# Manta UI

> Self-hosted, open-source client that runs Claude Code, Codex, opencode, and other coding agents on your own Linux box or Mac, accessible from desktop, browser, and iPhone.

Manta UI is an MIT-licensed, self-hosted platform built by Antoine de Chassey that puts coding agents — Claude Code, Codex, opencode, and Kimi Code — on a Linux server or Mac you own, then gives you a polished client on desktop, browser, and iPhone to drive them from anywhere. Setup takes roughly two minutes: the desktop app connects over SSH, installs its own runtime, starts a system service, provisions a Let's Encrypt certificate, and hands you a six-digit pairing code for additional devices. No terminal work, no port forwarding, no Manta account required.

## What It Is

Manta UI is a self-hosted coding-agent harness. It wraps real tmux sessions on your own hardware with a readable chat interface, inline diffs, live command output, and mobile push notifications. The server component (`manta-server`) runs on your box at port 8787; Caddy terminates TLS and reverse-proxies a provisioned `<box_id>.boxes.mantaui.com` hostname so every paired device reaches the same sessions over HTTPS. The desktop app (Electron) and iPhone app (native SwiftUI) are thin clients over a JSON-RPC endpoint and Server-Sent Events stream — no relay hop, no data routed through Manta's infrastructure except push notification fanout via APNs.

## Architecture and How It Works

The server is the box. Sessions, transcripts, uploads, schedules, and secrets all live in `~/.manta*` on your machine. The desktop and phone clients connect directly to your box's public hostname; the only Manta-operated service in the path is `gateway.mantaui.com`, which handles Apple Push Notification signing and DNS automation. Authentication uses a 128-bit `box_token` bearer secret obtained once via a six-digit, one-time, five-minute pairing code minted loopback-only on the box. Two window types coexist per tmux window: a raw terminal (xterm.js over a WebSocket PTY) or a chat panel (an opencode session).

Key technical components:
- **Transport**: `/rpc` (JSON over HTTPS) for requests, `/events` (SSE) for streaming, WebSocket for terminal PTYs
- **State**: plain text and JSON in `~/.manta/` — reversible, forkable, no vendor migration
- **Installer**: self-contained tarball with a vendored Node runtime; box needs only `curl`, `tar`, `sha256sum`, `tmux`, and `git`
- **Agent tools**: `schedule`, `webhook`, `notify`, `secrets`, `peers`, `delegate`, `serve-page` — callable by the agent like any other tool

## Agent-Native Features

Beyond basic session management, Manta exposes a set of opencode tools that agents can call directly:

- **Parallel worktrees**: background agents each get their own git worktree and branch, never touching the main checkout
- **Scheduled and triggered work**: cron prompts or CI webhook wake-ups, so work starts without you present
- **Secrets by reference**: agents use credentials by name; values never enter the transcript
- **Peer sessions**: agents can see and message sibling sessions in the same workspace
- **Approve from anywhere**: when an agent requests permission to run something, a button appears on whichever device you're holding
- **Notifications with escalation**: desktop-first, phone push once you walk away — never both simultaneously

## Open-Source Deployment Model

The entire product — server, desktop client, iPhone client, and install script — is MIT licensed and published at `antoinedc/MantaUI` on GitHub. There is no hosted tier, no Manta account, no per-seat fee, and no paid roadmap items. The pricing page explicitly states there will be no future paid tier. Telemetry is an optional log-shipper that sends nothing unless a token is set. The project compares itself to Orca and Conductor, noting those tools run agents on your Mac while Manta runs them on a server you own and gives every device the same window onto the work.

## Platform and System Requirements

Manta ships signed macOS DMGs (Apple Silicon, macOS 13+), a Windows x64 installer (Windows 10/11), and an iPhone app via TestFlight. The server runs on any always-on Linux box or Apple Silicon Mac — the project notes a $5 VPS is sufficient. Linux boxes need `tmux`, `git`, and inbound TCP 80/443; macOS boxes skip Caddy and Let's Encrypt and connect over Tailscale or loopback. A Linux desktop AppImage is available by building from source.

## Features
- Self-hosted coding agent runner (Claude Code, Codex, opencode, Kimi Code)
- Two-minute SSH-based server setup with automatic certificate provisioning
- Real tmux sessions underneath every agent window
- Desktop app (Electron) for macOS and Windows
- Native iPhone app via TestFlight with full feature parity
- Readable transcripts with inline diffs and live command output
- Approve agent actions from any paired device
- Desktop-first push notifications with phone escalation
- Parallel git worktrees for background agents
- Scheduled prompts via cron and webhook triggers
- Secrets management by reference (values never enter transcripts)
- Full-history search across all sessions and agents
- Voice dictation, file drag-and-drop, and screenshot paste
- Peer session messaging between sibling agents
- serve-page tool to publish HTML to a public URL
- MIT licensed, no account required, no hosted control plane
- Optional telemetry (off by default)
- Self-updating server via in-app update or git pull

## Integrations
Claude Code (Anthropic), Codex (OpenAI), opencode, Kimi Code (Moonshot AI), tmux, Caddy (TLS reverse proxy), Let's Encrypt, Apple Push Notification Service (APNs), Tailscale, systemd (Linux), launchd (macOS), GitHub Actions / CI webhooks, Any OpenAI-compatible API provider

## Platforms
WINDOWS, MACOS, LINUX, IOS, WEB, API, CLI

## Pricing
Open Source

## Links
- Website: https://mantaui.com
- Documentation: https://github.com/antoinedc/MantaUI/blob/main/AGENTS.md
- Repository: https://github.com/antoinedc/mantaui
- EveryDev.ai: https://www.everydev.ai/tools/manta-ui