Bohan Jiang 341ce7bfa5 feat: support local working directory for projects (MUL-2618 v1) (#3283)
* feat(project): add local_directory project_resource type (MUL-2662)

Adds a second project_resource type alongside github_repo so a project
can be pinned to an existing directory on a specific daemon (the v1 of
the local-working-directory flow tracked in MUL-2618). The ref schema is
{ local_path, daemon_id, label? }; local_path must be absolute and
daemon_id is required. The same (daemon_id, local_path) pair is allowed
on multiple projects by design — no UNIQUE constraint is added.

Implementation reuses the existing project_resource API surface: the new
type is wired through the validator switch with no migration, no new
events, and no daemon-handler changes (daemon already passes through
arbitrary resource types via ProjectResources). The CLI gains
--local-path / --daemon-id / --ref-label shortcuts so
`multica project resource add --type local_directory` mirrors the
existing `--type github_repo --url ...` ergonomics; the generic --ref
flag still works for both types.

Tests cover the full CRUD lifecycle, the same-path-across-projects
allowance, the same-path-same-project conflict, the validator rejections
(missing/blank/relative path, missing daemon_id, wrong payload type),
and the cross-platform isAbsoluteLocalPath helper.

Co-authored-by: multica-agent <github@multica.ai>

* feat(project): add update endpoint + label-shadow guard for project_resource (MUL-2662)

Addresses the Elon review on PR #3263:

- Add PUT /api/projects/{id}/resources/{resourceId} with sqlc query,
  matching handler, CLI `project resource update`, and a new
  EventProjectResourceUpdated WS event. resource_type stays immutable;
  ref/label/position are all individually optional.
- Catch same-project (daemon_id, local_path) collisions where only the
  embedded label differs — the row-level UNIQUE only matches the full
  ref JSON, so a label typo would otherwise let the same working
  directory bind twice.
- Tests cover the update lifecycle (label-only / ref / clear / 404 /
  invalid path) and the label-shadow conflict on both create and
  update; the in-place rename still succeeds because the conflict
  scan ignores the row being edited.

Incidental: regenerating sqlc picked up a missing skills_local scan in
UpdateAgentCustomEnv that drifted in from #3200.

Co-authored-by: multica-agent <github@multica.ai>

* fix(project): close bundled-create label-shadow gap + merge resource_ref on CLI update (MUL-2662)

Two follow-ups from MUL-2662 review round 2:

- CreateProject inline resources path now dedupes local_directory entries on
  (daemon_id, local_path) before opening the transaction. The DB-level
  UNIQUE(project_id, resource_type, resource_ref) constraint only fires on a
  full JSON match, so two rows with the same target but different `label`
  would otherwise slip past. Standalone POST/PUT already cover this via
  findLocalDirectoryConflict; bundled create was the missing surface.
- `multica project resource update` now seeds resource_ref from the existing
  row before applying per-type shortcut flags, so `--default-branch-hint x`
  on its own no longer constructs a payload missing `url` (which the server
  400s on). Local_directory partial edits get the same merge behavior.

Co-authored-by: multica-agent <github@multica.ai>

* feat(desktop): local_directory project_resource UI (MUL-2665) (#3273)

* feat(desktop): local_directory project_resource UI (MUL-2665)

First UI surface for the local-working-directory flow tracked in MUL-2618.
Lets users on the desktop pin a project to an existing folder on this
machine; web stays read-only since the per-daemon check can't be done in
the browser.

What's new for the renderer:

- ProjectResourcesSection grows a desktop-only "Add local directory"
  button next to the existing GitHub-repo popover. Clicking it opens
  Electron's native folder picker, validates the path through a new
  IPC pair (existence + r/w), and submits a project_resource of
  resource_type=local_directory with daemon_id pulled live from
  daemonAPI.getStatus.
- LocalDirectoryRow renders the rename pencil + path tooltip, and
  greys out when ref.daemon_id != this machine's daemon_id (with a
  "only available on the machine that registered this directory"
  tooltip). Delete stays enabled so users can drop stale registrations
  from any device.
- LocalDirectoryHint sits above the issue-detail comment composer and
  shows "Agent will work in-place at {label} ({path})" when the issue's
  project has a local_directory matching this daemon. Hidden on web.
- TaskStatusPill picks up a new "waiting_for_directory_release" stage
  that the daemon will publish when it dequeues a task but can't
  acquire the path lock. The render is in place now so the daemon
  sibling subtask can wire the status string without an additional UI
  PR.

