overdeck

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**The IDE for the agent era**

[![npm version](https://img.shields.io/npm/v/%40overdeck%2Fcore.svg)](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@overdeck/core)
[![License: MIT](https://img.shields.io/badge/License-MIT-yellow.svg)](https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT)
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IDEs were built for humans who type code. Overdeck is built for humans who **direct** it — not with prompts, with **loops**. One agent or twenty, hands-on or hands-off: spawn agents on real issues, watch every diff land live, steer mid-task, and let a built-in specialist pipeline review, test, and merge the work — while you decide exactly how much of the loop runs without you.

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## Quick Start

```bash
npx @overdeck/core
```

No install step required. `npx @overdeck/core` starts Command Deck and opens the dashboard in your browser. Use `overdeck` or `pan` after `npm install -g @overdeck/core`. The packaged desktop app is published separately as `@overdeck/desktop`.

**Requires Node.js 22.16+** (or 24+) — the floor for the bundled `node:sqlite` driver. If your shell's default Node is older, Overdeck automatically relaunches under an installed compatible Node (Homebrew `node@22`, nvm, fnm, volta, or asdf) — no manual switching needed. If none is found, it prints the exact install command for your setup.

Dashboard runs at https://overdeck.localhost (or http://localhost:3011 if you skip HTTPS setup).

See the [full documentation](https://docs.overdeck.ai) for detailed setup, configuration, and usage guides.

---

## Loops, Not Prompts

The industry has caught on to what agent-native developers already knew: the unit of AI-assisted work isn't the prompt, it's the **loop** — act, verify, correct, go again. Models write better prompts than we do now; the scarce skill is designing the loop that keeps agents pointed at the goal, and the verifier that decides whether the work is actually done.

Overdeck is loop machinery, three loops deep:

| Loop | Timescale | What runs |
|:-----|:----------|:----------|
| **Inner — the agent** | seconds–minutes | The harness loop: write code, run it, read the result, try again |
| **Middle — the pipeline** | minutes–hours | The verifier wrapped around every agent: four-lens review convoy, quality gates, tests, browser UAT, per-bead inspection, and a merge train that keeps main green |
| **Outer — the Flywheel** | continuous | The loop that prompts the loops: pulls the next issue from the backlog, drives it end-to-end, files what it finds along the way, and goes again |

The Flywheel is the part most tools don't have. It doesn't run tasks — it runs **revolutions**: every pass around the loop either ships the work or surfaces a defect that gets filed and fixed. It's the loop that improves the loop, and it's how most of Overdeck itself gets built.

### The Autonomy Dial

How much of the loop runs without you is **your choice, per issue, per day** — not a property of the tool:

| Mode | You do | Overdeck does |
|:-----|:-------|:--------------|
| **Pair** | Watch diffs land live, steer the agent in the composer, swap models mid-task | Runs the inner loop with checkpoints and live cost tracking |
| **Pipeline** | Write the issue, click Merge at the end | Runs the inner and middle loops: plan, implement, review convoy, tests, UAT, merge train |
| **Flywheel** | Review the morning recap | Runs all three loops across the backlog, in parallel |

Most sessions live somewhere between — you pair on the gnarly issue while the pipeline ships three routine ones behind you.

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## Command Deck

Command Deck is the live development surface where you and your agents work together. It's built around three zones that update in real time — no refresh buttons, no polling. Every event animates in as it happens.

| Zone | What You See |
|:-----|:-------------|
| **Issue Header** | Issue identity, pipeline stage, live cost tracking, activity sparkline, quality gate rollup |
| **Agent Context** | Selected agent's role, status, current tool, thinking/waiting state, round history, per-session costs |
| **Conversation + Composer** | Full conversation timeline with composer, or a tabbed dashboard when viewing the issue itself |

### What You Can Do

- **Live diffs as agents code** — every file change appears inline as

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