João Salavisa
370cee8f7f
* docs: add plugin system guide, authoring tutorial, and manifest reference
Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
* docs: update plugin docs for host data API, config, and nav additions
Cherry-picked plugin docs (d853b66b8) were written before four follow-up
PRs merged: typed capability-gated Host data API (#1753, ADR 0043),
richer frontend SDK (#1759), per-plugin settings pages (#1761), and
sidebar Integrations nav items (#1767). Re-verify against the merged
code and bring the docs current:
- plugins.md: per-plugin settings/config page, expanded Host RPC list,
updated capability vocabulary (api_read/api_write), sidebar nav note.
- plugins-authoring.md: GetConfig/GetSecret/SetSecret/DeleteSecret and
the six Host data readers, registerRoute options/PluginPageChrome,
NavItem icon/integrations section, host.api.baseUrl/navigate, and the
full host.ui component list.
- plugins-manifest.md: corrected api_read/api_write semantics (now
enforced, not reserved), config_schema validation/secret-masking
behavior, and new Host data API / config-schema sections.
- configuration.md, feature-status.md: document the KANDEV_FEATURES_PLUGINS
flag alongside the existing Office flag.
- coverage.json: new plugin-system coverage area so the public-docs
validator accounts for the three new pages.
* docs: fix plugin config route, signing claim, and data-dir layout
Address automated review findings on PR #1774:
- plugins-manifest.md: PATCH route for config is /api/plugins/{id}, not
/api/plugins/{id}/config (only GET uses the /config suffix).
- plugins-authoring.md: host.store is not read-only — setState is
genuinely exposed and writable; correct the misleading inline comment.
- plugins.md: signature verification is not currently wired up in
production (pkgtar.VerifySignature is nil, never assigned outside
tests), so every package installs and is reported as unsigned today —
correct the 'kandev verifies it' claim in both the install pipeline
step and the signed/unsigned section.
- plugins.md: KANDEV_PLUGIN_DATA_DIR is <id>/data, a sibling of the
<version>/ directory (shared across versions), not nested inside it —
fix the on-disk layout diagram.
* docs: mark plugin docs as experimental
The plugin system is feature-flagged and off by default in production
(KANDEV_FEATURES_PLUGINS). Mark all three plugin pages with
status: experimental frontmatter, matching the k8s.md convention for a
page that is wholly about an experimental feature.
* docs: add plugin UI screenshots and a capture spec
Embed four operator-facing screenshots in the plugin docs (the Plugins
list, the install dialog, a per-plugin settings page with its manifest
card, and a native plugin route). Captured from an isolated e2e backend
with the kandev-plugin-hello reference example installed.
Add e2e/tests/plugins/plugins-docs-screenshots.spec.ts to regenerate them:
it reuses the plugins e2e harness (isolated backend, plugins flag on) and
is skipped unless CAPTURE_DOCS_MEDIA=1, so it adds no CI cost. Defaults to
the repo's own e2e fixture package; override DOCS_PLUGIN_* to point at the
polished hello example (as the committed captures were taken).
* docs: fix plugin screenshot paths for the landing publisher
The Cloudflare preview build failed because markdown images under
docs/public/media/ compile to build-time module imports that the docs
site can't resolve — media/ is reserved for <DocsVideo> assets. The
landing publisher only rewrites and copies images referenced under
screenshots/ (README convention). Move the four plugin captures to
docs/screenshots/plugin-*.png and reference them as ../screenshots/*.png,
and update the capture spec to write there.
* docs: convert plugin how-it-works diagram to mermaid
The hand-drawn ASCII pipeline rendered with broken alignment and stray
syntax highlighting on the docs site. Replace it with a mermaid flowchart
(same convention as architecture.md), which renders as a clean SVG.
* docs: give plugins its own nav section
* docs: clarify plugin tools are declared/listed, not agent-invocable yet
Plugin tools[] are validated and exposed via GET /api/plugins/tools, and
the gRPC InvokeTool transport is implemented and tested, but nothing in
production calls it — no agent, MCP bridge, or HTTP route. The docs
overstated this as agent-invocable. Correct the Plugin interface comment,
the manifest tools[] rows, the how-it-works diagram, and the example
plugin description, and add a note in both the authoring and manifest
pages that InvokeTool stays unused until the agent-tool wiring ships.
* docs: clarify webhook relay in how-it-works diagram
The diagram collapsed two hops into one node, reading as if the plugin
receives the external HTTP POST directly. Split it: an external caller
POSTs to kandev's webhook route, which relays the request to the plugin
over the gRPC HandleWebhook method (the plugin serves no HTTP itself).
Also label the DeliverEvent/InvokeTool/HandleWebhook edges by their real
proto method names.
