Show HN: Codync – Open-source bots for Claude Code, Codex and 40 other agents

Codync, an MIT-licensed open-source project from developer leepokai, launched bots that turn coding agents including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini, Copilot, OpenCode, Pi and Grok Build — plus roughly 40 more from the ACP registry — into persistent, named teammates users message from iPhone, Mac, Windows, Linux or a terminal. The tool runs a single Rust binary called codync-host on the user's own computer with their existing agent accounts, offers group chats, threads, per-bot memory, WebRTC remote screen, voice calls and end-to-end encrypted push notifications, and ships free through a hosted Cloudflare relay with no subscription or paid tier.

The open-source Grok Bot alternative. Your coding agents, as teammates you can message. Website https://www.codync.dev · Compare https://www.codync.dev/compare · Launch film https://youtu.be/QAhyZWpV70U <sub Free, open source, no paid tier. A ⭐ is how others find it.</sub macOS: Apple Silicon + Intel DMG · Windows: x64 installer · Linux: AppImage · All downloads https://github.com/leepokai/Codync/releases/latest Codync turns the coding agents on your computer — Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Pi, OpenCode, Grok Build, Gemini, Copilot and ~40 more — into persistent bots you delegate to from your iPhone, Mac, Windows PC, Linux desktop or any terminal, the way you'd message a colleague. Pick who, say what, put the phone away. You get a notification when a bot finishes or needs your approval. Why bots? On a phone, "find the right working session, then pick an environment" is too slow. With bots you already know who to hand the intent to: open the chat, type, done. - Free and open source. No subscription, no paid tier, MIT licensed. It runs on your computer with the agents and accounts you already have. - Bring any coding agent. Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini, Copilot, OpenCode, Pi, Grok Build and ~40 more — everything in the ACP registry https://agentclientprotocol.com/registry . Installed agents are found automatically, the rest are fetched on first use, and every bot picks its own. Mix them freely: a Claude bot can ask a Codex bot for a review. - Many bots, one team. Run as many bots as you like side by side, each with its own agent, project folder and approvals, all working at once. Put several in a group chat and they answer in turn, like a team channel; @name picks who replies. Start a thread on any message to branch off without cluttering the main chat. - Built in Rust. codync-host is one small, fast Rust binary for macOS, Windows and Linux static on Linux, runs on any distro that drives every agent, keeps the transcripts and serves every client. - One app per kind of device. Native SwiftUI on the iPhone, one desktop app for Mac, Windows and Linux Electron , and a terminal UI for SSH. - A Grok Bot, Muse and Dots alternative. Persistent named bots, group chats, reply threads, bots asking each other for help, approval cards, per-bot memory, remote screen, voice calls and "needs you / done" notifications — the same features, without being tied to one model or one subscription. - Reach your computer from anywhere, free. The hosted Cloudflare relay is included at no cost: no Tailscale, no VPN, no port forwarding. Traffic is end-to-end encrypted between your phone and your computer, so the relay only forwards ciphertext. Same Wi-Fi or Tailscale? The phone connects directly instead. - Every computer, one app. Sign in and your iPhone lists every computer on your account Mac, Windows PC, Linux desktop, server or cloud VM ; tap Connect , confirm a 6-digit code on that computer, and its bots show up next to the others. A new bot can live on any of them, and the Mac app reaches your SSH machines too. Each computer approves each device itself, so an account alone never unlocks a computer. - Remote screen. See and control your computer from the iPhone over WebRTC hardware H.264 , and let bots use the screen themselves through the built-in computer tool. - Voice calls. Talk to a bot hands-free from the iPhone and hear its replies read aloud. - Private push. Notification text is sealed to your phone's key, so the push relay never sees what your bots said. | | Platform | App | Highlights | |---|---|---|---| | 📱 | iPhone | Native