Dock

Local multi-project hub for developers. Run npm scripts, git commands, and a built-in terminal — with categories, filters, and a Windows system tray. No accounts, no cloud, zero runtime npm dependencies for the server itself.

A project is any folder on disk.

Built with plain Node.js + a small optional .NET tray on Windows.

Repository: github.com/davidaganov/dock

Requirements

• Node.js 18+
• Git (optional, for pull / fetch / checkout)
• Windows tray: .NET SDK 10+ (only to build the tray app)

Quick start

Windows (recommended)

start-win.bat

Command	What it does
start-win.bat	System tray (builds Dock.exe if missing)
start-win.bat console	Visible server window + browser
start-win.bat server	Node only (used by the tray)

UI: http://127.0.0.1:3848

macOS / Linux

chmod +x start.sh
./start.sh background   # background + browser
./start.sh foreground   # current terminal
./start.sh stop
./start.sh status

Or:

npm start

macOS / Linux are not personally tested yet. If something breaks, feedback is welcome in Telegram: @davidaganov.

First launch

1. Choose a workspace folder (e.g. ~/projects or D:\projects)
2. Point to projects.json (see below)
3. Add folders or create / clone projects into categories

Project Manager + projects.json

Dock stores the project list in a projects.json file that is compatible with the Project Manager extension for VS Code / Cursor.

1. Install Project Manager
2. Set Project Manager: Projects Location to the folder that contains projects.json (for example D:/projects)
3. Keep the list in sync from either side — Dock watches the file and picks up external edits
4. Switch between projects quickly from the IDE sidebar

Categories in Dock map to Project Manager groups (e.g. 01. Work, 02. Personal).

Features

• Shared project list with IDE Project Manager via projects.json (watched live)
• Category sidebar with drag-and-drop order and optional numeric prefixes (01. …)
• Table / card views, filters, and custom project order
• One-click npm / pnpm / yarn scripts
• Integrated terminal with session tabs and real-time SSE logs
• Create empty folders or clone repos into a category
• Windows system tray for background server + quick open

Configuration

Local file dock-config.json stores paths, onboarding flag, and UI preferences.

Example: dock-config.example.json

{
  "homePath": "D:\\projects",
  "projectsJsonPath": "D:\\projects\\projects.json",
  "onboardingCompleted": true,
  "locale": "en"
}

projects.json — array of projects with stable UUIDs (also consumed by Project Manager):

[
  {
    "id": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000",
    "name": "my-app",
    "rootPath": "D:\\projects\\my-app",
    "tags": ["personal"],
    "enabled": true
  }
]

Project layout

dock/
├── server.js           # entry
├── src/                # Node server (see src/README.md)
│   ├── core/
│   ├── config/
│   ├── projects/
│   ├── runtime/
│   ├── system/
│   └── routes/
├── public/             # browser UI + locales
├── tray/               # Windows tray (.NET)
├── assets/             # logo + screenshot for README
├── start-win.bat
├── start.sh
└── dock-config.json    # local only (gitignored)

Development

npm install
npm start
npm run format          # prettier
npm run format:check    # prettier
npm run translate       # polyglot-keeper
npm run tray:build

License

MIT © David Aganov