Development, issues, pull requests, and releases are maintained in this repository, including the gateway source. The default branch can contain unreleased work; npm installs the latest published release. See CONTRIBUTING.md and the release guide. The BSL license is unchanged.

Hive

Run Claude Code, Codex, Gemini, OpenCode, Qwen, Pi, and other CLI agents as a visible local team. Hive gives you one browser workbench where an Orchestrator plans and delegates while workers implement, review, test, research, and report back — all as real PTY processes on your laptop.

Use Hive when one agent is not enough, but a pile of terminal windows is not a workflow.

🌐 Website: hivehq.dev/en/ · 中文

English · 简体中文

Hive is local-first, runs on 127.0.0.1, and is intended for anyone who already runs CLI agents. The latest stable release is on npm and the badge above resolves to it.

Why Hive

CLI agents are powerful, but coordinating several of them manually is awkward:

• Long-running sessions are spread across terminals.
• Splitting work across agents — implementation/review/testing, research/drafting/fact-checking, or any other division of labor — needs a routing layer you don't have.
• Worker progress disappears into scrollback.
• Restart recovery depends on each CLI's native session behavior.

Hive adds the coordination layer without replacing the CLIs. The Orchestrator is a real agy / claude / codex / opencode / gemini / hermes / qwen / pi process, not a scripted PM. Workers are real CLI agents too. Hive injects a small team command into their shells, so they can dispatch, report, and keep a shared markdown task graph at <workspace>/.hive/tasks.md.

Use It For

Ship a PR with a reviewer in the loop

Ask the Orchestrator to implement a change, spawn a reviewer, and keep the review feedback visible before you merge. The coder edits; the reviewer checks the diff; the Orchestrator decides what still needs work.

Ship the settings search bugfix. Use one worker to implement it and another to
review edge cases before the final report.

Run a parallel bug hunt

Give several workers separate slices of a flaky behavior: one reads the server path, one checks the UI path, one looks for regressions in recent commits. You watch the reports converge instead of juggling terminals.

Find why mobile reconnect sometimes stalls. Split server transport, browser UI,
and recent commit history across separate workers.

Research, draft, and fact-check without losing the thread

Let one worker gather sources, another draft, and a reviewer check claims. The task graph and reports stay in one workspace, so the handoff is inspectable instead of trapped in chat scrollback.

Write a technical note on our release flow. Have one worker collect evidence,
one draft, and one verify every command and file reference.

Try the demo first

Don't have an agent CLI installed yet? Run hive, open the printed URL, and click Try Demo in the first-run wizard. The demo is a pure client-side replay: a fake terminal types through planning, team spawn, team send, worker reports, and .hive/tasks.md checkoffs. It does not need network access, an installed CLI, or any sign-in, and it never calls demo workspace server routes.

Quick Start

Prerequisites:

• Node.js 22.18+ (22.x), or 24+.
• At least one supported agent CLI installed, authenticated, and available on PATH.

Install and start Hive:

npm install -g @tt-a1i/hive
hive

Hive uses Node's built-in SQLite and platform-specific PTY binaries. First installation works with npm 12 defaults and with --ignore-scripts; no build tools or script approvals are required. Keep optional dependencies enabled so npm can install the binary for your platform.

Open the printed local URL, usually http://127.0.0.1:9483/. Use hive --port 0 when you want Hive to ask the OS for any free local port.

To upgrade in place:

hive update

hive update installs the new version with --ignore-scripts, preserving the original npm prefix. It never changes your npm script policy. After npm exits 0 it probes SQLite and a short-lived PTY in a fresh process using this Hive CLI Node (process.execPath). The npm child gets that Node directory prepended on PATH for the update only; a custom --prefix is the package target and is not required to contain a Node binary. It will not print a successful update if that probe fails. Restart any in-flight Hive process to pick up the new version. If you installed Hive with pnpm or yarn, upgrade through the same package manager — otherwise the new npm copy will shadow your existing install.

Install Hive as an app (optional):

Open http://127.0.0.1:9483/ in Chrome, Edge, or Brave and click the install icon at the right edge of the browser's omnibox. The PWA launches in its own dock-anchored window without browser chrome and shows Add Workspace / Try Demo shortcuts from the dock right-click menu. Firefox and Safari currently don't implement the install-prompt protocol, so the omnibox icon only appears in Chromium-based browsers.

The Hive daemon must still be running for the PWA to do anything; if the runtime isn't reachable when you launch the app, you'll see a "Hive runtime is not running" page that auto-reloads once hive is back on 127.0.0.1. The PWA install scope is keyed by origin, so hive --port 9484 installs as a separate app from hive --port 9483. To uninstall, visit chrome://apps, right-click the Hive tile, and choose Remove from Chrome….

