# ViBeCoDeR (vbcdr) — Full Documentation

> The desktop IDE built around Claude Code. Multi-terminal, git graph, and token and time analytics — one window per project.

## What is ViBeCoDeR?

ViBeCoDeR (also written as vbcdr) is a free, open-source Electron desktop application built around Claude Code. It combines multiple agent terminals, the git commit graph, and token and time analytics into a single unified window per project — eliminating the constant context switching between terminal tabs, GitHub Desktop, and a usage page in a browser tab when you're running several projects in parallel.

It runs on macOS (Apple Silicon), Windows, and Linux. The full source is on GitHub under the MIT license.

The skills marketplace, slash-commands, diff overlay, and token analytics are wired around how Claude Code works. Other terminal-based agents (Codex CLI, Aider, GitHub Copilot CLI) run inside the terminals too, but the agent-specific features assume Claude Code.

## The problem it solves

Modern coding agents let you run several projects in parallel. The surrounding tools weren't built for that:

- Terminals are scattered across windows. Finding the right session for the right project means constant alt-tabbing.
- Hours and tokens disappear into whichever side project happened to grab your attention. You can feel the burn rate but can't see it.
- Your mental model says everything belongs to one project, but in reality the context is scattered across terminal windows, GitHub Desktop, and a usage page in a browser tab.

ViBeCoDeR collapses all of that into a single window per project, with isolation guarantees and built-in analytics that make parallel development actually work.

## How it works

### 1. Open a project
Drop any repo into ViBeCoDeR. It gets its own isolated workspace — terminal stack, credentials, layout, and theme all scoped to that project.

### 2. Spin up an agent
Open one or more terminals inside the project and start your agent. Drag in mockups, screenshots, or reference files as context. Kick off a long-running task and switch to another project while it works.

### 3. Watch diffs, tokens, and time
See an inline diff overlay after every edit, watch the token-velocity chart move in real time, and track exactly which projects are eating your hours — all without leaving the project window.

## Features

### Project isolation
Each project gets its own terminal stack, credential store, layout, and theme. Switching projects switches everything — no leaking state, no shared scrollback, no mixed-up credentials between environments.

### Multi-terminal
Run several agent sessions side by side within a single project. Each terminal is labeled by the running process so you always know what's happening where.

### Drag-and-drop context
Drag files, screenshots, or mockups directly into terminals — they auto-attach as context. No more manual paste or save-then-reference dance.

### Live terminal status
Per-terminal and per-project status indicators. A green dot appears the moment the agent finishes — context-switch to another project and check back when it's done.

### Inline diff overlay
After every edit, an inline diff overlay surfaces exactly which files changed. No more switching to a side terminal to run `git diff` after every step.

### Task queue and command palette
Queue prompts as inline chips, drag them to reorder, and let them auto-run when the agent goes idle. A ⌘K command palette jumps anywhere in the app and accepts prompt-to-queue input directly.

### Skills marketplace
Browse, search, and install Claude Code skills with per-scope buttons. Pick a global or project-scoped install — no manual file shuffling.

### Commands editor
Define custom slash-commands and reusable prompts per project or globally. Project-scoped commands stay with the repo, global commands follow you everywhere.

### Credential manager
Per-project isolated credential stores for different environments and API keys (Convex, Clerk, custom). Switch projects and your credentials switch with you.

### Git visualization
Commit graph with branch lanes and one-click commit actions. No more opening GitHub Desktop to see what's going on with the branch you just pushed.

### Token analytics
A dedicated Usage page with a token-velocity sparkline, persisted history across sessions, and a range chart. The Sessions and Projects table is sortable across any timeframe so you can see what your agents actually cost.

### Time analytics
Hours per project, a live donut breakdown of your week, month, or year, an hour-by-hour activity heatmap, current streak, longest streak, active days, and total time — the picture your gut feeling never quite matches.

### Statistics and dashboard
A Statistics page with theme-aware charts and a Commits/Terminal/Both source toggle. The dashboard shows project cards with live terminal output buffers and a token-usage progress bar per project.

### Persistent terminals
Terminal tabs and full scrollback survive app restarts. Pick up a long-running session exactly where you left off, even after a reboot.

### Editor power-ups
Drag-to-reorder editor tabs, tabs colored by git status, an editable diff editor, format-on-save, debounced autosave, configurable font and tab size, bracket pair colorization, and a minimap toggle.

### File tree operations
Delete, rename, create, duplicate, and search files directly from the tree. Includes docx preview support.

### Themes
12 built-in themes — Dracula, Catppuccin, Nord, Tokyo Night, Afternoon, and more — each with dark and light variants. A live custom theme editor lets you build your own.

### Customization
Configurable token cap, configurable background image with blur for app panels, live-toggle terminal transparency, and a selectable idle notification sound when the agent finishes.

## Multi-project workflow

ViBeCoDeR is designed for the case where four or five projects are running in parallel, each with its own agent (or several). Switching between them preserves terminal state, layout, scroll position, and theme. You can leave a long-running session on Project A, jump to Project B for ten minutes, come back to a finished task with a green dot waiting.

## Technical details

- Built with Electron
- MIT licensed
- macOS (Apple Silicon), Windows, and Linux
- Source code: https://github.com/jestersimpps/vbcdr-electron
- Latest release: https://github.com/jestersimpps/vbcdr-electron/releases/latest

## Frequently asked questions

**Is ViBeCoDeR free?**
Yes — fully free and open source under the MIT license. You still need your own agent subscription or API access to actually run sessions.

**Do I need Claude Code to use ViBeCoDeR?**
ViBeCoDeR is designed around Claude Code — the skills marketplace, slash-commands, diff overlay, and token analytics are wired for it. Other terminal-based agents (Codex CLI, Aider) run inside the terminals too, but the agent-specific features assume Claude Code.

**Can I see how my time and tokens are split across projects?**
Yes. The built-in analytics dashboard shows hours per project, activity heatmaps, streaks, totals, and a sortable Sessions and Projects table for tokens across any timeframe.

**Can I run multiple agents in one project?**
Yes — multiple terminals per project, each labeled by the running process.

**Do my terminals survive a restart?**
Yes — terminal tabs and full scrollback are persisted across app restarts.

## Links

- Website: https://www.vbcdr.io
- LLM-friendly summary: https://www.vbcdr.io/llms.txt
- GitHub: https://github.com/jestersimpps/vbcdr-electron
- Latest release (macOS / Windows / Linux): https://github.com/jestersimpps/vbcdr-electron/releases/latest
- Author: Jo Vinkenroye — https://jovweb.dev
- Sponsor: https://github.com/sponsors/jestersimpps
- License: MIT