Project HQ for developers who lose context switching between side projects
🚧 Beta Release — Core features stable. Cross-platform builds (macOS/Windows) are new in this release — expect occasional rough edges.
You have 5+ side projects. You return to one after three weeks away. You spend the next two hours re-reading your own code just to remember why you wrote it that way — and what you were planning to do next.
Ronin gives you instant context recovery.
Open any dormant project → AI reads your last 20 commits + your DEVLOG notes → tells you exactly where you left off and what to do next. In under 10 seconds.
Ronin is a local-first desktop app built on Tauri. Your data never leaves your machine. There is no account, no subscription, and no cloud sync. Just you and your projects.
📸 Dashboard
📸 AI Context Recovery
📸 DEVLOG Editor
📸 Settings & Model Selection
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| 📊 Project Dashboard | Health indicators (Active / Dormant / Stuck) with auto-sorting |
| 🤖 AI Context Recovery | Resume any dormant project in <10 seconds with AI-powered summaries |
| ✍️ AI Commit Messages | Generate conventional commit messages from your git diff |
| 📝 DEVLOG Editor | In-app Markdown editor that syncs with DEVLOG.md in your repo |
| 🔀 Git Integration | View status, stage, commit, and push — all without leaving Ronin |
| 🧠 Model Selection | Choose any OpenRouter model with live search and free fallback chain |
| 📁 Generic Folder Mode | Track non-Git projects too (file count, last modified, dormancy) |
| 🖥️ System Tray + Hotkey | Minimize to tray, summon with Ctrl+Alt+R (or Cmd+Alt+R on macOS) |
| 🌗 Dark / Light Mode | Follows system preference |
Supported Platforms (v0.1.0-beta):
| Platform | Status | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Linux (Ubuntu 22.04+, Debian 11+, Arch, Fedora) | ✅ Stable | .deb, .AppImage |
| macOS (Intel + Apple Silicon) | 🆕 Beta | .dmg (unsigned — see note below) |
| Windows | 🆕 Beta | .msi, .exe |
Download the latest release from GitHub Releases.
Option 1: .deb package (Debian/Ubuntu)
wget https://github.com/rfxlamia/ronin/releases/download/v0.1.0-beta/ronin_0.1.0-beta_amd64.deb
sudo dpkg -i ronin_0.1.0-beta_amd64.deb
sudo apt-get install -f # fix dependencies if needed
roninTested on Ubuntu 22.04+, Debian 11+, Linux Mint 21+, Pop!_OS 22.04+.
Option 2: AppImage (any distro)
wget https://github.com/rfxlamia/ronin/releases/download/v0.1.0-beta/ronin_0.1.0-beta_amd64.AppImage
chmod +x ronin_0.1.0-beta_amd64.AppImage
./ronin_0.1.0-beta_amd64.AppImageNo install or admin privileges needed.
⚠️ Unsigned App — Ronin is not yet code-signed with an Apple Developer certificate. When you open the.dmg, macOS will warn you about an "unidentified developer". To bypass this and run the app:xattr -cr /Applications/Ronin.appWe are working on obtaining an Apple Developer certificate to remove this warning.
Help fund it via GitHub Sponsors ↓
Download ronin_0.1.0-beta_universal.dmg from Releases, open it, and drag Ronin to Applications.
Download ronin_0.1.0-beta_x64-setup.exe from Releases and run the installer. Windows SmartScreen may warn about an unsigned app — click More info → Run anyway.
-
Launch Ronin (or press
Ctrl+Alt+R/Cmd+Alt+R) -
Add your first project:
- Click "Add Project"
- Select any folder (Git repo or plain folder)
- Ronin auto-detects the project type
-
Recover context from a dormant project:
- Click any project card
- Click "Where was I?"
- AI reads your last 20 commits + DEVLOG and tells you what to do next
-
Set up AI (for context recovery):
- Settings → API Configuration
- Get a free key at openrouter.ai
- Paste it in (stored encrypted with AES-256-GCM, never leaves your device)
- No API key? Use Demo Mode — limited but free, no sign-up needed
Ronin is built on five principles from the samurai code:
- 義 (Gi) — Righteous Code: Local-first. No telemetry. Opt-in behavioral tracking only.
- 勇 (Yu) — Courageous Autonomy: AI suggests, never commands. You stay in control.
- 仁 (Jin) — Compassionate Craft: Empathetic error messages. No productivity shaming.
- 礼 (Rei) — Ritual & Discipline: The dashboard as a morning ritual. Structured context.
- 智 (Chi) — Strategic Resourcefulness: Lightweight footprint. Works on any 8GB laptop.
Full philosophy: vdocs/PHILOSOPHY.md
- Silent Observer — background window tracking for automatic context (Linux, then macOS)
- Wayland KDE support
- Archive / hide projects
- Task extraction from commit messages
- Multi-workspace support
- Built-in task checklist per project
- File change detection (notify on project drift)
- Browser extension for Silent Observer context
- Team mode & async context handoff
- Jira / Linear / Notion integration
- Local SLM option (no API key, fully offline)
- AI task extraction from free-form documents
- macOS and Windows Silent Observer backends
Ronin is free, open-source, and built solo in spare time.
Distributing a properly signed macOS app requires an Apple Developer Program membership at $99/year. Without it, every macOS user sees the "unidentified developer" warning and needs to run a terminal command just to open the app.
If Ronin is useful to you — or you just want to see it grow — consider sponsoring on GitHub:
Sponsorship directly covers:
- Apple Developer Program certificate (code signing for macOS)
- Infrastructure costs for the demo mode proxy
Prerequisites: Node 20+, Rust 1.75+, system libraries (Linux: libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev, libxdo-dev, libayatana-appindicator3-dev)
git clone https://github.com/rfxlamia/ronin.git
cd ronin
npm install
npm run tauri devOther commands:
npm test # Run all Vitest tests
npm run lint # TypeScript type check + ESLint
npm run tauri build # Build release binary for current platform- Bug reports: GitHub Issues
- Feature requests: GitHub Discussions
- Docs: docs/
Contributions welcome. See CLAUDE.md for architecture and conventions.
Mozilla Public License 2.0 (MPL-2.0) — See LICENSE
Free to use, modify, and distribute. Modifications to MPL-licensed files must remain MPL. Can be used in proprietary software.
Built with Tauri, React, shadcn/ui, and OpenRouter. Philosophy inspired by Bushido (武士道) and Japanese craftsmanship principles.
Created by V — @rfxlamia
"A ronin without a master must become their own sensei."