Jean is an Apache-2.0 dev environment for AI agents from the coolLabs team behind Coolify: a Tauri desktop app (or a headless `jean-server`) that gives every task its own git worktree, runs nine coding CLIs in parallel, and shows local and remote projects in one sidebar. **Its bet is that local and remote belong in the same window: a server project is not a second tool, it is the same sidebar entry, and closing your laptop does not stop the work.** ## What it is A Tauri v2, React 19, and Rust desktop app with an opinionated workflow: every task gets a git worktree, agents run in parallel, and git, terminals, reviews, and GitHub, Linear, and Sentry integrations live in one place (README, fetched 2026-10-12). The same project runs as a headless `jean-server` on any Linux box; the desktop app adds servers over SSH and their projects appear next to local ones, grouped by server, and every instance serves the full UI over HTTP/WebSocket with token auth. Nine AI backends are supported: Claude, Codex, Cursor, OpenCode, Pi, Command Code, Grok, Kimi Code, and Antigravity (beta), each task choosing its own backend, model, and thinking level. It comes from coolLabs Solutions Kft., the team behind the 62.9k-star self-hosting platform Coolify, published under Apache-2.0 with the site promising "free forever". ## Status **Active and shipping weekly from an established self-hosting vendor.** 1,323 stars, 161 forks, 131 open issues, created 2026-01-23, pushed 2026-10-12, latest release v1.0.9 (2026-10-07), as of 2026-10-12 (GitHub API). The release train runs roughly weekly through October (v1.0.6 on September 24, v1.0.7 on September 29, v1.0.9 on October 7). I found no Hacker News thread through 2026-10-12 searches, so its early traction rides the Coolify community (jean.build claims a 20,000-plus Discord) rather than independent coverage. Star History Chart ## Strengths - **Local and remote projects in one sidebar, with work continuing on the server when your laptop closes**: the headless server is an install target from inside the app, not a separate deployment. - Worktree automation is the core loop: create, archive, restore, delete, labels, filters, multiple sessions per worktree, and checkpoints of GitHub issues or PRs as new worktrees. - The integration surface is wide for a 1.0: GitHub issues, PRs, security alerts, advisories, Dependabot, checkout-as-worktree, auto-archive on merge, plus Linear and Sentry intake. - Mr. Robot (beta) polls open GitHub issues, creates one worktree per issue, and drafts plans for approval, the issue-to-agent loop without a separate queue product. - The opinionated plugins attack the token bill directly: RTK claims 60 to 90 percent cuts on tool output, and every Magic prompt is editable per backend and mode. ## Cautions - The desktop app is tested on macOS only; Windows and Linux builds are explicitly marked "testers needed" on jean.build, and glibc Linux runs from source. - 131 open issues against 161 forks says the 1.0.x line is absorbing its first working user base, and the project is eight months old. - The opinionated defaults are behavior changes by design: RTK rewrites tool output and Caveman makes replies terse, so agents run differently than their stock CLIs. - One vendor shares velocity with Coolify, so Jean's roadmap competes with a 62.9k-star flagship for the same team's attention. ## Pricing Pricing does not apply: the app and server are free and Apache-2.0, with jean.build promising "free forever" and sponsorships as the support model. The costs are the coding-CLI subscriptions and model tokens your backends already bill. ## Compared to - [Emdash](../emdash/index.md): the other local-plus-remote workspace; Emdash is SSH-first with credentials in the OS keychain, Jean adds the server-as-sidebar model and deeper tracker integrations. - [Conductor](../conductor/index.md): the polished closed-source Mac incumbent; Jean is open source, cross-platform-bound, and self-hostable. - [Helmor](../helmor/index.md): the local-first workbench carrying a task through review, test, merge, and one-click PR; Jean's loop stops at PR and relies on the backends' own flows. ## Bottom line **Recommended for engineers who run several coding CLIs, keep projects on more than one machine, and want worktree-per-task discipline in one Apache-2.0 window.** Not for Windows or Linux desktop users who need a proven build today, or for anyone who wants a vendor-neutral plugin ecosystem rather than one team's opinions. ## Changes - 2026-10-12 - Created from the 2026-10-12 candidate scan, with the no-HN-footprint record and the one-vendor risk recorded as the critical angle. ## See also - [Orchestration Feature Matrix](../orchestration-feature-matrix/index.md) - the category comparison this note joins - [Emdash](../emdash/index.md) - the SSH-first ADE at the adjacent point of the local-remote axis - [Conductor](../conductor/index.md) - the closed Mac incumbent this undercuts on license - [Helmor](../helmor/index.md) - the local-first workbench with the deeper merge loop ## References - https://github.com/coollabsio/jean - repository, 1,323 stars, forks, issues, dates, Apache-2.0 license, and the nine-backend list, as of 2026-10-12 (fetched through the GitHub API) - https://github.com/coollabsio/jean/blob/main/README.md - architecture (Tauri, React, Rust), jean-server model, integrations, Mr. Robot, and the opinionated plugins - https://jean.build - product site, "free forever" positioning, macOS-tested caveat, 20k-plus community claim, and the coolLabs Solutions Kft. ownership - https://api.github.com/repos/coollabsio/jean/releases - the release train v1.0.6 through v1.0.9, as of 2026-10-12 - https://hn.algolia.com/api/v1/search?query=jean%20coollabsio&tags=story - the footprint scan finding no thread (2026-10-12), the community-carried-traction record - https://api.github.com/repos/coollabsio/coolify - the 62.9k-star Coolify repository grounding the vendor-identity claim, as of 2026-10-12