Add an always-visible macOS status bar (tray) item that surfaces OpenChamber's
live state and acts as a quick launcher, plus a series of related desktop UX
fixes around mini-chat, window routing, notifications and shortcuts.
Tray (new):
- Monochrome template cube glyph that adapts to the menu bar light/dark.
- Icon-driven activity indicator: a smooth, eased, infinite "breathing" fill
while sessions are busy; a static filled cube when finished sessions are left
unread; a plain outline when idle. Text counters next to the icon only for
actionable states (pending approvals, errors).
- Menu lists active sessions (status glyph, branch, unread count) with overflow
rolled into a submenu; pending permission/question approvals with inline
Allow once / Allow always / Deny; quick actions (New Session, New Mini Chat,
Show OpenChamber, Quit). Header shows the active instance name
("Local OpenChamber" or the remote host label) for multi-window clarity.
- Session list sourced from the global (cross-project) sessions store, sorted by
last-updated, independent of which directories are currently open; live
status/unread/branch merged in from directory sync stores where available.
Sub-session (multi-run) activity rolls up to the parent row.
- Event-driven updates (global store + directory stores + notifications +
registry) with a short debounce; polling kept only as a slow safety net.
Tray/window routing:
- Opening a session from the tray targets the surface the user was last on: if a
mini-chat is active it switches that existing window to the session in place
(no new window); otherwise the main window (revealed without a reload).
- app.activate (dock click) restores the last-focused/minimized window instead
of spawning a new main window; only creates one when nothing is left.
- "Open in main window" and tray session-open now create the main window when
none exists, queuing the session as a pending deep-link so it opens once the
fresh renderer is ready.
Mini chat:
- New Mini Chat is now a customizable shortcut, exposed in Settings > Shortcuts,
in the File menu (hint only, renderer owns the binding), and in the tray.
- Themed splash backdrop on window open to remove the white flash / flicker;
dismissed once content is ready, leaving the content's single cube logo.
- Mini-chat can switch sessions in place via openchamber:open-session.
Notifications:
- The active/selected session only counts as "seen" when the window is focused,
so turns completing while the app is backgrounded raise an unread marker;
refocusing the window clears it.
openchamber --port 8080# Custom port
openchamber --lan --port 3000# Listen on LAN (0.0.0.0)
openchamber --ui-password secret # Password-protect UI
openchamber startup enable# Start at login as a native serviceOPENCHAMBER_UI_PASSWORD=secret openchamber startup enable# Save service password env
openchamber startup status # Show startup service status
openchamber startup disable # Remove startup service
openchamber tunnel help# Tunnel lifecycle commands
openchamber tunnel providers # Show provider capabilities
openchamber tunnel profile add --provider cloudflare --mode managed-remote --name prod-main --hostname app.example.com --token <token>
openchamber tunnel start --profile prod-main
openchamber tunnel start --provider cloudflare --mode quick --qr
openchamber tunnel start --provider cloudflare --mode managed-local --config ~/.cloudflared/config.yml
openchamber tunnel status --all # Show tunnel state across instances
openchamber tunnel stop --port 3000# Stop tunnel only (server stays running)
openchamber connect-url --port 3000# Add this server to OpenChamber Desktop
openchamber connect-url --server http://host:3000 --qr
openchamber connect-url --port 3000 --qr
openchamber logs # Follow latest instance logsOPENCODE_PORT=4096OPENCODE_SKIP_START=true openchamber # Connect to external OpenCode serverOPENCODE_HOST=https://myhost:4096 OPENCODE_SKIP_START=true openchamber # Connect via custom host/HTTPS
openchamber stop # Stop server
openchamber update # Update to latest
startup enable snapshots your current environment into the native service so startup behaves like you launched openchamber from the same shell. This preserves provider tokens, PATH, SSH agent settings, and other CLI auth/config env vars. Use --no-env-snapshot if you want a minimal service env.
This runs OpenChamber as an API-only server without the desktop app or browser UI assets on that machine, then creates a link for Desktop to import. --lan makes the server reachable from other machines. --server is the address Desktop should use.
When OpenChamber was started with --lan or --host 0.0.0.0, connect-url automatically uses a detected LAN IP instead of 127.0.0.1. Use --server http://host:3000 to override the advertised address, and include --lan when connect-url needs to start the server for LAN access.
Paste the printed openchamber://connect?... link in Desktop under Settings -> Remote Instances -> Direct Instances -> Import Link. The link contains the server URL and a client token. It does not enable browser UI password protection; use --ui-password when exposing a server beyond localhost.
systemd service (VPN / LAN access)
Run OpenChamber and OpenCode as separate persistent services — useful when you want to access your
dev machine over a VPN (e.g. Tailscale) or LAN without a Cloudflare tunnel.
How it works:
OpenCode runs as its own service, binding only to localhost.
OpenChamber connects to it via OPENCODE_HOST and --lan makes it reachable on your VPN IP.
--foreground keeps the CLI process alive so systemd can track and restart it.
Why set PATH and SSH_AUTH_SOCK?
systemd user services start with a minimal environment — no shell profile is sourced.
Without an explicit PATH, OpenCode won't find tools installed via Homebrew, npm, or ~/.local/bin.
Without SSH_AUTH_SOCK, git operations over SSH (push, pull, clone) will fail because the agent socket isn't inherited.
Adjust the PATH to match your own tool installation paths.
%t expands to $XDG_RUNTIME_DIR (e.g. /run/user/1000), where most SSH agents write their socket.
OpenChamber will be reachable at http://<your-vpn-hostname>:3000 from any device on your VPN.
Note:--host 0.0.0.0 is required to listen on all interfaces. The default
bind address is 127.0.0.1 (localhost only). Use --host <ip> or
OPENCHAMBER_HOST=<ip> to bind to a specific interface instead.
Managed-local path note: OPENCHAMBER_TUNNEL_CONFIG must point to a path inside the container user home (/home/openchamber/...). If your Cloudflare config references a credentials JSON file, that file path must also be accessible inside the container (mount with volumes).
Website docs source lives at packages/docs/content/docs/reverse-proxy.mdx.
Tunnel behavior notes
OpenChamber supports one active tunnel per running instance (port).
Starting a tunnel with a different mode/provider on the same instance replaces the current tunnel.
Replacing or stopping a tunnel revokes existing connect links and invalidates remote tunnel sessions for that instance.
Connect links are one-time tokens; generating a new link revokes the previous unused link.
Data Directory Permission Note: The data/ directory is mounted into the container for persistent storage (config, sessions, SSH keys, workspaces). Before running, ensure the directory exists and has proper permissions:
My wife, who - with zero AI background - sat down with the app for the first time and built the firework celebration that plays on every successful push.
Every contributor who shaped this project with their PRs, ideas, and attention to detail.
Bohdan Triapitsyn
9cf79a8890