Plumbing:

- @multica/core/types gains LocalDirectoryResourceRef +
  UpdateProjectResourceRequest, and the api client gets the matching
  PUT method backed by the server endpoint that landed in
  2ac3faebb (MUL-2662). A useUpdateProjectResource hook drives the
  in-place label edit.
- New Electron handlers under apps/desktop/src/main/local-directory.ts:
    local-directory:pick     -> dialog.showOpenDialog (openDirectory)
    local-directory:validate -> stat + access(R_OK + W_OK)
  exposed through the preload as desktopAPI.pickDirectory /
  validateLocalDirectory. View code talks to them via a thin
  packages/views/platform helper that returns reason=unsupported on
  web instead of crashing.
- useLocalDaemonStatus exposes the local daemon's id, device name, and
  running flag from daemonAPI.onStatusChange so the renderer can do the
  cross-device match without coupling to the desktop preload typings.

Tests:

- pickStageKeys gets a unit test covering the new stage and proving
  the directory-release status outranks availability hints.
- LocalDirectoryHint tests cover the four render branches (no project,
  no daemon, foreign daemon, matching daemon).
- i18n parity stays green; new keys added under projects.resources.*
  and chat.status_pill.stages.waiting_for_directory_release in both
  locales.

Out of scope (will land separately):
- The daemon-side waiting/lock signal that flips the pill into the
  new state.
- Adding local_directory to the create-project modal's bulk
  attach flow.
- Docs page refresh for project-resources.mdx — left for the
  MUL-2618 umbrella sweep.

Co-authored-by: multica-agent <github@multica.ai>

* fix(desktop): hide rename for foreign daemon local_directory rows (MUL-2618)

Address review nit on #3273: the rename pencil was gated only by
`canEdit`, so a foreign / unknown-daemon row still showed it even
though the spec says cross-device rows are disabled. Gate rename on
`!mismatch` so it disappears on those rows; delete stays available
so a stale registration can still be dropped from any device.

Co-authored-by: multica-agent <github@multica.ai>

---------

Co-authored-by: multica-agent <github@multica.ai>

* feat(daemon): local_directory execution + path mutex + GC exception (MUL-2663) (#3274)

* feat(daemon): local_directory execution + path mutex + GC exception (MUL-2663)

Wires up the daemon side of the local_directory project_resource introduced
in MUL-2662. When a task is dispatched against a project whose resources
include a local_directory pinned to this daemon's UUID, the daemon now:

  - Validates the path (absolute, exists, daemon process can read+write,
    not in the system-root / $HOME blacklist) and fails the task fast on
    any precondition violation, with a user-readable reason.
  - Serialises concurrent tasks on the same on-disk path via a
    daemon-local LocalPathLocker keyed by symlink-resolved realpath. The
    lock is held for the entire task lifetime (claim → context write →
    agent → result report).
  - When the lock is contended, the daemon flips the row to a new
    waiting_local_directory status on the server (carrying a wait_reason
    like "<path> (held by task <short id>)") so the UI can render
    "等待本地目录释放" instead of leaving the row silently in dispatched
    past the sweeper timeout. The status accepts being woken into running
    once the lock is acquired.
  - Sets execenv.WorkDir to the user's path (no copy, no mount). envRoot
    still lives under workspacesRoot/<wsID>/ and hosts output/, logs/, and
    .gc_meta.json — the daemon's logbook for the run.
  - Stamps GCMeta.LocalDirectory=true so the GC loop never RemoveAlls
    envRoot for these tasks (gcActionClean → gcActionCleanArtifacts,
    gcActionOrphan → gcActionSkip). The user's directory was never under
    envRoot to begin with, so this is defense in depth.
  - Skips execenv.Reuse for local_directory tasks because the prior
    WorkDir is the user's path and reusing it through that code path
    loses the envRoot association the GC loop needs. Prepare is cheap
    here (no clone, no copy), so always running it is fine.

