Vis

Vis is a coding agent you can adapt to your tools and workflow. Ask it to explore a project, make a change or investigate a failure. Follow the work from your terminal, desktop or phone, with the same sessions on each.

Rationale

A capable model can write code, but it does not know how your team works. It does not know which tests matter, how changes get reviewed or what to check before a release. You do. Vis lets you put that knowledge into tools the agent can use, instead of a growing list of reminders.

For example, a function can select and run the right tests for a change. A hook can check the code after an edit and report problems. You define the operations and checks. The model decides how to combine them. Your instructions explain the process, while your code carries out its repeatable parts.

Python connects those steps. Models already use it to work with code and data. Vis lets them use the same language to compose your tools, inspect results and reuse useful helper functions. You can start with the built-in tools and add extensions as you need them.

You can also see how the answer was reached. Activities show actions, results and failures in the conversation. Your extensions choose what to show, so you can read a test result or build summary without deciphering a stream of shell commands. Switch devices to follow the same work, rather than start again.

Read the full Rationale in the manual.

Documentation

Read the manual at vis.blockether.com or in resources/vis-docs/. Its five modules, in reading order:

• Intro: Rationale and Getting started.
• Concepts: one page for each feature, such as Sessions.
• Programmatic access: Python SDK and HTTP API.
• Extensions: Extending Vis and the Extension Center.
• Reference: exact facts, such as Keyboard shortcuts.

Screenshot gallery

All images come from one demo project, fieldnotes, after real tasks: a project tour, a bug fix with a regression test and a release preparation.

Install

Install Vis on the computer where your projects live. The default release includes the engine, Python and terminal client. It does not need Java or Git. Native packages support Apple silicon macOS and Linux (x64 or ARM64). See Runtime distributions for source builds and other installation options.

The installer writes to ~/.local/bin and can update your shell profile. You can read it first.

curl -fsSL https://github.com/Blockether/vis/releases/download/installer/install-vis-agent | bash

Quick start

Open a terminal in your project:

cd /path/to/project
vis-agent tui

Choose a provider, sign in and select a model. Your provider may charge for model usage. You can also use a supported local model. Try a read-only first task: “Explain how this project is organized. Don't change any files.”

Vis can edit files and run commands within its configured permissions. Review changes before using them. The first-session guide covers setup and what to expect.

Desktop app (Windows / macOS / Linux)

Use the buttons below to download Vis for Windows x64, universal macOS, or Linux x64. For Linux ARM64, download the AppImage. You can also browse all packages on the latest GitHub release.

     

Install the package, open Vis, and connect to your gateway. The gateway runs your sessions on the computer where your projects live. See Desktop setup for installation and launcher options.

Web app (browser)

Open Vis in a browser:

vis-agent web

This starts the gateway if needed and opens the web app in your default browser, already connected to that gateway. The gateway serves the web app itself, so you do not need Node.js. Keep the command running while you use the app, and press Ctrl-C when you are done. Choose the gateway address with --host and --port: for example, vis-agent web --host 0.0.0.0 also serves other devices on your network. Release and beta installations download a missing web app the first time you run the command. See Web app setup for addresses, tokens and source checkouts.

Companion app (iPhone / Android)

Use your phone to check progress or continue a conversation on the same gateway. Both stores offer public testing without an invitation.

  

Follow the phone pairing guide. Questions and beta feedback: contact@blockether.com.

Update

vis-agent update

This selects the latest stable release. Preview and source-build updates need an explicit track. See updates and release tracks.

Native vs JVM

Use the native release for everyday work, or the JVM source build when developing Vis. The runtime comparison covers requirements, startup time and memory use.

Use Vis from your code

Start with Python SDK basics to run a task using Agent(project="."), continue the conversation or connect to a shared gateway. Then read the page for the concept that you need, for example Sessions API or Automations API. Browse the generated Python API reference for classes, methods, signatures and types. It follows main and can include unreleased APIs not yet available on PyPI. From other languages, start with HTTP API basics. Each API page shows the same steps as HTTP requests, for example Sessions API. For a shared engine, run a gateway. No native build is needed.

Add your own tools and checks

Follow Extending Vis to add a tool for your workflow. For a working example of an automatic check, see Check code complexity after edits. Only when adding Java/Clojure capabilities inside Vis, follow Native builds for JVM extensions.

License

Apache License 2.0 — see LICENSE.

The speech service can install third-party models with separate license terms. THIRD_PARTY_MODELS.md lists their authors and licenses.