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Initial commit: README with functional spec and .gitignore

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Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
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# Collaborator
A new workspace for a new way of creating: with agents.
![Collaborator](screenshot.png)
Collaborator is a macOS desktop application where you arrange terminals, notes, code, and images on an infinite canvas. Terminals are designed for running AI agents. Everything operates on local files.
The app is early-stage and in active development.
**[Download the latest release](https://github.com/collaborator-ai/collab-public/releases/latest)**
---
## Specification
### Application overview
Collaborator is a single-window application for macOS (arm64). It operates entirely on local files with no cloud services or accounts.
The window is divided into two regions:
- **Navigator** — a resizable sidebar on the left containing a file tree and workspace switcher
- **Main area** — the canvas, an infinite pan-and-zoom surface where tiles are arranged; also hosts the viewer, which displays the content of the file selected in the navigator
All application state is stored as JSON files in `~/.collaborator/`.
### Multiworkspace navigation
The navigator sidebar displays a file tree rooted at the active workspace folder. Users can maintain multiple workspaces and switch between them.
#### Workspace management
A dropdown at the top of the navigator shows the active workspace name. It provides:
- A list of all workspaces for quick switching
- "Add workspace" to open a new local folder (also available via Cmd+Shift+O)
- "Remove workspace" to remove a workspace from the list (does not delete files)
Each workspace gets its own independent file tree. The canvas and viewer are shared across workspaces.
#### File tree
The file tree shows all files and folders in the active workspace. It supports:
- **Expand/collapse** folders by clicking
- **Two view modes**: hierarchical tree view, and a chronological feed view sorted by date
- **Sorting**: cycles through created (newest/oldest), modified (newest/oldest), and name (A-Z/Z-A)
- **File operations**: create new note (generates `Untitled.md`), create new folder, rename (F2), delete (moves to trash)
- **Move files** by dragging between folders
- **Multi-select** with Shift+click and Cmd+click
- **Search** via Cmd+K
Selecting a file in the tree opens it in the viewer. Dragging a file from the tree onto the canvas creates a tile.
### Canvas
The canvas is an infinite pan-and-zoom surface that fills the main area. It uses a dot grid background for spatial orientation.
#### Viewport controls
| Action | Input |
|--------|-------|
| Pan | Scroll wheel, or Space+drag, or middle-click+drag |
| Zoom in | Cmd+= or Ctrl+scroll up |
| Zoom out | Cmd+- or Ctrl+scroll down |
| Reset zoom | Cmd+0 |
- **Zoom range**: 33% to 100%, with rubber-band effect when overshooting limits
- **Zoom indicator**: appears briefly in the bottom-right corner after zoom changes, showing the current percentage
#### Grid
- Minor grid dots every 20px
- Major grid lines every 80px
- All tile positions and sizes snap to the 20px grid
#### Tile management
Tiles are the content units on the canvas. Each tile has:
- A **title bar** (28px) for dragging
- **Eight resize handles** (four edges, four corners)
- A **z-index** for layering — clicking a tile brings it to front
Tiles are created by:
- **Double-clicking** empty canvas space — creates a terminal tile at that position
- **Dragging a file** from the navigator onto the canvas — creates a note, code, or image tile depending on file type
Tiles can be closed via their title bar. Holding Shift while scrolling passes scroll events through tiles to the canvas.
### Tile types
#### Terminal (default: 400 x 500px, minimum: 200 x 120px)
An interactive terminal session. Created by double-clicking empty canvas space. The terminal's working directory is set to the active workspace path.
Terminals are the primary interface for running AI agents. Each terminal tile manages its own independent session.
#### Note (default: 440 x 540px, minimum: 200 x 120px)
A rich markdown editor. Created by dragging a markdown file (`.md`, `.mdx`, `.markdown`, `.txt`) from the navigator onto the canvas. Supports inline editing with live rendering.
#### Code (default: 440 x 540px, minimum: 200 x 120px)
A syntax-highlighted code editor. Created by dragging any non-markdown, non-image file from the navigator onto the canvas. Supports inline editing with language detection.
#### Image (default: 280 x 280px, minimum: 80 x 80px)
A read-only image display. Created by dragging an image file (`.png`, `.jpg`, `.jpeg`, `.gif`, `.svg`, `.webp`) from the navigator onto the canvas.
### Viewer
The viewer displays the content of the currently selected file in the navigator. It occupies the main area alongside the canvas.
| File type | Display |
|-----------|---------|
| Markdown (`.md`, `.mdx`, `.markdown`, `.txt`) | Rich text editor with frontmatter support, cover images, and wiki-style links |
| Code (all other text files) | Syntax-highlighted editor with line numbers |
| Image (`.png`, `.jpg`, `.jpeg`, `.gif`, `.svg`, `.webp`) | Image display with metadata |
| Folder | Table listing of directory contents |
Markdown and code files support inline editing in the viewer. The viewer watches for external file changes on disk and reloads automatically.
Pressing Escape closes the viewer (when not actively editing).
### Persistence
All state is stored locally in `~/.collaborator/`.
#### Canvas state (`canvas-state.json`)
```json
{
"version": 1,
"tiles": [
{
"id": "tile-<timestamp>-<index>",
"type": "term | note | code | image",
"x": 0,
"y": 0,
"width": 400,
"height": 500,
"filePath": "/absolute/path/to/file",
"zIndex": 1
}
],
"viewport": {
"panX": 0,
"panY": 0,
"zoom": 1.0
}
}
```
Canvas state is saved 500ms after each change (debounced) and immediately when tiles are created or closed.
#### Workspace config (`collaborator.json`)
```json
{
"workspaces": ["/path/to/workspace1", "/path/to/workspace2"],
"active_workspace": 0,
"window_state": {
"x": 0,
"y": 0,
"width": 1200,
"height": 800,
"isMaximized": false
}
}
```
### Keyboard shortcuts
| Shortcut | Action |
|----------|--------|
| Cmd+\ | Toggle navigator |
| Cmd+, | Settings |
| Cmd+Shift+O | Add workspace |
| Cmd+K | Search |
| Cmd+= | Zoom in |
| Cmd+- | Zoom out |
| Cmd+0 | Reset zoom |
| Cmd+Shift+] | Next tab |
| Cmd+Shift+[ | Previous tab |
| Cmd+Shift+W | Close tab |
| Cmd+1 through Cmd+9 | Switch to tab 1–9 |
| F2 | Rename selected file |
| Delete / Backspace | Delete selected file |
| Escape | Close viewer |
### Appearance
The application supports light and dark modes.
| Property | Light | Dark |
|----------|-------|------|
| Background | rgb(248, 248, 248) | rgb(18, 18, 18) |
| Canvas | rgb(230, 230, 230) | rgb(24, 24, 24) |
| Text | rgb(32, 32, 32) | rgb(220, 220, 220) |
| Border | rgb(206, 206, 206) | rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2) |
Tiles have an 8px border radius and a subtle drop shadow.