Server-side protocol changes:

  - New CHECK value 'waiting_local_directory' on agent_task_queue.status
    plus a wait_reason TEXT column (migration 109).
  - All cancel / active / counted-as-running / orphan-recovery queries
    expanded to include the new status; FailStaleTasks intentionally
    excludes it (the daemon owns the wait).
  - New SQL MarkAgentTaskWaitingLocalDirectory(id, reason) and a relaxed
    StartAgentTask that accepts both dispatched and
    waiting_local_directory as preconditions (and clears wait_reason on
    the way through).
  - New POST /api/daemon/tasks/{taskId}/wait-local-directory endpoint,
    TaskService.MarkTaskWaitingLocalDirectory broadcaster, and matching
    daemon Client.MarkTaskWaitingLocalDirectory.

Tests cover: path blacklist + R/W enforcement, mutex serialisation +
ctx-cancelled wait, lock handover between two tasks, GC never returns
gcActionClean / gcActionOrphan for local_directory rows (with negative
control for the standard path), and Prepare/Cleanup correctly substitute
+ protect the user's WorkDir.

The desktop UI side (UI for adding a local_directory resource, surfacing
the "等待本地目录" badge) is MUL-2665; the agent-task lifecycle changes
(no branch switch, dirty-tree tolerant, auto-commit) are MUL-2664.

This PR targets the shared MUL-2618 v1 feature branch agent/j/912b8cb1,
not main; the whole v1 will be merged to main together when complete.

Co-authored-by: multica-agent <github@multica.ai>

* fix(daemon): tighten local_directory status, symlink, cancel handling (MUL-2618)

Address the 3 must-fix items from Elon's review of PR #3274.

1. Status string unified. The server / daemon publish
   `waiting_local_directory`; align views, locales, and the
   pickStageKeys test (PR #3273 had used `waiting_for_directory_release`
   on a placeholder string). Without this, the daemon's wait state
   never reached the pill once the two siblings merged.

2. validateLocalPath now also runs the blacklist against the
   symlink-resolved realpath, with macOS's `/etc` -> `/private/etc`
   redirect handled via `isBlacklistedRealPath` which compares
   canonical forms. Without this, a symlink such as
   `/Users/me/proj/home -> /Users/me` slipped the literal $HOME check
   while every daemon write still landed in the user's home. Tests
   cover symlink-to-home, symlink-to-system-root, and the negative
   case (symlink to a regular subdirectory).

3. acquireLocalDirectoryLockIfNeeded now spins up a cancellation
   watcher inside `onWait` (lazy — the fast path stays free) so the
   gap between dispatch and StartTask responds to server-side cancel
   or row deletion. If the watcher fires while the daemon is parked
   on the path mutex, the lock-wait context is cancelled, Acquire
   returns promptly, and the helper exits silently the same way the
   run-phase poller does. New TestAcquireLocalDirectoryLock_CancelDuringWait
   exercises the path end-to-end with a fake server.

Co-authored-by: multica-agent <github@multica.ai>

* fix(daemon): unconditional canonical blacklist + Windows drive-root generalisation (MUL-2618)

- validateLocalPath now always runs isBlacklistedRealPath on the
  symlink-resolved path, not only when it differs from absPath. The old
  guard let users type the canonical form of an OS-symlinked banned root
  (e.g. /private/tmp, /private/etc, /private/var on macOS) straight
  through, since EvalSymlinks is a no-op on already-canonical input.
- Windows drive-root rejection moved off the static C/D/E/F enumeration
  onto filepath.VolumeName via a new isDriveRoot helper, so removable /
  network drives mounted at G:..Z: and UNC \\server\share roots are also
  blocked. systemRootBlacklist keeps the well-known C:\ trees only.
- Tests: macOS-only case exercises direct /private/{tmp,etc,var}; a
  new TestIsDriveRoot covers the Windows generalisation (skipped on
  POSIX runners by runtime guard).

