Vobes

A developer command center.

Vobes unifies fragmented developer context — git status, recent commits, project health, package managers, frameworks, local notes, project metadata — into a single calm workspace.

A vobe is one software project managed by Vobes.

CLI: vbs
Desktop: Vobes
One core, two faces.

Status

Pre-alpha. Core, scanning, git, activity, SQLite store, config, CLI, desktop (with command palette, file watcher, deep links, notifications), and an MCP server for AI agents. See the CLI ↔ desktop parity table below for what each face supports.

Dev and release builds use separate data directories (vobes-dev vs vobes) so cargo tauri dev can't overwrite an installed copy. Set VOBES_APP_DIR to override.

Quick start (CLI)

cargo build -p vobes-cli
cargo run -p vobes-cli -- --help

Configure

vbs init                              # writes config.toml in your config dir
$EDITOR "$(vbs init 2>&1 | tail -1)" # edit scan roots (path is printed)

On macOS the config lives at ~/Library/Application Support/vobes/config.toml, on Linux ~/.config/vobes/config.toml, on Windows %APPDATA%\vobes\config.toml. Debug builds use a -dev suffix.

Use

vbs scan             # discover projects in configured roots
vbs list             # show tracked vobes (status table)
vbs list --query "tag:rust is:dirty"   # filter with the query language
vbs show <name>      # detailed view of one vobe
vbs log              # recent activity across all vobes
vbs open <name>      # mark opened + launch $EDITOR
vbs sync             # re-scan roots, refresh git cache, record activity
vbs add <path>       # manually track a project
vbs rm <name>        # untrack a vobe
vbs export           # dump all data as JSON to the snapshots dir

For AI agents

Vobes exposes its data to agents in three ways:

vbs list --json        # machine-readable vobe list
vbs show <name> --json # machine-readable vobe detail
vbs log --json         # machine-readable activity
vbs context <name>     # full context pack (record + activity + dir entries)
vbs watch              # stream activity as NDJSON

Or run the MCP server (JSON-RPC 2.0 over stdio):

cargo run -p vobes-mcp

Tools: vobes_list, vobes_show, vobes_search, vobes_recent_activity, vobes_context.

Desktop (Tauri)

The desktop app wraps the same core as the CLI — same config file, same SQLite store, same scanner — and adds a keyboard-first UI.

Highlights:

Command palette (⌘K / Ctrl+K) — fuzzy-find vobes and run any action
Global shortcut (Ctrl+Alt+V) — summon the palette from any app
Attention section — dirty repos, unpushed, behind upstream at a glance
Split-button openers — launch any vobe in the user's chosen terminal or editor; defaults stay sticky per-app
Set-as-default star in the terminal/editor dropdown — pin a favourite without leaving the menu; persisted across sessions
Persistent error toasts with a close × so failures don't flash past you
Reset and rescan from the dashboard when the cached project list drifts
Project detail — git state, last commit, notes, README preview, TODO scrape, context-pack copy
File watcher — incremental refresh when files change
Deep links — vobes://open/<name> and vobes://search?q=… (registered by the installed bundle; not active in cargo tauri dev)
Notifications — opt-in alert when a vobe falls behind upstream
Saved views — pin a search to the sidebar
In-app settings — edit roots, theme, git cache, snapshot history without touching TOML

First run

The desktop ships with an empty Dashboard. Configure scan roots in Settings → Roots, then click Reset and rescan (or hit ⌘K → "Rescan") to populate it. The same config.toml is shared with the CLI.

Search syntax

One query language, every face — the command palette, the Dashboard search, vbs list --query, and the MCP vobes_search tool. Predicates are prefixed by a key (case-insensitive, whitespace-tolerant):

tag:rust — only vobes tagged rust
lang:rust / fw:react / pm:pnpm — language, framework, package manager
is:dirty / is:behind / is:pinned / is:attention — git/pin flags
name:foo — name substring
bare words — each one must match the name, path or a tag on its own, so rust web means "rust and web", not the literal string "rust web"

A saved filter is just a named query — pin it to the sidebar for a personal workspace scoped to a tag, language, or attention slice.

