An open-source desktop IDE called cate has been released, letting developers place and manage code editors, terminals, browsers, and multiple AI coding agents freely across an infinitely zoomable and pannable canvas. It runs on macOS, Windows, and Linux.
June 24, 2026 · Cate — Canvas Terminal Editor
An IDE on an Infinite Canvas — Editors, Terminals & AI Agents, Freely Arranged
Cate is an open-source, MIT-licensed desktop IDE that drops the "single fixed rectangle" model. Panels live on an infinitely zoomable, pannable canvas — tabbed, split, docked or detached — with a built-in AI agent hub at its core.
~1.7k
GitHub stars gathered
9+
AI providers connected via OAuth / API key
3
Platforms: macOS · Windows · Linux
MIT
Open-source license · v1.3.2
What's on the canvas
Every panel can be tabbed, split, docked into four zones or detached into a standalone window. Layouts persist per project.
EDITOR
Monaco
Same engine as VS Code · diffs · Markdown preview
TERMINAL
xterm.js + node-pty
Real shells, not emulation
GIT + SEARCH
Built-in VCS
Tree · staging · worktrees · inline diffs
AI AGENTS
Built-in Pi + hub
Anthropic · OpenAI · Codex · Copilot · Gemini …
The problem it targets
Running many AI agents in parallel buries you in tabs and windows. Cate reframes the workspace as one persistent, spatial map per project.
Many agents
→
Tab / window overload
→
One zoomable canvas
▲ Received favorably
Goes beyond the limits of tabs
Useful for retaining context per project
Docking, search & project scoping keep it tidy
▼ Skeptical notes
An infinite canvas can easily get cluttered
An OS window manager (GNOME/KDE/i3) may suffice
Electron's performance & native-integration limits
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