independent project with its own design.

How to use it

Install

Download the per-user installer (`OpenVibe_*_x64-setup.exe`) from openvibe.win or from the latest GitHub release. It does not need administrator rights. The author warns that betas are not code-signed yet, so Windows SmartScreen may require More info, then Run anyway. You also need at least one agent CLI on your PATH (for example Claude Code) and Git from git-scm.com — Git Bash supplies the `bash` that the usage meter needs.

To build from source on Windows, the documented requirements are Tauri 2’s Windows prerequisites, Rust 1.85 or newer, Node.js 22 LTS, pnpm 10, Git, and an agent CLI. The repository is github.com/Mideky-hub/openvibe: `pnpm install`, then `pnpm tauri dev` or `pnpm tauri build`.

Everyday workflow

On first launch, the home screen walks you through installing an agent, adding a project (one project per folder), and launching an agent. From the canvas you can start a single session or a pre-set group. A line in the instruction box can target everyone, a group, or named agents. A line that starts with `/` is sent as a CLI command.

For a larger “mission,” you attach an orchestrator (documented as a Claude Code session acting as a team manager), describe the goal, and review the proposed plan. When you launch, OpenVibe creates a mission branch plus a branch and worktree for each agent. With the model router on, a sub-task level can select the model (the author’s page lists Haiku 5.5, Sonnet 5.5, Opus 5.5, and Fable 5.1 as the mapped options). Agents work until they report back; the orchestrator can merge into the mission branch, and a conflict aborts that merge. You still push yourself.

Supported agents

Officially listed commands include Claude Code (`claude`), Codex (`codex`), Gemini CLI (`gemini`), Qwen Code (`qwen`), Cursor (`cursor-agent`), OpenCode (`opencode`), Aider (`aider`), Ollama, a plain shell, and any custom command. Some features — remote control, missions, the model router, the step timeline, and the usage meter — are documented as needing Claude Code. The canvas, groups, mentions, and review work with every agent.

Tips and important limits

• Install an agent CLI first. OpenVibe launches tools you already have on your PATH; it is not a replacement for Claude Code or Codex itself.
• Expect a preview, not a finished enterprise suite. The official status is an early Windows preview. An Enterprise plan is described on the site as still in preparation.
• Keep your own branch sacred. The product is designed so missions merge into a mission branch only. You review, then you push.
• Do not confuse it with OpenViBE (EEG). Same-sounding name, unrelated software.
• Privacy defaults are local-first. The author says credentials are not copied or stored by OpenVibe, Claude settings on disk are read but not modified, and the only first-party network call is a signed update check you can disable.
• Overnight mode is optional. You can point the orchestrator at labeled GitHub issues or a BACKLOG.md file; by default the plan waits for your go-ahead.

Where to get it

Download from openvibe.win or GitHub releases. Background and architecture notes are on Mathieu Kerbel’s project page. There is currently no official macOS or Linux build on those pages.

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