Prerequisites

Rust stable
Bun 1.4+
macOS: Xcode CLI tools
Linux: libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev libgtk-3-dev libayatana-app_indicator3-dev librsvg2-dev libsoup-3.0-dev libjavascriptcoregtk-4.1-dev
Windows: WebView2 runtime (preinstalled on Windows 11)

Build

cd desktop
bun install
cargo tauri dev        # hot-reload dev loop (frontend + rust)
cargo tauri build      # produce installable bundle (in desktop/src-tauri/target/release/bundle)

Local sccache (optional)

CI doesn't use sccache (the GitHub Actions cache backend needs ACTIONS_CACHE_URL

ACTIONS_RUNTIME_TOKEN which aren't always set, and Swatinem/rust-cache covers the practical wins for a single runner). For local rebuilds, sccache helps a lot:

# install
brew install sccache          # macOS
sudo apt install sccache      # Debian/Ubuntu
cargo install sccache --locked # anywhere Rust is

# enable per shell session
export RUSTC_WRAPPER=sccache
export SCCACHE_DIR=$HOME/.cache/sccache    # optional, defaults here

Or drop a .cargo/config.toml at the repo root to enable it project-wide for anyone with sccache installed:

[build]
rustc-wrapper = "sccache"

(No such file is committed — adding it would break devs without sccache. The env-var approach above is the safer default.)

Auto-update

Wired and signed. tauri-plugin-updater (Rust) + @tauri-apps/plugin-updater (JS) check https://github.com/JeffreyJYZ/vobes/releases/latest/download/latest.json on launch, verify the minisign signature against the pubkey in desktop/src-tauri/tauri.conf.json, then download, install and relaunch.

The in-app notice appears only for versions the user has not dismissed; Settings → Updates has a manual "Check now" and shows the running version.
If the plugin has nothing for this platform (or is absent), the check falls back to the GitHub releases API so the notice can still link to the release.
A failed check is silent — offline or rate-limited builds are unaffected.

Release builds must be signed with the matching private key, or the updater rejects them:

gh secret set TAURI_SIGNING_PRIVATE_KEY < ~/.tauri/vobes-updater.key

createUpdaterArtifacts in tauri.conf.json makes the release workflow emit latest.json and the .sig files the updater verifies. Do not regenerate the keypair once a signed release is public: every installed copy pins the pubkey, and a new key makes old installs unable to verify new builds.

Crash reporting

Panics and unhandled errors flow to a Sentry-compatible endpoint (sentry Rust crate + @sentry/svelte frontend). Both sides read their DSN from an env var and no-op when unset, so dev builds stay local.

The Tauri side doesn't care which Sentry-compatible server you point at — the only requirement is a reachable DSN URL. Self-hosting options:

GlitchTip (Sentry-API-compatible) pointed at any Postgres. The Vobes stack assumes GlitchTip + Postgres, but you can also point at Sentry SaaS, Sentry self-hosted, Highlight, or any other compatible endpoint.

For the Postgres behind GlitchTip, any provider works — the DATABASE_URL env var accepts any libpq-compatible connection string:

Provider	Notes
Neon	Free tier 0.5 GB, AWS-backed. Variable reachability from mainland China.
Aliyun RDS for PostgreSQL / PolarDB	China-hosted, ICP-friendly. Recommended for China users.
Tencent Cloud TDSQL-C / PostgreSQL	Same — China-hosted, low latency from CN.
Supabase	Hosted Postgres + dashboard. Good if you also want auth later.
Local Docker	`docker run -e POSTGRES_PASSWORD=... postgres:16`. Fine for self-hosting.

If your users are in mainland China and Neon/Sentry SaaS feel slow, host GlitchTip on an Aliyun ECS or Tencent CVM instance in the same region as the Postgres.

One-time setup:

Provision GlitchTip + Postgres. GlitchTip needs DATABASE_URL pointing at the Postgres, SITE_URL, SECRET_KEY (any random string), and a public hostname. Docker example:

docker run -d --name glitchtip \
  -e DATABASE_URL=postgres://glitchtip:secret@postgres:5432/glitchtip \
  -e SITE_URL=https://glitchtip.your-domain.com \
  -e SECRET_KEY=$(openssl rand -hex 32) \
  -p 8000:8000 \
  glitchtip/glitchtip

Create a project in GlitchTip, copy the DSN (format https://<key>@<host>/<project-id>).