Hive asks the browser to confirm before closing the tab or PWA window so an accidental close shortcut (Cmd-W on macOS, Ctrl-W on Windows/Linux) doesn't drop your session. Modern browsers gate that prompt on prior page interaction — if you open the PWA and immediately press the close shortcut without clicking or typing anywhere first, it still closes cleanly. That's a browser policy, not a Hive bug.

First-run flow:

1. Create a workspace from a project folder.
2. Choose an Orchestrator preset.
3. Hive creates <workspace>/.hive/tasks.md, starts the Orchestrator PTY, and injects the internal team command into the agent session.
4. Add workers from the Team Members panel.
5. Ask the Orchestrator to delegate work. It sends tasks with team send <worker-name> "<task>"; workers report back with team report.

For stronger automation, enable the experimental Workflows toggle in settings. The Orchestrator can then author and run multi-agent workflows that fan out across implementation, review, testing, or other stages. The topbar Workflows panel shows runs, phase results, logs, schedules, and stop controls. The same panel also lets you choose which CLI workflow-created agents use by default and which CLIs they are allowed to use.

How It Works

Browser UI on 127.0.0.1
  tasks, team, terminals, reports
          |
          | HTTP + WebSocket
          v
Hive runtime
  SQLite metadata, PTY lifecycle, task dispatch
          |
          +-- Orchestrator PTY
          |     can call: team send, team list, team report
          |
          +-- Worker PTY
          |     can call: team report
          |
          +-- Worker PTY
                can call: team report

Workspace task graph:
  <workspace>/.hive/tasks.md

Three details matter:

• Agents are real CLI processes, not simulated subagents.
• team is injected only inside Hive-managed agent sessions by prepending the package's internal bin directory to PATH; it is not installed as a global command.
• The task graph is a markdown file in the workspace, so you can inspect or edit it outside the app.

Agent Presets

Preset	Command expected on PATH	Default bypass mode	Session resume
Antigravity CLI	agy	--dangerously-skip-permissions	--conversation <session_id>
Claude Code	claude	--dangerously-skip-permissions, --permission-mode=bypassPermissions	--resume <session_id>
Codex	codex	--dangerously-bypass-approvals-and-sandbox	resume <session_id>
OpenCode	opencode	Config-driven in ~/.config/opencode/opencode.json	--session <session_id>
Gemini	gemini	--yolo	--resume <session_id>
Hermes	hermes	--yolo	--resume <session_id>
Qwen Code	qwen	--approval-mode yolo	--resume <session_id>
Pi	pi	--approve	Session id capture not wired yet
Cursor CLI	cursor	--force	Session id capture not wired yet
Grok Build	grok	--always-approve	Session id capture not wired yet
Custom	Any executable	User configured	User configured

Hive does not install these CLIs for you. Install and authenticate them in the same shell environment you use to start Hive.

CLI support tiers

Tier	CLIs	Commitment
Tier 1	Claude Code, Codex	Minimum compatibility report in CI (pnpm compat:cli:report): Node 22.18+, built-in SQLite, prebuilt PTY, and CLI version detection when installed.
Tier 2	Gemini, OpenCode, Qwen Code, Hermes, Pi, Cursor CLI, Grok Build, Antigravity CLI	Built-in presets and manual smoke coverage; upstream CLI changes may require user reports before Hive catches up.
Custom	Any executable	User-maintained command, args, and auth behavior. Hive preserves the PTY/session wrapper but cannot promise CLI-specific compatibility.

For a wrapper around a supported CLI, keep that CLI's preset selected when entering the custom startup command. Hive uses the preset to deliver startup instructions and handle the interactive prompt. An unrecognized executable without a matching preset can run in a PTY, but automatic role/startup guidance is not injected.

What Hive Provides

• Workspace sidebar for switching between local projects.
• Orchestrator and worker terminals backed by real PTYs.
• Add Worker flow with role presets for coder, reviewer, tester, and fully custom prompts and commands — wire any CLI agent into the role you need.
• Workflows (experimental, off by default): the Orchestrator can run multi-stage, multi-agent workflows while Hive shows runs, logs, results, schedules, and stop controls in the Workflows panel.
• Workflow CLI policy: choose the default CLI for workflow-created agents and restrict which CLIs workflow scripts may launch.
• .hive/tasks.md editor with external-file conflict handling.
• Background PTY preservation and best-effort native session resume for presets with configured session capture.
• A What's New dialog after upgrades with curated release highlights.
• Local SQLite metadata under %APPDATA%\hive on Windows and ~/.config/hive on macOS / Linux by default, or $HIVE_DATA_DIR when set.

Hive does not provide sandboxing, multi-user auth, or any bundled agent model. It coordinates the CLIs you already run locally.

