# Show HN: Desk - Open-source macOS workspace for CLI coding agents > Source: > Published: 2026-11-09 19:30:38+00:00 **Every agent. One desk.** A calm macOS workspace for Claude Code, Codex and friends. Projects, terminals, files, git and chat in one window, and the right account for every project. [**Download for macOS**](https://github.com/s-nish/desk/releases/latest/download/Desk.dmg) · [Website](https://github.com/s-nish/desk/tree/main/site) · [Report an issue](https://github.com/s-nish/desk/issues) The screenshot follows your GitHub theme. Switch between light and dark to see both. | **Claude Code** | ** Codex** | ** Gemini CLI** | ** Cursor Agent** | ** Grok** | ** OpenCode** | ** GitHub** | Desk runs the command-line tools you already have installed and signed in. It never stores or sends your tokens. | **The right account, every time** | Pick a Claude Code, Codex and GitHub account per project. Every tab opens already signed in as the right you. | | **Terminal or chat** | Run agents in real terminals, or as a conversation with attachments, permission modes and a worktree per chat. | | **Files beside the session** | Browse and edit with syntax highlighting. Preview images, PDFs and CSV. Unsaved buffers survive a restart. | | **Review before you ship** | Stage, commit and open pull requests. Comment on a diff line and send it to the agent. Desk never pushes on its own. | | **A browser for your dev server** | Dock it next to the agent. Design mode picks an element and hands it over as context. | | **Limits at a glance** | Usage rings for every account: blue, cantaloupe from 80%, red at the limit. | | **Quit without fear** | Open files, unsaved buffers, splits and tab order all come back. | | **Terminals and history.** Every past conversation, one click away. | **Files.** The tree and editor stay next to the session. | | **Git.** Review, commit and open PRs with the project's GitHub account. | **Chat and browser.** A conversation view with a browser docked beside it. | | **Appearance.** 24 app themes, dark and light. | **Terminal.** 18 palettes with a live preview. | | **Editor.** Syntax colours, previewed per language. | **Accounts.** Seven tools, as many accounts as you need. | Desk opens in **Electric**: Midnight `#02070A`, Electric Blue `#0297DE` and a touch of Cantaloupe `#FC734D`, with serif headings, pill buttons and an animated pixel-wave backdrop on Home. The four **pixel themes** are Electric, Electric Light, Ember and Aurora. Turn the animation off from the sidebar or **Settings ▸ Appearance**. It always stays still when Reduce motion is on. **From Terminal:** ``` curl -fL https://github.com/s-nish/desk/releases/latest/download/Desk.dmg -o ~/Downloads/Desk.dmg && open ~/Downloads/Desk.dmg ``` **Or by hand:** download [**Desk.dmg**](https://github.com/s-nish/desk/releases/latest/download/Desk.dmg) from the latest release. Then drag Desk to Applications, and install and sign in to the agents you use, such as `claude` or `codex`. Desk picks them up on launch. Tip Desk isn't notarized yet. If you downloaded it in a browser, macOS asks on first launch: open **System Settings ▸ Privacy & Security** and choose **Open Anyway**. The Terminal command above skips that prompt. Note The release is built for Apple silicon. On an Intel Mac, [build from source](#develop). An account is a config folder. Desk sets the right folder for every terminal and chat it opens. | Tool | Variable | Default folder | Extra accounts | |---|---|---|---| | Claude Code | `CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR` | `~/.claude` | `~/.claude-` | | Codex | `CODEX_HOME` | `~/.codex` | `~/.codex-` | | GitHub | `GH_CONFIG_DIR` | `~/.config/gh` | `~/.config/gh-` | Desk finds existing folders on launch. **Add account** creates a new folder and runs the tool's own sign-in inside it. To show which email is signed in, Desk reads that one field locally: `oauthAccount.emailAddress` from `.claude.json`, and only the `email` claim from Codex's `auth.json`. Important **Pull requests are untrusted code.