SwiftUI | Chat with bots, approvals, push notifications, Live Activity, widgets, remote screen, voice calls | | 💻 | macOS | Desktop app Electron , menu bar + window | Runs the host, chat window, usage in the menu bar, iPhone pairing | | 🪟 | Windows | Desktop app Electron , tray + window | Runs the host, chat window, iPhone pairing no remote screen yet | | 🐧 | Linux | Desktop app Electron , tray + window | Chat window, iPhone pairing; the host runs on desktops and headless servers | | ⌨️ | Terminal | codync-host tui | Message your bots from any terminal, over SSH too | The host codync-host , Rust runs on macOS, Windows and Linux; every client talks to it, so all your bots and chats are the same everywhere. Looking for the former native Mac app SwiftUI + AppKit ? Version 2.7.0 moved Mac and Linux to one Electron desktop app. The native implementation is preserved in Git history; see the changelog and source lookup commands changelog and the archived AppKit chat implementation notes https://github.com/leepokai/Codync/blob/main/docs/archive/macos-chat-swiftui.md . Remote Apple client ⇄ encrypted channel direct or Cloudflare cloud/ ⇄ codync-host ⇄ ACP agent Local / SSH client ⇄ loopback HTTP + SSE ⇄ codync-host Host notifications → APNs worker relay/ → iPhone - Bots have a name, a character avatar, standing instructions, an agent backend, a project folder and a permission policy. Each bot has a persistent main chat and optional reply threads ; the agent sessions underneath are an implementation detail resumed with session/load , restarted with New session . - Group chats hold several bots and you. Each message starts a short room turn: the bots you @-mention or everyone reply one at a time, each in its own session, and can react to each other, up to 3 rounds. See group chats and threads https://github.com/leepokai/Codync/blob/main/docs/features/groups-and-threads.md . - Bots can ask each other for help. Tell one “ask Reviewer to check these changes.” The built-in team MCP server lets it discover your other visible bots and wait for a reply. Requests appear in both chats; each recipient keeps its own agent, folder and approvals. Native subagents stay under the coding agent's control. See bot collaboration https://github.com/leepokai/Codync/blob/main/docs/features/bot-collaboration.md . - The chat only shows what matters : your messages, each turn's final reply, approval cards and notices. Every tool call, diff, plan and thought is one tap away in Full conversation . While a bot works, its row shows what it's doing right now. - Agents are detected automatically : the host hydrates PATH from your login shell plus Homebrew, ~/.local/bin, nvm, bun, volta, asdf, mise, pnpm… , finds every harness you have installed, and prefers its native ACP mode. Anything else in the official ACP registry https://agentclientprotocol.com/registry can be picked too — Codync fetches it on first use npx, uvx or a checksummed binary . - codync-host Rust, macOS, Windows and Linux runs on your computer. It speaks the Agent Client Protocol https://agentclientprotocol.com to each agent, keeps transcripts in SQLite, and serves the phone. Every change carries a global rev , so the phone reconnects with since: rev and never misses anything. - Usage limits come from your local installs, with no extra login: Claude via claude -p /usage a local command, no model call plus Claude Code's status line, Codex via ~/.codex/sessions . The phone, widgets and menu bar only see percentages. - Push goes through a tiny relay that holds the APNs key. The phone trades its device token for an encrypted ticket; the host only ever holds tickets. UI patterns roster, character avatars, approval cards, trace sheet, "needs you / done" notifications follow Grok Bot. One line macOS or Linux : curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/leepokai/Codync/main/packaging/install.sh | sh On a Mac it installs the app the host ships inside it ; on Linux the host, plus the desktop app when a display is present. Add sh -s -- --host-only for servers and headless Macs. Re-run it to upgrade. Mac — download codync-macos.dmg https://github.com/leepokai/Codync/releases/latest/download/codync-macos.dmg and drag it to Applications, or: brew install --cask leepokai/codync/codync All three install the same signed, notarized app. Open Codync: it sets up the host on first