{"slug": "show-hn-clootee-make-claude-code-and-codex-easier-to-use", "title": "Show HN: Clootee, make Claude Code and codex easier to use", "summary": "Clootee launched as a downloadable desktop wrapper that runs Anthropic's Claude Code and OpenAI's Codex without requiring Node.js, npm, or a terminal, installing missing components from a web UI with a progress bar. The tool ships as a Windows EXE installer, a universal macOS DMG for Apple Silicon and Intel, and a cross-platform source ZIP for Windows, macOS, and Linux, with packages delivered through Tencent COS CDN and macOS 13 or later required for the DMG. Clootee adds multi-session task queues, side-by-side support for both engines, visibility into reasoning, tool calls, timings and token counts, a per-workspace file manager, and a pre-flight network check that offers a VPN retry or a one-click switch to China-based models (MiniMax, Kimi, Xiaomi MiMo).", "body_md": "### 🌐 Official website: [clootee.com](https://clootee.com)\n\n**No Node. No npm. No terminal. Nothing to install first. Unzip, double-click, done.**\n\nEnglish · [中文](https://github.com/clootee/clootee/blob/main/README_zh.md)\n\nClaude Code and Codex are powerful, but getting to your first message means installing Node,\nrunning `npm install -g`, fixing your PATH, opening a terminal, and signing in through it.\n\n**Clootee makes them easy to use.** One folder, one double-click, and a web UI that installs\nwhatever is missing — with a progress bar, not a blank screen.\n\n[Visit the official download page →](https://clootee.com/download/)\n\nChoose the **Windows EXE installer**, the **universal macOS DMG (Apple Silicon + Intel)**, or the **cross-platform source ZIP for Windows, macOS, and Linux**. The download page lists available builds, file sizes, installation instructions, and SHA256 checksums. All package downloads are delivered through Tencent COS CDN.\n\nOn Windows, install and open Clootee from your desktop or Start menu. On macOS 13 or later, open the DMG and drag Clootee into Applications. Desktop configuration and sessions live in your user directory and survive upgrades. Engines can be installed from the app on first use.\n\nThe instructions below apply to the **source ZIP edition**.\n\n1. Download the release and **unzip it** (right-click → Extract All — don't run it from inside the zip).\n2. Double-click **`Windows_Start.bat`** .\n\nThe server runs in the **background**: once the launcher says it is running, you can close that window — the service keeps going. Double-clicking again just reopens the UI.\n\nTo stop, double-click **`Windows_Stop.bat`** (closing windows does not stop it).\n\nIf SmartScreen warns you, click *More info → Run anyway*. Nothing is installed system-wide —\neverything lives inside the Clootee folder, and deleting the folder removes it completely.\n\n```\ncd /path/to/Clootee\nxattr -dr com.apple.quarantine .   # once, if you downloaded the zip with a browser\nchmod +x Mac_*.command             # once\n```\n\nThen double-click `Mac_Start.command` (stop: `Mac_Stop.command`).\n\nIf Gatekeeper still says the file \"cannot be opened because it is from an unidentified developer\",\nright-click `Mac_Start.command` → *Open* → *Open* once; macOS remembers your choice afterwards.\n`git` is needed only for the \"push to cloud\" feature — if it is missing, run `xcode-select --install`\n(or `brew install git`).\n\n```\nchmod +x Linux_*.sh         # once\n./Linux_Start.sh            # stop: ./Linux_Stop.sh\n```\n\n| Normally you'd have to… | In Clootee | \n|---|---|\n| Install Node.js and fix your PATH | A portable copy is downloaded into its own folder | \n| `npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code` | One click, live progress | \n| Install Git | One click — on Windows no admin, no registry | \n| Run `claude` in a terminal and sign in there | **Sign in inside the browser** — 4 steps, paste the code | \n| Guess why nothing is happening | A **network check** tells you what's wrong and what to do | \n| Pick a model that works where you are | Only providers **reachable right now** are offered | \n\n**🌐 \"It just doesn't respond.\"** — Clootee checks connectivity *before* you hit that wall and offers\ntwo ways out: turn on your VPN and re-check, or switch to a China-based model\n(MiniMax / Kimi / Xiaomi MiMo) with one click.\n\n**🔑 \"It says nothing at all.\"** — Stock Claude Code must be signed in, or messages get no reply *and*\nno error. Clootee moves sign-in into the UI. It works even when the server is remote — the link\nopens in *your* browser.\n\n- **Multi-session task queues** — queue tasks per session, run them in order, pause or interject anytime\n- **Both engines** — Claude Code and Codex, side by side, same interface\n- **Full transparency** — reasoning, every tool call with inputs/outputs, timings, token counts\n- **File manager** — browse, edit, search and bookmark inside each workspace\n- **Failures are never silent** — crashed engine, zero output, long silence: each surfaces with a reason and a fix\n\nClootee runs the engines with **permission prompts bypassed** so tasks can run unattended:\n\n**Anyone who can open this web UI can run any command on your machine, as you.**\n\n- Listens on `127.0.0.1` only by default — keep it that way, and**never expose it to the internet** (use an SSH tunnel or VPN if you need remote access)\n- **Security password is optional** — local use has no sign-in or sign-out. Enable a password explicitly in Settings when needed; provider accounts are separate.\n- API keys and sessions stay in your local `data/` , never committed, never uploaded\n\nFound a security issue? Please open an issue without publishing exploitable details.\n\n```\nprojects/claude_hub/\n├── backend/src/\n│   ├── logic_struct/    # Orchestration — who is called, in what order\n│   ├── logic_realize/   # Implementation — how each step actually works\n│   ├── helper/          # Pure, business-free utilities\n│   └── server/          # HTTP + WebSocket routes\n├── frontend/            # Static, no build step\n└── out_end/             # Portable runtimes, downloaded on demand\n```\n\n**\"What it does\" and \"how it does it\" live in separate files** — the orchestration reads top to bottom\nin one pass, and changing a detail can't damage the architecture.\nPublic distributions contain product source, runtime assets, licenses, and build scripts. Local project notes, credentials, deployment configuration, and development recordings are excluded.\n\n**[Apache 2.0](https://github.com/clootee/clootee/blob/main/LICENSE)** · Contributions and issues welcome\n\nWindows EXE and macOS DMG desktop installations fetch the published download manifest, verify the complete package, install it and reopen automatically. User data, installed tools and browser preferences remain in the same user directory. Diagnostics are saved to `desktop-update.log` in that directory.\n\nLinux and cross-platform ZIP installations fetch source through Git and use an independent Node supervisor to build, restart and check health, without requiring PM2. Local source changes require confirmation before overwriting; build failures keep the existing server running.\n\nDesktop versions 3.1.30 and earlier require a one-time install of 3.1.31 from the official download page to gain the complete package update channel.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-clootee-make-claude-code-and-codex-easier-to-use", "canonical_source": "https://github.com/clootee/clootee", "published_at": "2026-11-04 12:04:14+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-11-04 12:21:14.041739+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-tools", "ai-agents", "developer-tools", "ai-products"], "entities": ["Clootee", "Claude Code", "Codex", "Anthropic", "OpenAI", "Tencent COS", "MiniMax", "Kimi"], "also_reported_by": [], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-clootee-make-claude-code-and-codex-easier-to-use", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-clootee-make-claude-code-and-codex-easier-to-use.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-clootee-make-claude-code-and-codex-easier-to-use.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-clootee-make-claude-code-and-codex-easier-to-use.jsonld"}}