Calder

Desktop workspace across modern AI coding CLIs.
Run multiple agent sessions in parallel, inspect costs/context, route browser + terminal signals to the right session, and keep project workflows organized.

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Overview

Calder is an Electron-based, terminal-centric IDE designed for teams and solo developers who work heavily with AI coding CLIs.

Instead of juggling many terminal tabs and losing thread context, Calder gives you:

• Multi-session orchestration per project
• Provider-aware launch and resume flows
• Real-time session telemetry (status, usage, inspector events)
• Browser + terminal surfaces that can hand off focused prompts to active sessions
• Collaboration features such as encrypted P2P session sharing

Supported AI Coding CLIs

Calder currently supports these provider IDs in the codebase:

• claude (Claude Code)
• codex (OpenAI Codex CLI)
• copilot (GitHub Copilot CLI)
• gemini (Gemini CLI)
• qwen (Qwen Code)
• minimax (MiniMax CLI)
• blackbox (Blackbox CLI)

You can set defaults per project and run mixed-provider sessions side-by-side.

Core Capabilities

1) Multi-Session Workspace

• Multiple sessions per project, each backed by its own PTY
• Fast tab switching and session history navigation
• Mosaic and tab-focused layouts
• Session labels, indicators, unread states, and resume support

2) Session Telemetry & Cost Insight

• Hook-based session status (working, waiting, input, completed)
• Usage/cost context pipeline with provider-aware parsing
• Session Inspector timeline and tool event visibility
• Smart warnings when tracking is unavailable or context pressure is high

3) Live View + CLI Surface

• Open local or remote URLs inside Calder
• Inspect page context and route targeted instructions to a chosen session
• Attach local dev commands, inspect terminal output, and forward compact summaries
• Keep browser findings, CLI output, and coding actions inside one flow

4) Context & Governance Layer

• Project-level context discovery and scaffold support
• Shared/team context integration paths
• Auto-approval governance with global, project, and session-level precedence
• Provider-aware approval dispatch where supported

5) Collaboration

• Encrypted WebRTC-based P2P session sharing
• Read-only / read-write collaboration modes
• Session catalog + active-session synchronization over data channels

System Requirements

• Node.js v24 (see .nvmrc)
• npm (bundled with Node)
• One or more supported AI coding CLIs installed and authenticated
• macOS, Linux, or Windows

Installation

Option A: Prebuilt Releases

Use assets published in GitHub Releases when available.

• macOS: .dmg / .zip
• Linux: .deb / .AppImage
• Windows: NSIS installer / portable .exe

Option B: Build From Source

git clone https://github.com/batu3384/calder.git
cd calder
npm install
npm start

Development

Common Commands

npm run dev                # Build and run Electron
npm run build              # Compile main/preload + bundle renderer
npm test                   # Run full test suite (Vitest)
npm run test:coverage      # Run tests with coverage
npm run test:critical-stability
npm run audit:deep         # Deep project audit script

Packaging Commands

npm run pack               # Build unpacked app
npm run dist               # Build distributables via electron-builder

Electron Builder targets are configured in package.json (mac, linux, win).

Architecture Snapshot

src/
  main/         Electron main process, providers, PTY/session orchestration,
                governance, hooks, IPC handlers
  preload/      Secure bridge APIs exposed to renderer
  renderer/     UI, panels, browser/live-view, session components
  shared/       Shared runtime types and contracts
apps/
  calder-mobile/  Companion mobile workspace (React Native)

Keyboard-First Workflow

Calder is designed around shortcuts and fast panel/session switching. A dedicated shortcuts system supports defaults plus per-user overrides.

Common examples:

• New session: CmdOrCtrl+T
• Alternate new session: CmdOrCtrl+Shift+N
• New project: CmdOrCtrl+Shift+P
• Toggle sidebar: CmdOrCtrl+B
• Session inspector: CmdOrCtrl+Shift+I

Security Notes

• Renderer-to-main communication is explicit through preload IPC surfaces.
• Session sharing uses encrypted peer-to-peer transport (WebRTC data channels).
• Security policy and reporting instructions are available in SECURITY.md.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome.

• Start with CONTRIBUTING.md
• Follow CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
• For security-sensitive findings, use SECURITY.md

License

MIT

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_{Calder is an independent project and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, GitHub, Alibaba, MiniMax, or Blackbox.}