** When you check out or review someone else's pull request, Desk asks first and marks the worktree untrusted. Agents there start without the branch's own settings, hooks and MCP servers (`--setting-sources user --strict-mcp-config`), in plan mode for Claude Code and a read-only sandbox for Codex. | Keys | Action | Keys | Action | |---|---|---|---| | `⌘``⇧`` P` | Command palette | `⌘`` P` | Open file in project | | `⌘``⇧`` F` | Search and replace | `⌘`` O` | Add project folder | | `⌘``\` | Toggle split panes | `⌘`` B` /`⌘``⇧`` B` | Toggle projects / files | | `⌘`` T` | New Claude Code tab | `⌘`` K` | Clear terminal | | `⌘`` W` | Close tab | `⌘`` 1` –`9` | Switch tabs | | `⌘`` S` | Save file | `⌥``⌘``↑` /`↓` | Switch projects | | `⌘``,` | Settings | `⇧`` Enter` | Newline in Claude Code / Codex | Drop folders on the window to add projects. Drop files on a terminal to paste their paths. ## **More details**: workspace, terminal, editor and appearance **Workspace** - **Home** appears whenever nothing is open: every project as a card with one-click Claude Code, Codex and Shell sessions, plus recent conversations. - **Recovery** restores open files, unsaved buffers, tab selection and split layout. Changed files on disk show a conflict before overwrite. Terminal tabs restore as restart cards. - **Tab order:** drag tabs to reorder, or focus one and use`⌥``⇧``←` /`→` .`Esc` cancels a drag. - **Split panes:** click a pane to target it, drag the divider or use its arrow keys to resize. - **Source control** covers the repository root, including when the project is a subfolder. Unsaved editor buffers are not included in commits. - **Project search** respects ignore files and skips binary files and build folders. Replace previews every change and skips dirty buffers. **Terminal** - 12 original palettes plus 6 neutral ones, individual colour overrides and smooth scrolling. Text contrast is corrected to 7:1 where xterm supports it. - 20,000 lines of history. Incoming output never moves you to the bottom; use **Latest output** or`⇧`` End` to return. **Editor** - Eight file colour themes: Match Desk, VS Code Dark, GitHub Dark, Dracula, Nord, GitHub Light, Solarized Light and Monochrome. - Syntax highlighting follows filenames, with lazy-loaded support for many languages. **Appearance** - 24 themes, or match your system. Comfortable or compact spacing, panel visibility and optional account colours. - Preferences are saved on this Mac. Requires Rust ([rustup](https://rustup.rs)) and Node 20+. ``` npm install npm run tauri dev # live-reloading dev build npm run tauri build # release Desk.app and .dmg in src-tauri/target/release/bundle cd src-tauri && cargo test # backend tests ``` | Path | What lives there | |---|---| | `src-tauri/src` | Rust backend: `pty.rs` terminals,`accounts.rs` account discovery,`files.rs` tree and editor I/O,`gh.rs` GitHub | | `src` | React UI. `terminals.ts` and`editors.ts` keep xterm.js and CodeMirror alive outside React, so sessions survive tab and project switches | | `site` | The landing page: plain HTML, CSS and JS | App state is saved to `~/Library/Application Support/Desk/state.json`. ## **Validation** ``` npm run build npm run test:backend npm run dev -- --host 127.0.0.1 --port 1421 # In another terminal (uses an installed Chrome, isolated data, mocked IPC): npm run test:ui npm run test:appearance ``` Set `CHROME_PATH` to use a different Chrome, or `DESK_TEST_URL` for a different dev-server address. The UI smoke test covers restoration, split panes, search and replace, Git controls, the command palette and quit-time persistence. Appearance checks cover theme contrast, system theme changes, terminal palettes, scrollback and alternate-screen navigation. Claude, Codex, Gemini, Cursor, Grok, OpenCode and GitHub are trademarks of their owners. Desk is independent and not affiliated with them. Logos from [Lobe Icons](https://lobehub.com/icons) (MIT).