Catenary Review — The Spatial IDE for AI Coding Agents

What Is Catenary?

It is a spatial IDE for AI coding agents. Rather than one editor with one assistant, it puts several agents, terminals, Monaco editors, browsers, and isolated git worktrees on a shared canvas so you can watch them work at once. Visual wires let you push context from one panel to an agent, or delegate work between agents.

The tool is described as local-first from the first commit. There is no account, no telemetry, and the app lists exactly the two hosts it ever contacts, so your code and keys stay on your machine.

How It Works

The tool orchestrates the agent CLIs you already run. It wires in Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Grok, OpenCode, and Pi, and those installed CLIs talk to Anthropic, OpenAI, or Google with the key you bring, or to nothing at all when pointed at a local Ollama or LM Studio endpoint. The app itself does not host or run the model.

A New Task button creates an isolated branch, its own working directory, and an agent without touching the code in front of you, and each task gets a colour that follows it through the sidebar, dock tabs, and canvas territory.

• Orchestrates Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Grok, OpenCode, and Pi
• Agent CLIs do the model work with your keys
• 1-Click worktrees create isolated branches and agents
• Each task keeps a colour identity across the UI
• Run multiple projects with parallel branches per project

Maestro Mode

Maestro Mode is a human-approved team setup where one recruiting agent briefs and wires a team of up to five helpers, adjustable to ten. It is off by default, and every action opens an editable approval card before anything reaches the canvas. The team organizes itself while you stay the one who approves.

Larger plans include built-in squads such as Bug Whisperer, Git Wizard, Refactor Gremlin, and Code Reviewer, and Pro unlocks your own squads and higher helper counts.

Privacy and Local-First Design

The privacy story is its strongest feature. The analytics endpoint ships empty, the crash-reporter DSN is removed from the distribution, and the entire outbound traffic list is two hosts: a GitHub Releases version check every 15 minutes and a license endpoint that only answers when you paste a key or claim a trial.

The Pro key is verified on device by an Ed25519 signature and works offline, and the app never proxies source code, terminal output, project names, prompts, or API keys through itself. What an agent sends to your chosen model provider is between that provider and you.

• No telemetry and no analytics endpoint in published builds
• Outbound traffic limited to a version check and license activation
• Source code, prompts, and keys never leave your machine
• Pro key verified offline by Ed25519 signature
• Agent model traffic goes direct to your provider or local model

Who Should Use It?

Catenary is for developers already running agent CLIs who are tired of juggling several windows and losing sight of parallel work. It shines when you want two or three agents shipping experiments in isolated worktrees at once, or when you want a standing way to hand context from one agent to another.

If you only run one assistant in one editor, a simpler tool may be enough. The setup also assumes you are comfortable installing a not-yet-code-signed desktop app and pointing it at your own agents.

Top Alternatives

Terminal-focused agents like [Claude Code](/tools/claude-code) and editors such as [Cursor](/tools/cursor), [Windsurf](/tools/windsurf), and [Codeium](/tools/codeium) are the tools this app actually orchestrates. [GitHub Copilot](/tools/github-copilot) and [Tabnine](/tools/tabnine) cover single-editor assistance.

The difference is orchestration: where those tools help inside one editor, this is a workspace that coordinates several agents and worktrees at the same time. If you rely on one agent rather than a team of them, you may not need the canvas at all.

Pricing

Free plan with no card or account. Pro is a US$19 lifetime license (standard price US$29) with a 7-day free trial, covering unlimited projects and up to two computers.

Best For

Recommended use cases and scenarios where Catenary shines.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Catenary, answered.