# ThinkRail from JetBrains > Source: > Published: 2026-10-24 08:08:42+00:00 JetBrains InnovationHub Apache-2.0 open source # ThinkRail The agentic IDE that gets better every time you use it. Open a repo as a project. Cut isolated **git-worktree workspaces**. Pair with a real agent across Monaco tabs, terminals, and diffs — while your project's intent lives in a **spec graph the agent actually reads**. ThinkRail runs on macOS, Windows, and Linux. macOS ## Browser UI via command line Install the local launcher; run `thinkrail` to open the browser UI. `curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/JetBrains/thinkrail/main/install.sh | bash` Windows ## Browser UI via command line Install the local launcher; run `thinkrail` to open the browser UI. PowerShell `irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/JetBrains/thinkrail/main/install.ps1 | iex` Command Prompt (cmd) `powershell -c "irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/JetBrains/thinkrail/main/install.ps1 | iex"` WSL `curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/JetBrains/thinkrail/main/install.sh | bash` Linux ## Browser UI via command line Install the local launcher; run `thinkrail` to open the browser UI. `curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/JetBrains/thinkrail/main/install.sh | bash` ## Why ThinkRail ### Agents deserve worktrees, not your working tree. Every workspace is a real `git worktree` — its own branch, its own cwd. Run several agents in parallel; each one's mess stays on its branch, and `main` stays clean until you say otherwise. ### Specs are the ground truth. ThinkRail is built spec-first, and so are your projects: a connected graph of spec files lives beside the code, and the agent reads, searches, and maintains it with dedicated tools. Intent survives the session. ### A thin host, a real engine. The [`pi` coding agent](https://pi.dev) runs in-process and owns models, skills, compaction, and cost. ThinkRail owns the workspace, the editor, and the wire — it never assembles prompts behind your back. ## Projects → workspaces A project is any local git repo. A workspace is a `git worktree` cut from it — created in one click, listed in the rail, disposable without ceremony. ``` # one repo, three parallel lines of thought ~/code/my-repo ← project └─ ~/.thinkrail/worktrees/ ├─ workspace-1 ⎇ feature/auth agent A building ├─ workspace-2 ⎇ fix/flaky-test agent B fixing └─ workspace-3 ⎇ spike/ideas you, exploring ``` - Own branch + cwd per workspace — files, diffs, terminals, and chats all scope to it. - Switch workspaces instantly; nothing reloads, nothing leaks across. - Merge the good one, delete the rest. Your repo never noticed the chaos. ## A real IDE around the agent Watch the agent work — or work beside it — without leaving the page. ### Monaco editor tabs The VS Code editor engine: syntax everywhere, rendered markdown with a source toggle, file tabs per workspace. ### Files tree The active worktree at a glance — like the rail on the right of this very page. ### Changes A live git diff of the workspace branch, so you review the agent's work as it lands. ### Terminals Real PTYs scoped to the worktree — run the tests yourself while the agent keeps typing. ## Chats that stream like the engine thinks This transcript is a real `pi` session, captured in ThinkRail while it worked on its own repo: `goal-and-requirements.md` · `architecture.md` ThinkRail is the agentic IDE built around the `pi` coding agent — a thin host that runs `pi` in-process and bridges it to a rich UI, while `pi` owns models, skills, compaction, cost, and session state. The **three rings**: 1. **Engine host** (`packages/server` ) —`createServer()` runs an HTTP+WS host plus an`AgentSessionManager` : one in-process`pi` session per tab. 2. **The wire** (`packages/contracts` ) — the typed, versioned protocol between host and UI. Types only. 3. **UI client** (`apps/web` ) — mobile-first React that ships independently and dials any host over the wire. - Several sessions per workspace, streaming concurrently. - Pick the model per session; tokens and cost tick live in the header. - Steer a running turn or queue a follow-up — no waiting for the agent to finish. - Interactive tools: the agent can ask structured questions back, right in the chat. ## Specs are first-class Every module carries a `SPEC.md` with frontmatter linking it into a graph — goal, architecture, modules, tasks. The bundled `pi-spec-graph` extension gives the agent `spec_*` tools to search, navigate, and maintain it, and the Specs tab renders the live graph of your worktree: **main spec** **arch** **module** **submodule** **module** ``` --- id: module-server type: module-design status: active parent: architecture --- ``` Plain markdown, plain frontmatter, versioned with the code — reading the specs is enough to understand an area and formulate the next task. The agent keeps them honest as it builds. ## Install Choose your platform and start working. **macOS** Apple Silicon **Windows** Windows x64 **Linux** Ubuntu 24.04+ Linux: extract the archive, run `./installer`, and check the [native library requirements](https://github.com/JetBrains/thinkrail#install). ## Browser UI via command line Install the local launcher, then run `thinkrail` to open the browser UI. `curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/JetBrains/thinkrail/main/install.sh | bash` `irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/JetBrains/thinkrail/main/install.ps1 | iex` `powershell -c "irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/JetBrains/thinkrail/main/install.ps1 | iex"` Requires `git` and an authenticated `pi` provider. See [all releases](https://github.com/JetBrains/thinkrail/releases) and [advanced CLI options](https://github.com/JetBrains/thinkrail#install).