* docs: note the plugin backend is any go-plugin gRPC executable, Go SDK only
* docs: remove plugin tools from the docs
Plugin tools[] overlap with MCP (kandev's established agent-tool surface)
and the invocation path was never wired to agents. Rather than document a
half-feature that implies plugins are an alternate MCP, drop it entirely:
the Plugin interface (InvokeTool), the manifest tools[] block and field
rows, the how-it-works diagram branch, and the example-plugin mention.
Removal from the backend code is tracked separately.
* docs: replace how-it-works mermaid with a designed diagram image
The mermaid flowchart rendered poorly. Replace it with a hand-authored
HTML/CSS architecture figure (install pipeline + the runtime gRPC
interactions), rendered to docs/screenshots/plugin-architecture.png. The
diagram source lives in the docs-screenshot capture spec (skipped unless
CAPTURE_DOCS_MEDIA=1) so it regenerates deterministically at 2x.
* docs: make the how-it-works figure a real box-and-arrow diagram
The previous figure read as a list of rows. Replace it with a hand-drawn
SVG architecture diagram: the install pipeline feeds a spawned plugin
subprocess, then kandev and the plugin communicate over one gRPC
connection (DeliverEvent, HandleWebhook, and the plugin's Host API
callbacks), with the external webhook caller and the browser SPA as
edge nodes. Source lives in the capture spec's ARCH_HTML.
* docs: make the how-it-works diagram a clean monochrome flowchart
Drop the multi-color component diagram for a calm top-down flowchart
(mermaid's shape, drawn properly): install → verify → extract → spawn,
branching into event delivery and webhook relay, converging on the Host
API callbacks, with an optional native-UI step. Grayscale, no accent
colors. Source stays in the capture spec's ARCH_HTML.
* docs: dark plugin diagram + space out the two page images
- Make the how-it-works flowchart a dark rounded card (matches the docs
page in dark mode; reads as an embedded card in light). Rendered with
omitBackground so the corners are transparent.
- Move the Settings > Plugins list screenshot out of the intro (where it
sat right before the diagram) down into the "Installing a plugin"
section, so text separates the two images.
* docs: update install-dialog screenshot for aligned footer actions
Recaptured after fix(plugins): align install-dialog footer actions
(#1780) — Cancel and Install now sit together in one right-aligned
footer row instead of the Install button being stranded under the
dropzone.
* docs: account for /settings/system/storage in coverage.json
The storage settings route (added by #1699) was never recorded in the
public-docs coverage inventory — the docs validator is path-filtered to
docs/public/** so it didn't run for that PR. This docs PR is the first to
trip it. Add the route to system-health-and-maintenance.
* docs: review fixes — remove stale tools refs, tighten accuracy
Review pass against the now-merged main (tools removed in #1776):
- extending-kandev.md: drop "serves agent-invocable tools" from the plugin
overview (the feature no longer exists).
- plugins-manifest.md: the legacy endpoints block is health/events/webhooks
only (no tools path); and the `signed` field is always false today since
signature verification isn't wired.
- plugins.md: install validation covers the categories/UI-surface enums (not
a "capability vocabulary"); AutoMTLS secures the channel on all platforms,
not just Windows; and status vs signing are separate badges.
* docs: explain what Host state is (GetState/SetState)
The authoring guide listed the state RPCs but never said what 'state'
means. Add a plain-language explanation: a per-plugin, kandev-persisted
key/value store keyed by (scope, scopeID, key) holding JSON objects,
namespaced per plugin, scoped to instance/workspace/task/agent, and how it
differs from the writable data dir. Make the example a real increment.
* docs: note NavItem section:'settings' is not rendered
A NavItem with section:'settings' is accepted by the type but no sidebar
section renders it (plugin-nav-items renders main/default, the Integrations
sections render 'integrations'); annotate that settings pages use
registerSettingsRoute. Addresses repeated review feedback.
---------
Co-authored-by: Kandev Agent <agent@kandev.dev>
Co-authored-by: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Kandev
Manage and run tasks in parallel. Orchestrate agents. Review changes. Ship value.
Features | Workflows | Run as a Service | Debug Logs | Roadmap | Contributing | Architecture | Discord
What
Organize work across kanban and pipeline views with opinionated workflows and execute multiple tasks in parallel. Assign agents from any provider, and review their output in an integrated workspace - file editor, file tree, terminal, browser preview, and git changes in one place. Terminal agent TUIs are great for running agents, but reviewing and iterating on changes there doesn't scale.
Run it locally or self-host it on your own infrastructure and access it from anywhere via Tailscale or any VPN.
Open source, multi-provider, no telemetry, not tied to any cloud.
Vision
Humans stay in control. Define tasks, build agentic workflows with gates, review every change, decide what ships.
- Review-first - Humans support production systems. We need to understand (yet) and trust the code that gets deployed.
