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Shooksie merged 1 commit into from
Apr 10, 2026
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docs(readme): rebrand to Animus Den #2

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139 changes: 108 additions & 31 deletions README.md
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Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
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# AO Desktop
# Animus Den

AO Desktop is the desktop product layer for the [AO CLI](https://github.com/launchapp-dev/ao).
The native desktop app for [Animus](https://animus.dev) — the VS Code of autonomous agents.

This repository is intentionally set up as an AO-first build target:
Den connects to a local (or remote) Animus daemon and surfaces everything it can do: agent conversations, workflow execution, task management, live logs, and configuration. If the daemon can do it, Den surfaces it.

- a minimal Tauri 2 + React workspace
- a clear product brief and implementation boundaries
- local `.ao` workflow config and phase definitions that default to Codex-backed agents
- seeded requirements and tasks so AO can build the product from inside this repo
- MCP servers prewired for Tauri work: `context7`, `package-version`, repo-scoped `filesystem`, `playwright`, `github`, and `sequential-thinking`
> **Status: Bootstrap** — Tauri v2 + React 19 scaffold is live. MCP server config UI shipped. Core daemon views are next.

## Product Position
---

AO Desktop should:
## Architecture

- wrap the existing `ao` CLI instead of reimplementing AO internals
- feel like a focused operator console for one AO project at a time
- surface project selection, daemon status, queue/task/workflow state, and command execution
- reuse the AO control surface by spawning `ao` CLI commands and consuming AO MCP when useful
```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Animus Den (Tauri v2) │
│ │
│ ┌───────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ React 19 + TypeScript │ │
│ │ (same design system as Cloud) │ │
│ └──────────────┬────────────────────┘ │
│ │ Tauri IPC │
│ ┌──────────────▼────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Rust backend (thin glue only) │ │
│ │ process exec · persistence · IPC │ │
│ └──────────────┬────────────────────┘ │
└─────────────────┼────────────────────────┘
│ HTTP + WebSocket
┌──────▼──────┐
│ Animus │
│ daemon │
└─────────────┘
```

**Frontend:** React 19 + TypeScript + Vite. UI state, routing, all views.

**Backend (Rust):** Thin Tauri v2 shell — process execution, local persistence, IPC only. Does not duplicate daemon, queue, or workflow logic.

**Daemon bridge:** Connects via the daemon's local HTTP API + WebSocket for streaming. Can target remote daemons via cloud API or SSH tunnel.

AO Desktop should not:
---

- fork or vendor the AO runtime
- duplicate AO daemon, queue, or workflow execution logic
- absorb the fleet control-plane concerns that belong in `ao-fleet`
## Features (Ship Order)

The repo-local workflows do not assume bundled AO packs are present. The delivery phases used by this repository are defined in `.ao/workflows/desktop-phases.yaml`.
| Layer | Feature | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tauri v2 + React 19 scaffold | Done |
| 1 | MCP server config UI (stdio + HTTP) | Done |
| 1 | Daemon connection + status (start/stop/health) | Backlog |
| 2 | Live log stream + error dashboard | Backlog |
| 3 | Task board (kanban) + requirements view | Backlog |
| 4 | Agent conversations (live chat + tool calls) | Backlog |
| 5 | Workflow DAG editor (ReactFlow) + live execution | Backlog |
| 6 | Configuration editor (YAML + validation) | Backlog |
| 7 | File browser + memory browser | Backlog |
| 8 | Remote daemon support | Backlog |
| 9 | macOS packaging + auto-update | Backlog |

## Reference Repos
---

Use the sibling repos under `brain/repos` as the main references:
## Tech Stack

- `ao-dashboard` for Tauri desktop-client patterns around AO
- `ao-fleet` for the control-plane boundary and "orchestrate AO, do not absorb it"
- `agent-orchestrator` for the legacy desktop attempt and what not to rebuild wholesale
- `ao-starter` for AO bootstrap patterns
| Layer | Technology |
|---|---|
| Desktop shell | Tauri v2 |
| Frontend | React 19, TypeScript 5.8 |
| Bundler | Vite 7 |
| Backend | Rust (Tauri plugins only) |
| Package manager | pnpm |
| Workflow graphing | ReactFlow (planned) |

---

## Local Development

Expand All @@ -43,14 +77,57 @@ pnpm install
pnpm tauri dev
```

## AO Workflow
Build only the frontend:

```bash
pnpm build
```

---

## Product Scope

**Den does:**
- Give developers a visual interface for watching agents think and act in real time
- Surface all daemon capabilities: task board, workflow execution, agent conversations, logs
- Connect to the daemon's HTTP API + WebSocket — no duplicate runtime logic
- Work offline-first; sync when connected
- Target macOS first, then Linux and Windows

**Den does not:**
- Reimplement AO daemon, queue, or workflow execution
- Absorb fleet control-plane concerns (that belongs in Animus Pack / `ao-fleet`)
- Fork or vendor the Animus runtime

---

This repo is meant to be worked by AO itself.
## Automated Development

Typical loop:
This repo is built by Animus itself.

```bash
ao requirements list --project-root .
ao task list --project-root .
ao workflow run --project-root . --task-id TASK-001 --workflow-ref standard-workflow
# Check the backlog
animus requirements list --project-root .
animus task list --project-root .

# Queue a task
animus queue enqueue --project-root . \
--title "implement daemon status view" \
--workflow-ref standard
```

Workflow definitions are repo-local in `.ao/workflows/`. Agents use the configured MCP stack: `context7` for library docs, `package-version` for dependency checks, `filesystem` for repo-scoped access, and `playwright` for UI verification.

---

## Part of the Animus Family

| Product | Name | What It Is |
|---|---|---|
| Core CLI | **Animus** | The CLI and daemon |
| Cloud | **Animus Cloud** | Managed execution + dashboards |
| Fleet | **Animus Pack** | Multi-repo orchestration |
| Desktop | **Animus Den** | This repo — native GUI |
| Web dashboard | **Animus Eye** | Browser-based overview |
| Scaffolder | **Animus Summon** | `animus summon` to start a project |
| Memory MCP | **Animus Recall** | Persistent agent memory |
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