Set the DSN at build time:

# Rust side (panic hook)
export VOBES_SENTRY_DSN='https://...@.../...'
# Frontend (init in main.ts)
export VITE_SENTRY_DSN='https://...@.../...'

For production builds, add both env vars to the release workflow env block (.github/workflows/release.yml).

Until the DSN is set, crashes still print to stderr + show in the "fatal" overlay — nothing leaves the machine.

CLI ↔ desktop parity

Both faces talk to the same core. Capabilities should match; gaps are bugs.

Capability	CLI (`vbs`)	Desktop	Notes
Scan roots, discover projects	`scan`, `sync`	`sync` command	identical detector pipeline
List vobes	`list`, `list --json`	dashboard grid	desktop adds fuzzy search + sort UI
Filter vobes	`list --query "tag:rust is:dirty"`	search box	same query language on every face
Show one vobe	`show <name>`, `show --json`	Projects view	desktop adds README/TODO/notes
Recent activity	`log`, `log --json`	Activity view	both filter by actor
Activity per vobe	`show` (embedded)	Projects activity card	—
Add vobe	`add <path>`	"Add vobe…"	—
Remove vobe	`rm <name>`	"Remove" in Projects view	—
Rename vobe	`rename <name> <new>`	"Rename" in Projects view	names are unique; `sync` keeps a custom name
Open in editor	`open <name>`	"Open in editor"	desktop uses shell plugin
Export JSON snapshot	`export`	Settings → Snapshots → Export now	both write `snapshots_dir/vobes-<ts>.json`
Restore snapshot	`import` (planned)	Settings → Snapshots → Restore	replaces current vobes + activity; CLI import pending
Pin vobe	— (set via store)	pin button, `set_pinned`	desktop-only surface for now
Tags	— (set via store)	Projects view tag editor	desktop-only surface for now
Notes	— (set via store)	Projects notes editor	desktop-only surface for now
Saved filters	—	sidebar + `save_saved_filter`	desktop-only surface; carried in the JSON snapshot
Workspaces (tag scope)	`list --query "tag:X"`	sidebar tag click, `tag:X` query	same query language on both faces
Agent attribution	`VOBES_ACTOR=agent vbs …`	inherits env	`ActivityEvent::now_env`
MCP tools	`vobes-mcp` binary	—	`vobes_list/show/search/recent_activity/context` over stdio
Reset + rescan	`reset --yes`	"Reset and rescan"	both call `Store::purge_all`
Pick terminal app	—	split-button selector	`list_terminals` + `open_terminal_with`
Pick editor app	—	split-button selector	`list_editors` + `open_in_editor`
Persistent defaults	—	star in terminal/editor dropdown	localStorage (`vobes:default-terminal/editor`)
Snapshot history UI	—	Settings → Snapshots list + Restore	desktop-only surface; CLI `import` pending

Where the CLI is missing a surface that exists in the desktop (saved filters, workspaces, pin/tags/notes CLI commands), it's tracked as follow-up work, not a permanent split.

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
.github/workflows		.github/workflows
crates		crates
desktop		desktop
scripts		scripts
.editorconfig		.editorconfig
.gitignore		.gitignore
.node-version		.node-version
.nvmrc		.nvmrc
AGENTS.md		AGENTS.md
Cargo.lock		Cargo.lock
Cargo.toml		Cargo.toml
LICENSE		LICENSE
README.md		README.md
vobes.example.toml		vobes.example.toml

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Vobes

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Quick start (CLI)

Configure

Use

For AI agents

Desktop (Tauri)

First run

Search syntax

Prerequisites

Build

Local sccache (optional)

Auto-update

Crash reporting

CLI ↔ desktop parity

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Vobes

Status

Quick start (CLI)

Configure

Use

For AI agents

Desktop (Tauri)

First run

Search syntax

Prerequisites

Build

Local sccache (optional)

Auto-update

Crash reporting

CLI ↔ desktop parity

License

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