Can AI replace Uncircle?
KINDA · weekend projectThe core loop · read a yml of processes from the repo, run them, stream logs into terminals, show status dots · is a genuine one-sitting build with node-pty and xterm.js, and mprocs already gives you most of it in a TUI for free. What does not one-shot is everything around it: a native window with tray and notifications, killing whole process trees without orphans on three OSes, crash auto-restart that does not flap, and signed auto-updating builds. And since the paid tier is $19 once rather than a subscription, the usual death-list math barely applies.
Build me a local dev-stack dashboard like Uncircle. Requirements: - Node 20 + Express + ws, single process, started as `devstack` from any repo folder; opens http://localhost:4680. - Read a `stack.yml` in the repo root: list of processes with name, command, cwd (relative), and autostart flags. Include an example file. - Run each process in a real PTY via node-pty and stream output over WebSocket into xterm.js terminals in the browser, one tab per process. - Sidebar lists processes with green/red/grey status dots and buttons for start, stop, restart, plus Start all / Stop all. Stopping must kill the whole process tree · no orphaned children. - If a process exits nonzero, auto-restart with exponential backoff, max 5 tries, and show a "flapping" badge when it keeps dying. - Scan output for localhost URLs and render them as clickable pills above the terminal. - Add ad-hoc shell tabs (plain PTYs cwd'd at the repo root) so CLI coding agents like Claude Code can run inside the dashboard too. - No accounts, no telemetry, everything local. Deliberately out of scope: native window, tray, notifications, and multi-repo management · this is one repo per running instance. - README with install and usage.
$ open in your agent (prompt prefilled, you press enter) or copy it raw
prompt copied. want to know what dies next week?
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It is $19 once with a free tier that covers 3 projects, so the honest calculus is not subscription math · it is whether an evening of vibe coding beats a lifetime license. People pay for the parts that are tedious to get right: clean shutdown of whole process trees, restart backoff that does not flap, native notifications when an agent finishes or crashes, and updates they never think about.
xa real native app: tray, crash/finish notifications, auto-updates
xreliable process-tree cleanup and auto-restart across macOS/Windows/Linux
xagent presets (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, goose, Aider) and clickable localhost pills
xthe built-in file editor, diff view, and command palette
Can AI replace Uncircle?
Kinda. The core of Uncircle is buildable in a weekend with the prompt on this page, but there are real gaps: a real native app: tray, crash/finish notifications, auto-updates, reliable process-tree cleanup and auto-restart across macOS/Windows/Linux. Read the honest list above before committing.
How much does Uncircle cost?
Uncircle's pricing is usage-based or varies by plan — One-time $19 launch price (list $49) unlocks unlimited projects on up to 3 devices; the free tier covers 3 projects with every feature and never expires..
What do I lose by replacing Uncircle?
Honestly: a real native app: tray, crash/finish notifications, auto-updates; reliable process-tree cleanup and auto-restart across macOS/Windows/Linux; agent presets (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, goose, Aider) and clickable localhost pills; the built-in file editor, diff view, and command palette. If any of those are load-bearing for you, keep paying.
Is there an open-source alternative to Uncircle?
Yes — mprocs (open-source TUI for running multiple commands with per-process panes), process-compose (scheduler for non-containerized apps from a compose-style yml). Using prior art is also a valid exit; the prompt is for when you want it exactly your way.