# Heeler: Open-Source iOS App for Herdr

> Source: <https://github.com/ZingerLittleBee/Heeler>
> Published: 2026-10-09 16:02:31+00:00

Heeler is an **agent console**: a native dashboard of every coding agent running on your machines, sorted by who needs you. Open an Agent to read and steer its live terminal, draft with the full iOS keyboard in a native Composer, and Send the complete message once — all over plain SSH.

| Agent Console | Direct Input + Terminal keyboard | Live terminal | 
|---|---|---|

| Changes | File diff | Terminals | 
|---|---|---|

| Skills | Hosts | Live Activity | 
|---|---|---|

- **Console** — every Agent on every machine in one status-sorted list
(Blocked first), filterable by Host, updated live.
- **Attach** — the Agent's real terminal rendered by libghostty: native
scrollback, momentum touch scrolling that also drives full-screen TUIs,
long-press selection, takeover of a stale terminal owner, and quietly
collected web links to open later.
- **Composer** — draft locally with the full iOS keyboard (autocorrect, IME,
dictation), then Send once; the tools keyboard adds Agent control keys,
Agent Skills, reusable Snippets, and terminal appearance.
- **Terminal** — open a plain shell in the Agent's directory, with Text and
Keys modes and one reused tab per Workspace.
- **Attachments** — stage a photo or a file up to 64 MiB onto the Host over
SFTP and insert its path into the draft.
- **QR pairing** — scan a Pairing Code to add a machine; keys are generated
on device, private keys stay in the Keychain, and the code pins the host
key fingerprint.
- **Notifications + Live Activities** — end-to-end encrypted pushes when an
Agent goes Blocked or Done, and a lock-screen / Dynamic Island banner
tracking Agents in real time; the relay can never read the content
([PRIVACY.md](https://github.com/ZingerLittleBee/Heeler/blob/main/PRIVACY.md) ).
- **Worktrees** — start an Agent on a clean checkout of the workspace's repo.
- **Appearance** — System, Light, or Dark; 30 terminal themes with separate
Light and Dark slots; bundled JetBrains Mono and IBM Plex Mono; pinch to
zoom.
- **Jump Host** — reach unroutable machines through an SSH jump, with keys
verified at both hops.

On macOS and Linux Hosts, Heeler speaks herdr's JSON API over SSH: each request opens a
direct-streamlocal channel onto `herdr.sock`, one long-lived channel carries
the event stream, and interactive terminals run `herdr agent attach --takeover` on an SSH PTY. The only prerequisites are SSH access and a
running herdr — no server changes, no extra packages. The SSH server must
allow stream-local forwarding (the OpenSSH default); onboarding calls it out
when it's disabled.

Native Windows Hosts (herdr >= 0.9.3) connect over SSH and are added manually.

Unroutable machines can sit behind an SSH Jump Host:

Install Heeler from the [App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/heeler-for-herdr/id6797263135)
or [TestFlight](https://testflight.apple.com/join/aXSxRn4r).

- **macOS / Linux:** Install[herdr](https://herdr.dev/docs/install/) , enable SSH,
then follow the pairing steps below.
- **Native Windows:** Follow the[Windows setup guide](https://github.com/ZingerLittleBee/Heeler/blob/main/docs/guides/windows-setup.md) .

On a macOS or Linux machine running herdr (Node >= 20, herdr >= 0.7.5, OpenSSH server on —
macOS: **System Settings > General > Sharing > Remote Login**):

```
herdr plugin install ZingerLittleBee/Heeler/plugin --ref main --yes
herdr plugin action invoke heeler.pair
```

Scan the Pairing Code QR it shows and the machine is added as a Host — the
code carries the addresses, the host key fingerprint, and SSH key enrollment.
The same [plugin](https://github.com/ZingerLittleBee/Heeler/blob/main/plugin/README.md) delivers the encrypted notifications once
you enable them for the Host in the app.

Another app can open an Agent in Heeler with a link:

```
heeler://agent?host=my-mac&session=work&pane=w1%3Ap1
```

- `host` names a saved Host on that session: its address, or its name when
no Host on the session has that address. Case is ignored.
- `session` is the herdr session name. Leave it out, or pass`default` , for
the default session.
- `pane` is herdr's pane id. Leave it out to open the Console.

Percent-encode each value, with `%20` for a space: a `+` stays a plus sign,
so form encoding (such as JavaScript's `URLSearchParams`) misses a name like
`Build Box`. When no saved Host on that session matches, or more than one
does, the link opens the Console.

- SwiftUI, iOS 18+, iPhone and iPad. iPad support is restored in 0.1.8 with Magic Keyboard shortcuts, multiwindow, and drag and drop.
- The repository-local `Packages/HeelerSSH` (libssh2 + OpenSSL) for SSH
- [libghostty-spm](https://github.com/lakr233/libghostty-spm) for terminal emulation and Metal rendering

See `docs/adr/` for why — the transport story in particular is not obvious.

Issues and PRs are welcome — see [CONTRIBUTING.md](https://github.com/ZingerLittleBee/Heeler/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md) for
layout, build/test, and conventions.

Released on the [App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/heeler-for-herdr/id6797263135).
It is not yet available in every country or region; where it is missing, the
[TestFlight](https://testflight.apple.com/join/aXSxRn4r) build stays available.
Built for personal use first and shaped by daily driving, so expect rough edges and
fast iteration. Not affiliated with the herdr project.