- Your workflow - Every team is different, and not every developer uses AI the same way. Define workflows once, share them across the team, and give everyone a consistent process for working with agents - regardless of experience level.
- Remote agents - Running multiple agents on a large codebase can quickly saturate a local machine. The goal is a single control plane: offload execution to servers, orchestrate from anywhere, including your phone.
Features
- Multi-agent support - Claude Code, Codex, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Amp, Auggie, OpenCode, Cursor, Devin, Qwen, Factory Droid, iFlow, Kilocode, Pi, Kimi, AWS Kiro, Qoder, Trae, Oh My Pi, Grok
- Parallel task execution – start and manage multiple tasks from different sources simultaneously, boosting productivity with AI agents
- Integrated workspace - Built-in terminal, code editor with LSP, git changes panel, embedded vscode and chat in one IDE-like view
- Kanban task management - Drag-and-drop boards, columns, and workflow automation
- Agentic workflows - Multi-step pipelines that mix-and-match agents per step - for example, Claude Code Opus to design a plan, GitHub Copilot Sonnet to implement it, and Codex GPT 5.4 to review the changes. See docs/workflow-tips.md
- Sub-tasks - Agents can spawn sub-tasks that resume from the parent task's session. Useful for splitting a task that has grown too big, or producing several PRs from the same starting point.
- CLI passthrough - Drop into raw agent CLI mode for direct terminal interaction with agents that support it, leveraging their full native TUI
- Workspace isolation - Git worktrees prevent concurrent agents from conflicting
- Multi-repository tasks - Span a single task across multiple repositories, with one worktree per repo, per-repo branches, per-repo PRs, and per-repo grouping in the Changes panel and review dialog
- Flexible runtimes - Run agents as local processes, in isolated Docker containers, on remote servers via SSH, or in cloud executors like sprites.dev
- Runtime settings - Executor profiles, secrets, custom prompts, utility agents, voice mode, and resource metrics are configurable from Settings
- Task-agent MCP - Agents can create subtasks, target sibling repos, attach extra branches for multiple PRs, message other tasks, read conversations, and inspect related tasks
- External MCP - Manage Kandev from outside coding agents over streamable HTTP or SSE, with copyable config snippets for popular agent CLIs
- Workflow portability - Export and import workflows as portable YAML across workspaces or Kandev installs
- Session management - Resume and review agent conversations
- Shareable task snapshots - Publish redacted task conversation snapshots as secret GitHub Gists, with preview and revoke controls
- Stats - Track your productivity with stats on the completed tasks, agent turns, etc
See docs/features.md for the full feature inventory, including settings, secrets, custom prompts, and MCP task capabilities.
In progress: Office mode
We're working on Office mode, a feature-flagged autonomy layer for persistent agent teams. The direction is agent instances with roles and permissions, dashboards, inbox/approvals, routines, task delegation, skills, memory, cost tracking, budgets, and workspace config sync. We'll document Office as a supported feature after it is live.
Integrations
Connect Kandev to the tools your team already uses — pull issues into the kanban, link tasks to PRs, and surface review activity inline.
Supported ACP Agents
| Agent | Launch |
|---|---|
| Claude Code | npx -y @agentclientprotocol/claude-agent-acp |
| Codex | npx -y @agentclientprotocol/codex-acp |
| GitHub Copilot | npx -y @github/copilot --acp |
| Gemini CLI | npx -y @google/gemini-cli --acp |
| Amp | npx -y amp-acp |
| Auggie | npx -y @augmentcode/auggie --acp |
| OpenCode | opencode acp |
| Cursor | cursor-agent acp (requires Cursor Pro) |
| Devin | devin acp (install Devin CLI from Devin Desktop or standalone installer) |
| Qwen | npx -y @qwen-code/qwen-code --acp |
| Factory Droid | npx -y droid exec --output-format acp |
| iFlow (beta) | npx -y @iflow-ai/iflow-cli --experimental-acp |
| Kilocode | npx -y @kilocode/cli acp |
| Pi | npx -y pi-acp |
| Kimi | kimi acp (install Kimi CLI from Moonshot AI) |
| Kiro | kiro-cli-chat acp (install Kiro CLI from AWS) |
| Qoder | qodercli --acp (install Qoder CLI) |
| Trae | traecli acp serve (install Trae IDE CLI) |
| Oh My Pi | omp acp (install bun install -g @oh-my-pi/pi-coding-agent) |
| Grok | grok --no-auto-update agent stdio (install npm install -g @xai-official/grok) |
All agents communicate via ACP (Agent Client Protocol). Some agents support ACP natively, while others use ACP adapter packages that bridge their native protocols. CLI Passthrough mode is available when an integration provides a passthrough command. If your agent isn't supported yet, open an issue or submit a PR with the integration. See Adding a New Agent CLI for a step-by-step guide.
