* feat(backend): per-launch authentication for agentctl Add nonce-based handshake protocol to secure all agentctl HTTP/WS endpoints. On launch, the parent (backend) passes a one-time bootstrap nonce via AGENTCTL_BOOTSTRAP_NONCE env var. agentctl generates its own auth token, enables Bearer auth immediately, and returns the token to the parent via POST /auth/handshake (validated by nonce). Standalone, Docker, and Sprites executors all use the same handshake flow. Removes the old AGENTCTL_AUTH_TOKEN env var approach. For Docker/Sprites, the retrieved token is persisted encrypted in SecretStore (AES-256-GCM) for crash recovery. Security properties: - Auth enabled from boot (no unprotected window) - Token never in env vars (only the burned nonce) - Nonce is one-shot (replay impossible) - Constant-time token comparison (timing-safe) * fix: check fmt.Sscanf return value in integration test * fix: address review feedback - constant-time nonce comparison, safe ID truncation * fix(backend): exempt MCP routes from agentctl auth middleware The agent subprocess connects to agentctl's MCP endpoints (/sse, /message, /mcp) to use kandev tools (create_task, ask_user_question, etc.). These endpoints run on the same HTTP server as the authenticated API, but the agent process doesn't possess the auth token — it was only exchanged between the backend and agentctl during the handshake. Exempt /sse, /message, and /mcp from the Bearer auth middleware since the agent process runs in the same trust boundary as agentctl. * refactor(backend): remove query param token fallback and document SetAuthToken constraint Remove the ?token= query parameter fallback from extractBearerToken — tokens in URLs leak via access logs, referer headers, and browser history. All WS callers already use Authorization headers via wsAuthHeaders(). Document SetAuthToken's concurrency constraint: it must not be called concurrently with HTTP requests on the same client. * fix(backend): enforce mutex in ControlClient/Launcher auth, fix Start() lock scope - Add sync.Mutex to ControlClient; protect SetAuthToken and AuthToken() reads - Guard Launcher.AuthToken() with l.mu (written under lock in Start, read unprotected) - Extract buildAndStartProcess and performHandshake from Start() (was 106 lines, over 80-line limit) - Release l.mu before blocking health/handshake calls so monitorExit() can close l.exited — previously the fast-fail path in waitForHealthy was unreachable - Update stale executor_backend.go comment (standalone no longer uses env var auth) Co-authored-by: João Salavisa <undefined@users.noreply.github.com> --------- Co-authored-by: Kandev Agent <agent@kandev.dev> Co-authored-by: claude[bot] <41898282+claude[bot]@users.noreply.github.com> Co-authored-by: João Salavisa <undefined@users.noreply.github.com>
Kandev
Manage and run tasks in parallel. Orchestrate agents. Review changes. Ship value.
Workflows | 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
- 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/workflows.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 any supported agent, leverage the full power of their TUIs
- Workspace isolation - Git worktrees prevent concurrent agents from conflicting
- Flexible runtimes - Run agents as local processes, in isolated Docker containers or in remote executors like sprites.dev
- Session management - Resume and review agent conversations
- Stats - Track your productivity with stats on the completed tasks, agent turns, etc
Supported ACP Agents
| Agent | Protocol |
|---|---|
| Claude Code | ACP (@zed-industries/claude-agent-acp) |
| Codex | ACP (@zed-industries/codex-acp) |
| GitHub Copilot | ACP |
| Gemini CLI | ACP |
| Amp | ACP (amp-acp) |
| Auggie | ACP |
| OpenCode | ACP |
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 also available for direct terminal interaction with any agent CLI. 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
There is support for running any agent as TUI inside a terminal. Just add the cli command in the agent profile settings and the task will start the agent inside a PTY terminal instead of using ACP.
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 |
| Sprites | Runs the agent in a remote cloud environment via sprites.dev |
Each executor uses git worktrees for workspace isolation, preventing concurrent agents from conflicting.
Quick Start
NPX (recommended)
npx kandev
This downloads pre-built backend + frontend bundles and starts them locally. The worktrees and sqlite db will be created in ~/.kandev by default. Should work 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+, Node.js 18+, pnpm, Docker (optional - needed for container runtimes)
High level architecture
graph LR
UI[Web UI] --> Backend
Backend["Backend (Orchestrator)"]
Backend --> W1 & W2
subgraph W1[Local Process]
Agent1[Agent CLI] --- WT1[Worktree]
end
subgraph W2[Docker Container]
Agent2[Agent CLI] --- WT2[Worktree]
end
We also want to add support for these remote runtimes:
- Remote SSH - run agents on remote servers over SSH, using docker or local processes with workspace isolation
- 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/ # Next.js frontend (SSR, Zustand, real-time subscriptions)
├── cli/ # CLI tool (npx kandev launcher)
└── packages/ # Shared UI components & types
Prerequisites
- Go 1.21+
- Node.js 18+
- pnpm
- Docker (optional)
Running Dev Servers
# Start everything (backend + frontend with auto ports)
make dev
# Or run separately
make dev-backend # Backend on :8080
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
# Install pre-commit (https://pre-commit.com/#install)
pipx install pre-commit
# Install git hooks
pre-commit install
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 - Not a desktop app. Runs as a server you can access from any device, including your phone. Start a task away from your computer and check in on it later.
- Remote runtimes - Run agents on remote servers and Docker hosts, not just your local machine.
- Multi-provider - Use Claude Code, Codex, Copilot, Gemini, Amp, Auggie, and OpenCode side by side. Not locked to one vendor.
- CLI passthrough and chat - Interact with agents through structured chat messages or 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