Co-authored-by: multica-agent <github@multica.ai>

---------

Co-authored-by: multica-agent <github@multica.ai>

* feat(views): wire waiting_local_directory end-to-end in issue UI + presence (MUL-2618)

Connect the daemon-emitted `task:waiting_local_directory` and `task:running`
events through to issue execution log, sticky agent banner, activity indicator,
and agent presence so a parked task is no longer invisible on the issue page.

- Add `waiting_local_directory` to `AgentTask.status` and the typed
  `task:running` / `task:waiting_local_directory` WS event payloads.
- Chat realtime sync writes both new statuses into the pending-task cache so
  the chat StatusPill flips out of a stale `dispatched` frame.
- ExecutionLogSection: count `waiting_local_directory` as active, add tone +
  status label, treat parked tasks the same as dispatched for time anchor /
  transcript visibility / terminate-confirm note.
- AgentLiveCard: subscribe to both new events, rank the parked state between
  dispatched and queued, and surface a "is waiting for the local directory"
  banner with the muted "Clock" treatment used for queued.
- IssueAgentActivityIndicator: route parked tasks into the queued bucket so
  the hover stack and chip stay visible.
- derive-presence: parked tasks count toward `queuedCount` so the agent
  workload chip stays out of `idle` while the daemon waits on the path lock.
- Locales: add `agent_live.is_waiting_local_directory` and
  `execution_log.status_waiting_local_directory` (en + zh-Hans).

Co-authored-by: multica-agent <github@multica.ai>

* feat(project): enforce one local_directory per (project, daemon) (MUL-2618)

The daemon-side resolver picks the first matching local_directory by
daemon_id, so allowing two rows on the same daemon — even at different
paths — let the agent silently write into whichever sorted first. Tighten
the invariant top to bottom:

- server: `findLocalDirectoryConflict` rejects any second row sharing a
  daemon_id, regardless of `local_path` or label. Bundled-create surface in
  `CreateProject` runs the same daemon-scoped dedupe up front.
- daemon: `findLocalDirectoryAssignment` fails fast when it finds more than
  one row pinned to the current daemon (older API client / direct DB
  writes can still produce that state — refuse to guess).
- desktop UI: hide the "Add local directory" action once the current
  daemon owns a row on this project, with a hint and a defensive toast on
  the call path; foreign-daemon rows stay visible read-only as before.
- Tests:
  * daemon: new `two local_directory rows on this daemon fail fast` /
    `local_directory rows on different daemons coexist` cases.
  * handler: rewrite the legacy `LabelShadow` cases as
    `DaemonScopedConflict` / `BundledLocalDirectoryDaemonConflict` —
    asserts 409 on same-daemon different-path, 201 on per-daemon bundles.
- Locales: en + zh-Hans copy for the new hint + toast.

Co-authored-by: multica-agent <github@multica.ai>

* chore(sqlc): drop stale skills_local in UpdateAgentCustomEnv (MUL-2618)

Follow-up to the main-merge in 0f8e8ca7: the auto-merge preserved most
of main's skills_local revert but kept the column reference inside the
UpdateAgentCustomEnv scanner because that block hadn't been touched by
either side. Re-running `sqlc generate` regenerates the file without
skills_local in this query, matching the rest of the file and the
post-revert schema.

Co-authored-by: multica-agent <github@multica.ai>

* feat(create-project): binary source picker — repos OR local directory

Turn the create-project dialog's "Repos" pill into a binary Source
picker. A project's source is mutually exclusive: either a set of
GitHub repos (worktree mode, default) or a single local working
directory (local mode, desktop-only). Mirrors the constraint the
backend will enforce next.