Bring your own TUI agents
Kandev can run any agent CLI as a TUI inside a terminal, even when it does not speak ACP. Add the command in agent profile settings and the task starts that agent inside a PTY terminal. CLI passthrough keeps the agent's native terminal UX available while still giving Kandev task tracking, worktrees, review, and session management.
Supported Executors
| Executor | Description |
|---|---|
| Local Process | Runs the agent as a local process on the host machine |
| Docker | Runs the agent in an isolated Docker container |
| SSH | Runs the agent on a remote server over SSH |
| Sprites | Runs the agent in a remote cloud environment via sprites.dev |
Executors support profiles for reusable runtime configuration: prepare scripts, environment variables, credentials, and settings. Worktree-based tasks can also attach multiple repositories or multiple branches from the same repository, which lets one task produce several PRs when the work needs it.
Quick Start
Homebrew (macOS, Linux)
brew install kdlbs/kandev/kandev
kandev
NPX
npx kandev@latest
Requires npm 7+. Installs the CLI plus a platform-matched runtime bundle in one step.
NPM (global)
npm install -g kandev@latest
kandev
Updates
brew upgrade kandevnpx kandev@latest(always uses the latest published version)npm install -g kandev@latest
The worktrees and sqlite db live in ~/.kandev by default. Works on macOS, Linux, and Windows (WSL or native).
From Source
# Clone the repository
git clone git@github.com:kdlbs/kandev.git
cd kandev
# Start in production mode
make start
Prerequisites: Go 1.26.0, Node.js 24, and pnpm 9.15.9 (pinned in mise.toml). Docker is optional and needed only for container runtimes.
High level architecture
graph LR
UI[Web UI] --> Backend
Backend["Backend (Orchestrator)"]
Backend --> W1 & W2 & W3 & W4
subgraph W1[Local Process]
Agent1[Agent CLI] --- WT1[Worktree]
end
subgraph W2[Docker Container]
Agent2[Agent CLI] --- WT2[Worktree]
end
subgraph W3[SSH Remote]
Agent3[Agent CLI] --- WT3[Worktree]
end
subgraph W4[Sprites Cloud]
Agent4[Agent CLI] --- WT4[Worktree]
end
We also want to add support for this remote runtime:
- K8s operator - run agents in a Kubernetes cluster, with auto-scaling and resource management.
Development
Project Structure
apps/
├── backend/ # Go backend (orchestrator, lifecycle, agentctl, WS gateway)
├── web/ # Vite/React frontend (SPA, Zustand, real-time subscriptions)
├── cli/ # CLI tool (npx kandev launcher)
├── desktop/ # Tauri desktop shell
└── packages/ # Shared UI components & types
Prerequisites
- mise for the pinned toolchain in
mise.toml(make bootstrapinstalls it when missing) - Go 1.26.0, Node.js 24, pnpm 9.15.9 (installed by
make bootstrap) - Docker (optional)
Environment Setup
# Install mise tools, workspace dependencies, and git hooks
make bootstrap
# Also install Playwright Chromium browser/deps for E2E
make bootstrap-e2e
Running Dev Servers
# Start everything (backend + frontend with auto ports)
make dev
# Or run separately
make dev-backend # Backend on :38429
make dev-web # Frontend on :37429
Testing & Linting
make test # Run all tests (backend + web)
make lint # Run all linters
make typecheck # TypeScript type checking
make fmt # Format all code
Pre-commit Hooks
# Installed and wired by make bootstrap
make doctor
Comparison to Other Tools
There are a few similar tools in this space, and new ones appearing everyday. Here's what sets this one apart:
- Server-first architecture - The core app runs as a server you can access from any device, including your phone.
- Remote runtimes - Run agents on remote servers via SSH, Docker hosts, and cloud environments, not just your local machine.
- Multi-provider - Use Claude Code, Codex, Copilot, Gemini, Amp, Auggie, OpenCode, Cursor, Devin, Qwen, Droid, iFlow, Kilocode, Pi, Kimi, Kiro, Qoder, Trae, Oh My Pi, and Grok side by side. Not locked to one vendor.
- CLI passthrough and chat - Interact with agents through structured chat messages or, where supported, drop into raw CLI mode for full agent TUI capabilities.
- Open source and self-hostable - No vendor lock-in, no telemetry, runs on your infrastructure.
Contributing
Contributions are welcome! Please read CONTRIBUTING.md before opening a PR.
See the issue tracker for open tasks, or join our Discord to chat with maintainers and other contributors.
Acknowledgments
Built with these excellent open-source projects:
Monaco Editor · Tiptap · xterm.js · dockview · CodeMirror · dnd-kit · Mermaid · Recharts · TanStack Table · Zustand · Shadcn/UI · Radix UI · Tailwind CSS