Remote Access (optional, off by default)

If you want to reach your running Hive from your phone while you're away, turn on the optional Remote access feature. Once enabled, a phone browser logs in at a gateway with GitHub or Google, pairs once with the desktop, and then reaches the full Hive web UI over an end-to-end encrypted tunnel — a paired phone is a trusted device with the same authority as the local browser.

A few things to be clear about:

• Off by default. With it off there are no outbound connections and nothing listening — behavior is exactly what it is today.
• Requires a gateway. The tunnel is relayed through a gateway (your local daemon dials out to it — no open ports, no router changes). The gateway URL is configurable: self-host a Cloudflare Workers gateway, or point at one that's already deployed. There is no turnkey hosted service — you stand the gateway up yourself.
• Data and execution stay local. The gateway only does identity (OAuth login) and routing; it never sees plaintext, only relays ciphertext. If the gateway is down, everything on local 127.0.0.1 keeps working.
• End-to-end encrypted. Every data frame between the phone and the daemon is end-to-end encrypted; the gateway sees only ciphertext and routing headers. The honest caveat: the phone's crypto code is served by the gateway (the classic limit of web-delivered E2E, like Proton or WhatsApp Web), mitigated by SRI, versioned bundles, and PWA caching that forms a TOFU baseline. We don't claim "secure even if the gateway is compromised."
• Trust root stays on the desktop. Pairing a new device must be confirmed in person at the computer (a desktop dialog plus a 6-digit SAS check); a paired phone can't approve new devices on its own. Devices can be revoked at any time.

See docs/remote-access.md for the full enable, login (hive remote login), pairing, revoke, and self-host-gateway walkthrough.

Platform Support

Platform	Status	Notes
macOS	Tier 1	Main development and release verification target.
Linux	Tier 1	CI verified. Native folder picking expects zenity; manual path entry works without it.
Windows	Tier 2	Native, no WSL required. CI runs pnpm test:windows, packaged-install smoke, and pnpm compat:cli:report on windows-latest to catch SQLite / PTY runtime failures. Workspace selection uses Hive's in-browser server filesystem picker by default, starting at "This PC" so other drives are visible; the package includes team.cmd.

Supported binary targets are macOS, Windows, and glibc Linux on x64 or arm64. Use Node.js 22.18+ (22.x), or 24+. SQLite is provided by Node; PTY binaries are installed as ordinary platform packages without compiling on your machine. Alpine/musl and other architectures are not currently supported.

Safety Model

Hive is a local development tool, not a hosted service.

• The runtime binds to 127.0.0.1. Do not expose the Hive port through a public tunnel, reverse proxy, or shared network interface.
• Built-in presets intentionally use each CLI's non-interactive or bypass mode where available. Treat workers as able to run arbitrary shell commands inside the selected workspace.
• Open only trusted workspaces. A worker has the same filesystem access as the shell account running Hive.
• Agent tokens are session scoped, generated by the local runtime, injected into agent process environments, and not intended as internet-facing credentials.
• Hive has no multi-user authentication boundary. Treat same-machine processes that can reach the local port as trusted local access.
• The browser UI token is a local session guard, not protection against other processes already running as your OS user.

Read SECURITY.md before using Hive with sensitive repositories.

Data Locations

Data	Location
Runtime metadata	Windows: %APPDATA%\hive; macOS / Linux: ~/.config/hive; or $HIVE_DATA_DIR
Workspace tasks	<workspace>/.hive/tasks.md
Internal team command	Packaged under dist/bin/, injected into PTYs
Web UI assets	Served by the runtime from the packaged web/dist build

Troubleshooting

Agent CLI not found

Check that the selected command is installed, authenticated, executable from the same shell, and available on PATH.

Port already in use

Start Hive with another local port:

hive --port 4020

A platform binary is missing

Check node --version (22.18+ on 22.x, or 24+) and install on a supported platform. Do not use --omit=optional or copy node_modules between operating systems; the PTY package is selected for the installation host. Reinstall Hive with optional dependencies enabled. No installation scripts need to be approved, and no C++ compiler is required.

If an older installation reports missing better-sqlite3 bindings, install the current Hive release with npm. Existing Hive SQLite data stays in place.

Folder picker does not open on Linux

Install zenity, or paste the workspace path manually.

Folder picker on Windows

Hive uses the in-browser server filesystem browser by default on Windows instead of launching the PowerShell native folder picker. This avoids the system dialog getting hidden behind the browser window. The browser starts at "This PC" and lists accessible drives, so C:\, D:\, and other drives are reachable. If the target directory is not visible in the browser list, expand "Advanced: paste path" and enter the absolute path directly.

