Arbor is a fully native desktop application designed for agentic coding workflows, providing a unified environment for managing repositories, parallel worktrees, embedded terminals, diff views, and AI coding agent activity. It targets developers and researchers who need to streamline complex, long-running local and remote coding sessions, offering enhanced productivity through its integrated feature set.

How It Works

Built with Rust and the GPUI framework, Arbor offers a high-performance, native user experience. Its core architecture integrates robust worktree management, a truecolor embedded terminal with persistent sessions, and side-by-side diff views. A key differentiator is its daemon-backed MCP (Meta-Command Processor) server, which exposes Arbor's capabilities through structured tools for repositories, worktrees, terminals, and AI agents. The system also supports managing remote worktrees over SSH, enhancing flexibility for distributed development.

Quick Start & Requirements

Installation is available via Homebrew on macOS (brew install penso/arbor/arbor), prebuilt binaries from releases, or building from source (git clone ..., just run). Prerequisites include Rust nightly (specifically nightly-2025-11-30), the just task runner, and the CaskaydiaMono Nerd Font for UI icons. Manual setup steps are provided for macOS and Debian/Ubuntu Linux. Full documentation is available at penso.github.io/arbor/docs.

Highlighted Details

• Comprehensive worktree management with unpushed commit detection and navigation history.
• Persistent, multi-tab embedded terminal supporting truecolor and alternative backends.
• AI agent visibility, detecting and displaying real-time status for agents like Claude Code and Codex.
• MCP server integration for structured agent interaction and automation.
• Remote outpost support for managing worktrees and terminal sessions over SSH.
• A customizable three-pane UI with resizable panes, collapsible sidebar, and 25 themes.

Maintenance & Community

No specific details regarding maintainers, community channels (e.g., Discord, Slack), or project roadmap were found in the provided README.

Licensing & Compatibility

The project's license is not explicitly stated in the README. This omission requires clarification for assessing commercial use or closed-source integration compatibility.

Limitations & Caveats

Arbor requires a specific Rust nightly toolchain, which may introduce stability concerns compared to stable releases. The absence of a stated license is a significant blocker for due diligence and adoption decisions.