Behavior:
- Pill shows the active mode's selection (GitHub icon + repo count, or
  folder icon + local label/path).
- Popover has a 2-tab segmented control at the top; the Local tab is
  hidden entirely on web (local_directory needs a daemon_id).
- Local tab requires the daemon online — amber notice + disabled picker
  when offline, re-renders automatically via useLocalDaemonStatus.
- Switching tabs preserves the other side's stash, but handleSubmit
  only emits the resource matching the active sourceMode, so abandoned
  picks never leak into the created project.

Backend mutual-exclusion validation + the resources-section
conditional-add-button still to come — this PR just unblocks the
dialog so it can be demoed.

* fix(mobile): cover waiting_local_directory in run row status maps (MUL-2618)

---------

Co-authored-by: multica-agent <github@multica.ai>
Co-authored-by: Multica J <j@multica.ai>
2026-05-27 13:44:31 +08:00

Multica — humans and agents, side by side

Multica

Multica

Your next 10 hires won't be human.

The open-source managed agents platform.
Turn coding agents into real teammates — assign tasks, track progress, compound skills.

CI GitHub stars

Website · Cloud · X · Self-Hosting · Contributing

English | 简体中文

What is Multica?

Multica turns coding agents into real teammates. Assign issues to an agent like you'd assign to a colleague — they'll pick up the work, write code, report blockers, and update statuses autonomously.

No more copy-pasting prompts. No more babysitting runs. Your agents show up on the board, participate in conversations, and compound reusable skills over time. Think of it as open-source infrastructure for managed agents — vendor-neutral, self-hosted, and designed for human + AI teams. Works with Claude Code, Codex, GitHub Copilot CLI, OpenClaw, OpenCode, Hermes, Gemini, Pi, Cursor Agent, Kimi, and Kiro CLI.

For larger teams, Squads add a stable routing layer: assign work to a group led by an agent, and the leader delegates to the right member.

Multica board view

Why "Multica"?

Multica — Multiplexed Information and Computing Agent.

The name is a nod to Multics, the pioneering operating system of the 1960s that introduced time-sharing — letting multiple users share a single machine as if each had it to themselves. Unix was born as a deliberate simplification of Multics: one user, one task, one elegant philosophy.

We think the same inflection is happening again. For decades, software teams have been single-threaded — one engineer, one task, one context switch at a time. AI agents change that equation. Multica brings time-sharing back, but for an era where the "users" multiplexing the system are both humans and autonomous agents.

In Multica, agents are first-class teammates. They get assigned issues, report progress, raise blockers, and ship code — just like their human colleagues. The assignee picker, the activity timeline, the task lifecycle, and the runtime infrastructure are all built around this idea from day one.

Like Multics before it, the bet is on multiplexing: a small team shouldn't feel small. With the right system, two engineers and a fleet of agents can move like twenty.

Features

Multica manages the full agent lifecycle: from task assignment to execution monitoring to skill reuse.

  • Agents as Teammates — assign to an agent like you'd assign to a colleague. They have profiles, show up on the board, post comments, create issues, and report blockers proactively.
  • Squads — group agents (and humans) under a leader agent and assign work to the squad. The leader decides who should pick it up, so routing stays stable as the team grows. @FrontendTeam instead of @alice-or-bob-or-carol.
  • Autonomous Execution — set it and forget it. Full task lifecycle management (enqueue, claim, start, complete/fail) with real-time progress streaming via WebSocket.
  • Autopilots — schedule recurring work for agents. Cron triggers, webhooks, or manual runs — each autopilot creates the issue and routes it to an agent automatically, so daily standups, weekly reports, and periodic audits run themselves.
  • Reusable Skills — every solution becomes a reusable skill for the whole team. Deployments, migrations, code reviews — skills compound your team's capabilities over time.
  • Unified Runtimes — one dashboard for all your compute. Local daemons and cloud runtimes, auto-detection of available CLIs, real-time monitoring.
  • Multi-Workspace — organize work across teams with workspace-level isolation. Each workspace has its own agents, issues, and settings.

Quick Install

brew install multica-ai/tap/multica

Use brew upgrade multica-ai/tap/multica to keep the CLI current.

macOS / Linux (install script)

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/multica-ai/multica/main/scripts/install.sh | bash

Use this if Homebrew is not available. The script installs the Multica CLI on macOS and Linux by using Homebrew when it is on PATH, otherwise it downloads the binary directly.

