OpenSwarm on Rails

A keyboard-first UI for running parallel AI agents across Git worktrees

OpenSwarm is a Rails app that helps you manage multiple AI agents and Git worktrees from one screen without juggling terminals, manual git worktree commands, or context switching.

Demo video

https://youtu.be/RGQ21Z-W6Pw

The problem

Running 5-10 parallel agents today requires juggling:

• Worktree lifecycle: git worktree add -b feat ../repo.feat, then cd, then clean up later
• Multiple terminals: one per agent, arranged across tmux panes or OS windows
• Status awareness: which branch is dirty, ahead/behind, or actively running
• Git operations: staging, committing, pushing, and merging spread across sessions

This works for two agents. At five or more, it becomes unmanageable.

How OpenSwarm on Rails solves it

OpenSwarm replaces the juggling with a single integrated UI:

• Visual worktree graph with live status
• Embedded terminals per worktree
• Inline staging and diffs
• One-key commits, pushes, and merges
• Launch agents (Claude, OpenCode, or a plain shell) on any node

Everything stays in one screen. No cd. No window switching. No lost context.

Hackeurope build

OpenSwarm on Rails was built during the Hackeurope hackathon under the "Agentic AI Track". We chose these sub-challenges and implemented them as follows:

• Best "Built on Rails" Project: the entire product is a Rails app with a real-time, keyboard-first UI for managing worktrees, agents, and Git operations in one place.
• Best Use of Zed: we built a Zed-inspired workflow and environment inside the app (fast, keyboard-first, low-friction navigation), without relying on Zed itself.
• Best Use of Miro AI: we implemented PRD export to Miro for collaborative planning and editing, then re-imported those PRDs back into the app to drive worktree/agent execution.

Quick start

From the repository root:

cd openswarm
bin/setup --skip-server
cd ..
make dev-backend

Open http://localhost:3000.

Workflow highlights

• Press a to create a worktree from a base branch
• Press O to launch an agent, or o for a shell
• Press c to commit, p to push, m to merge into the parent
• Press d to delete a worktree, x to prune stale entries

Requirements

• Ruby 3.3.10
• Bundler
• Node.js and npm
• Git

Common commands

• make dev-backend: run Rails server + Tailwind watcher
• make dev: run backend + static ui_scaffold/ server
• make electron-dev: run backend + Electron shell
• make electron-dmg: build macOS .dmg in desktop/dist/

Notes

• Rails-app-only docs: openswarm/README.md

Run from openswarm/:

bin/ci

bin/ci runs setup plus style and security checks used by this project.

Troubleshooting

• Port already in use: stop any process on 3000 before running make dev-backend.
• Missing gems or npm packages: rerun bin/setup --skip-server inside openswarm/.
• Repo scan is too broad: set OPENSWARM_REPO_ROOTS to a small list of absolute paths (use : separator on macOS/Linux).
• Electron app does not launch: run make electron-clean and then make electron-dev.