Backboard Desktop

Backboard Desktop: the open-source AI coding agent IDE

The open-source alternative to Codex, Devin, Claude Code, Higgsfield, and Manus, in one desktop app.

Backboard Desktop is a free, MIT-licensed AI agent workspace for macOS, Windows, and Linux. Run autonomous coding agents, review their diffs, generate images and video, and let agents drive a browser or your computer, all from a single desktop IDE built on Code - OSS (the open-source core of VS Code). Bring your own Claude or ChatGPT subscription, use your own API keys for OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, xAI, and OpenRouter, or run hosted models through Backboard.

Why Backboard Desktop · Getting started · Features · FAQ · Contributing · License

An open-source alternative to Codex, Devin, Claude Code, Higgsfield, and Manus

Most AI agent tools are closed, tied to one model vendor, and split across separate apps: one for coding, one for autonomous tasks, one for AI video. Backboard Desktop puts them in one open-source IDE you can read, fork, and run yourself.

Backboard Desktop is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by OpenAI, Cognition, Anthropic, Higgsfield, or Manus; their names are used only to describe comparable features.

Work your way

Switch between two modes from the title bar:

Features

- AI coding agents: agents read, write, and run code in your project, with checkpoints you can rewind and a review panel for every change.
- Bring your own subscription (BYOS): run agents on your Claude Pro/Max or ChatGPT Plus/Pro plan instead of paying twice.
- Bring your own key (BYOK): OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, xAI Grok, and OpenRouter keys, stored in your OS keychain.
- Hosted models through Backboard: Claude, GPT, Gemini, Kimi, DeepSeek, Qwen, GLM, and more from one model…