launch. Open Codync opens the full window; Pair iPhone… shows the QR code. Windows — download codync-windows-x64.exe https://github.com/leepokai/Codync/releases/latest/download/codync-windows-x64.exe and run it. It installs for your user and starts the host at sign-in. The installer isn't code-signed yet, so SmartScreen asks you to confirm it once More info → Run anyway . Not on Windows yet: remote screen, on-device speech and the Claude Code status line hook. Details: desktop app https://github.com/leepokai/Codync/blob/main/docs/architecture/desktop-app.md platform-notes . iPhone — get Codync on the App Store https://apps.apple.com/app/codync/id6760984418 iOS 18+, free , then scan the QR code from Pair iPhone… on the Mac, the Windows or Linux app, or codync-host pair . Why the iPhone app can be a version behind: every iPhone release goes through Apple's App Review first, which usually takes a day or more, so the App Store version can trail the Mac, Windows, Linux and host releases. Your computer accounts for that: an update that needs a newer iPhone app waits until that version is in the App Store, then installs, and the iPhone app shows a reminder when a newer version is available. Linux — the host, plus the desktop app: curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/leepokai/Codync/main/packaging/install.sh | sh or: brew install leepokai/codync/codync-host codync-host install systemd --user service codync-host pair QR code in the terminal, or Settings in the app The script also installs the desktop app codync , an AppImage, with its .desktop file when you're in a graphical session. By hand: codync-linux-<arch .AppImage , .deb or .tar.gz from Releases https://github.com/leepokai/Codync/releases/latest . Building the desktop app yourself: cd apps/desktop && npm ci && npm run dev . Linux server / cloud VM — the host runs headless on any distro static binary, x86 64 + arm64 . Setup, remote access and limitations: docs/guides/linux-servers.md https://github.com/leepokai/Codync/blob/main/docs/guides/linux-servers.md . Remote access works out of the box through the free Cloudflare relay, end-to-end encrypted; the phone switches to a direct connection on the same network or over Tailscale. Details: remote relay https://github.com/leepokai/Codync/blob/main/docs/reference/remote-relay.md . Agents — install and sign in to whichever you use; Codync finds them. Claude Code, Codex and Pi run through their ACP adapters fetched by npx , so Node.js is needed for those . codync-host install also routes Claude Code's status line through codync-host statusline so live limits reach the host; an existing status line keeps working it's wrapped, and restored on uninstall . | Command | | |---|---| | codync-host install / uninstall | background service launchd on macOS, systemd --user on Linux, the sign-in Run key on Windows | | codync-host tui --url … --token … | message your bots from a terminal this computer by default; SSH-friendly | | codync-host pair --json | pairing QR code / link | | codync-host status | installed? running? | | codync-host serve --port 19222 | run in the foreground | | codync-host statusline -- <your command | Claude Code status line command wraps yours | | codync-host reset-token | rotate the local loopback bearer token | | codync-host cloud | cloud enablement, URL and status | | codync-host devices | list/revoke authorized remote devices | | codync-host access | review device access requests | Data lives in ~/.codync . The local bearer token authorizes loopback helpers and SSH-forwarded callers. Remote devices use individual keys and grants over the encrypted channel; revoke a lost device through device management rather than rotating the loopback token. Host methods and caller permissions live in host/src/api/ . Is Codync free? Yes. $0 with every feature included, MIT licensed. You pay only your agent's provider, through the plan or key you already have. Can I use my Claude or ChatGPT plan? Yes. Codync runs the agents already signed in on your computer: Claude Code with your Claude plan, Codex with your ChatGPT plan, and so on. It never calls a provider's API with your login. Is there a Claude Code or Codex app for iPhone? Codync is one, free: Claude Code or Codex keeps running on your Mac or Linux machine, and you chat with it, approve its edits and get notified from the iPhone. Guides: Claude Code on iPhone https://www.codync.dev/claude-code-iphone · Codex on iPhone https://www.codync.dev/codex-iphone . Which agents can it run? Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini, Copilot, OpenCode and about 40 more through the ACP registry https://agentclientprotocol.com/registry . Each bot picks its own. How is it different from Grok Bot, Muse or Dots? The same bot-based way of working named bots, group chats, threads, approvals, memory , but open source, free, running on your own computer and with any coding agent. Side-by-side pages: codync.dev/compare https://www.codync.dev/compare . Where does my data go? Bots, chats and memory stay on your computer. The phone reaches it directly on the same network, or through an end-to-end encrypted relay that can't read your messages. Do I need an account? No. Pair your phone by scanning a QR code. Signing in with Apple or Google is optional. Which computers can run it? A Mac, a Windows PC, or a Linux desktop or headless server. The iPhone app and the terminal UI over SSH talk to the same host. | Path | | |---|---| | host/ | codync-host — Rust daemon: ACP client, SQLite transcript, HTTP/SSE API, push, usage | | apps/ios/ | iOS app: pairing, roster, push, Live Activity glue | | apps/ios/Kit/ | The iPhone app's Swift package: CodyncKit wire models, host client, theme, avatars; shared with the widgets and CodyncUI store + screens | | apps/ios/Widgets/ | Bots, usage and per-provider usage widgets + bot Live Activity | | apps/desktop/ | Desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux Electron, React, TypeScript : menu bar/tray + chat window; installs/monitors the host | | cloud/ | Cloudflare accounts, D1, encrypted channel relay and offline mailbox | | apps/shared/Config/ | Environment configuration Clerk key, cloud URL for the iPhone and desktop apps | | apps/screen-macos/ , apps/screen-linux/ | Platform screen capture/input helpers | | docs/ | Documentation index https://github.com/leepokai/Codync/blob/main/docs/README.md and file structure https://github.com/leepokai/Codync/blob/main/docs/architecture/file-structure.md | | relay/ | Cloudflare Worker APNs relay with encrypted per-device tickets | | web/ | Website Next.js static export, deployed on Vercel | | packaging/ | Homebrew cask and formula templates published to leepokai/homebrew-codync on release and install.sh the curl installer | Build, install, restart and full checks: development guide https://github.com/leepokai/Codync/blob/main/docs/guides/development.md . The Xcode project is generated: xcodegen generate --spec apps/project.yml . cd host && cargo test host cd apps/desktop && npm test desktop app also: npm run typecheck iPhone package: xcodebuild test -scheme CodyncKit-Package apps/ios/Kit, iOS Simulator cd cloud && npm test cloud API / channel relay cd relay && npm test relay tickets The SwiftUI Mac app and the GTK 4 Linux app are replaced by a single desktop app in apps/desktop/ Electron . It looks and works like the Mac app it replaces: the same roster, chat, inspector, marketplace, settings, menu bar, pairing, SSH computers, voice calls and remote screen helper. Why: the native chat had become too slow to scroll and stream long transcripts, and keeping two desktop apps in step took more than one person can maintain. The iPhone app stays native SwiftUI; its shared package moved into apps/ios/Kit/ . Details: desktop app https://github.com/leepokai/Codync/blob/main/docs/architecture/desktop-app.md . Native Mac source SwiftUI + AppKit . The last native revision is 1055636 , the parent of migration commit 41135ac . It includes apps/macos/ and the Mac code paths in kit/ . The chat used MacChatList , an AppKit NSScrollView hosting SwiftUI message rows; see the archived implementation notes https://github.com/leepokai/Codync/blob/main/docs/archive/macos-chat-swiftui.md . git show 1055636:apps/macos/Views/ChatWindow.swift git worktree add ../codync-swiftui 1055636 a checkout of the whole native-era repo For release-by-release changes, see GitHub Releases https://github.com/leepokai/Codync/releases . Clients and the host each name the oldest version of the other they still work with minApp in the host's hello , minHost in each client , so an app can meet an older or newer host. Details: compatibility https://github.com/leepokai/Codync/blob/main/docs/reference/compatibility.md . MIT