Tasks file conflict banner appears

Hive detected a newer .hive/tasks.md on disk. Use Reload to accept the file from disk, or Keep Local to keep the editor contents and save again.

Worker appears stuck in working

Hive does not guess task completion from process activity. Workers move back to idle when they call team report. If a worker is blocked, stop or restart it from the UI.

Development

pnpm install
pnpm dev

Development mode runs the runtime on 127.0.0.1:9483; Vite runs on 127.0.0.1:5180 and proxies API and WebSocket traffic to the runtime.

Useful checks:

pnpm check
pnpm build
pnpm test

Production-style local run:

pnpm build
node dist/src/cli/hive.js --port 9483

The production server serves the built web UI directly. No Vite server is needed after pnpm build.

Release

Maintainer dry run:

pnpm release:dry

See docs/release.md for the full tagged release checklist, including manual Windows smoke steps.

Tag pushes matching v* run the GitHub Actions release workflow. The workflow verifies macOS, Ubuntu, and Windows, then publishes to npm with NPM_TOKEN.

Status

Hive is in alpha. The core flow is usable today; current work focuses on polishing the multi-agent collaboration workflow, Windows support, and clearer orchestration observability. Try it out and open issues — feedback shapes what gets prioritized next.

On the roadmap: cross-agent long-term memory

Single-agent memory already exists, but the styles diverge:

• Claude Code's Auto Dream is batch / offline — invoked via /dream (or on a 24h timer), Claude consolidates JSONL session logs in the cloud, merges duplicates, extracts patterns, and proposes a new memory file for you to review and adopt. REM-sleep style, with a clean wake/sleep separation.
• Hermes Agent runs the opposite playbook — embedded and in-stride. Every N turns it forks a background sub-agent to review the recent exchange and writes directly into a multi-organ local store: MEMORY.md (facts/rules) · USER.md (who-you-are) · SQLite + FTS5 (episodic search) · Honcho (third-person model) · skills/ (procedural memory). The agent is allowed to edit its own skill files in stride — memory and capability are the same thing.

But these are all per-agent memories. Hive coordinates teams of agents, so the next step is wiring them together: let the whole team share one long-term memory store — what Worker A learned today becomes context the Orchestrator can dispatch to Worker B tomorrow.

We're planning to back this with EverOS — an open-source long-term memory OS from EverMind, currently SOTA on the LoCoMo / LongMemEval / HaluMem memory benchmarks. Its four-layer architecture (Agentic / Memory / Index / API+MCP) maps cleanly onto Hive's multi-PTY model: each agent keeps its in-CLI memory, team-level facts flow through EverOS, and the Orchestrator joins both when dispatching.

Track progress at #6 — drop a +1 or comment with your use case to influence priority.

A different form factor: squad

If you'd rather have pure CLI, zero background process, and the ability to run on a remote SSH box, squad takes the same idea down a different path — SQLite as the protocol layer, one terminal per agent. The two projects don't replace each other; pick by workflow:

• Hive — visual workbench, one-click restart, workspace sidebar, easier to demo to a team
• squad — lives in tmux, SSH remote dev, no extra background process, Windows servers

Acknowledgements

The built-in template marketplace ships snapshots of two community-maintained prompt libraries, both distributed under their upstream MIT licenses:

• English (used when the UI is set to EN): msitarzewski/agency-agents
• Chinese (used when the UI is set to 中文): jnMetaCode/agency-agents-zh

Upstream content is mirrored verbatim, license files are kept under vendor/marketplace/<lang>/LICENSE, and snapshots are refreshed by pnpm sync:marketplace before each Hive release.

License

Hive is source-available under the Business Source License 1.1 (BUSL-1.1). It is not open source as defined by the OSI, and we don't describe it as such.

License FAQ

Why isn't it OSI open source? BUSL-1.1 places one restriction on production use (next answer), which keeps it outside the Open Source Definition — the BUSL license text itself states it "is not an Open Source license". Rather than blur that line, we say source-available plainly.

Does it affect personal or team use? No. The Additional Use Grant in LICENSE.BSL explicitly allows production use; the only carve-out is offering Hive to third parties — hosted or embedded, on a paid basis or under any other revenue-generating arrangement (including paid support) — in a way that competes with Hive's multi-CLI-agent orchestration product. Personal use, internal deployment within your organization, embedding into a non-competitive product, and non-commercial forks are all fine.

Will it become open source later? Yes. Each version converts to the Apache License 2.0 on the Change Date (2030-05-16) or four years after that version's first public release, whichever comes first.

See LICENSE.BSL for the exact terms. Forks and redistributions must preserve NOTICE, LICENSE.BSL, and the applicable license files. The Hive name, logo, and visual identity are not licensed by the source license; see TRADEMARK.md for brand usage boundaries.