Windows (PowerShell)

irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/multica-ai/multica/main/scripts/install.ps1 | iex

Then configure, authenticate, and start the daemon in one command:

multica setup          # Connect to Multica Cloud, log in, start daemon

Self-hosting? Add --with-server to deploy a full Multica server on your machine:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/multica-ai/multica/main/scripts/install.sh | bash -s -- --with-server
multica setup self-host

This pulls the official Multica images from GHCR (latest stable by default). Requires Docker. See the Self-Hosting Guide for details. If the selected GHCR tag has not been published yet, fall back to make selfhost-build from a checkout.


Getting Started

1. Set up and start the daemon

multica setup           # Configure, authenticate, and start the daemon

The daemon runs in the background and auto-detects agent CLIs (claude, codex, copilot, openclaw, opencode, hermes, gemini, pi, cursor-agent, kimi, kiro-cli) on your PATH.

2. Verify your runtime

Open your workspace in the Multica web app. Navigate to Settings → Runtimes — you should see your machine listed as an active Runtime.

What is a Runtime? A Runtime is a compute environment that can execute agent tasks. It can be your local machine (via the daemon) or a cloud instance. Each runtime reports which agent CLIs are available, so Multica knows where to route work.

3. Create an agent

Go to Settings → Agents and click New Agent. Pick the runtime you just connected and choose a provider (Claude Code, Codex, GitHub Copilot CLI, OpenClaw, OpenCode, Hermes, Gemini, Pi, Cursor Agent, Kimi, or Kiro CLI). Give your agent a name — this is how it will appear on the board, in comments, and in assignments.

4. Assign your first task

Create an issue from the board (or via multica issue create), then assign it to your new agent. The agent will automatically pick up the task, execute it on your runtime, and report progress — just like a human teammate.


CLI

The multica CLI connects your local machine to Multica — authenticate, manage workspaces, and run the agent daemon.

Command Description
multica login Authenticate (opens browser)
multica daemon start Start the local agent runtime
multica daemon status Check daemon status
multica setup One-command setup for Multica Cloud (configure + login + start daemon)
multica setup self-host Same, but for self-hosted deployments
multica workspace list List your workspaces (current is marked with *)
multica workspace switch <id|slug> Switch the default workspace for this profile
multica issue list List issues in your workspace
multica issue create Create a new issue
multica update Update to the latest version

See the CLI and Daemon Guide for the full command reference.


Architecture

┌──────────────┐     ┌──────────────┐     ┌──────────────────┐
│   Next.js    │────>│  Go Backend  │────>│   PostgreSQL     │
│   Frontend   │<────│  (Chi + WS)  │<────│   (pgvector)     │
└──────────────┘     └──────┬───────┘     └──────────────────┘
                            │
                     ┌──────┴───────┐
                     │ Agent Daemon │  runs on your machine
                     └──────────────┘  (Claude Code, Codex, GitHub Copilot CLI,
                                        OpenCode, OpenClaw, Hermes, Gemini,
                                        Pi, Cursor Agent, Kimi, Kiro CLI)
Layer Stack
Frontend Next.js 16 (App Router)
Backend Go (Chi router, sqlc, gorilla/websocket)
Database PostgreSQL 17 with pgvector
Agent Runtime Local daemon executing Claude Code, Codex, GitHub Copilot CLI, OpenClaw, OpenCode, Hermes, Gemini, Pi, Cursor Agent, Kimi, or Kiro CLI

Development

For contributors working on the Multica codebase, see the Contributing Guide.

Prerequisites: Node.js v20+, pnpm v10.28+, Go v1.26+, Docker

make dev

make dev auto-detects your environment (main checkout or worktree), creates the env file, installs dependencies, sets up the database, runs migrations, and starts all services.

See CONTRIBUTING.md for the full development workflow, worktree support, testing, and troubleshooting.

An iOS mobile client lives in apps/mobile/ — see its README for how to build it onto your own iPhone.

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