Show HN: Emdash – Coding Agent Orchestrator Powered by Git Worktrees

3 days ago 3

Run multiple coding agents in parallel—provider-agnostic, worktree-isolated, and local-first.

Emdash lets you develop and test multiple features with multiple agents in parallel. It’s provider-agnostic (we support 10+ CLIs, such as Claude Code and Codex) and runs each agent in its own Git worktree to keep changes clean; when the environment matters, you can run a PR in its own Docker container. Hand off Linear, GitHub, or Jira tickets to an agent, review diffs side-by-side, and keep everything local.

Latest Release (macOS • Windows • Linux)

Direct links

macOS users can also: brew install --cask emdash

Installer (x64): https://github.com/generalaction/emdash/releases/latest/download/emdash-x64-installer.exe
Portable (x64): https://github.com/generalaction/emdash/releases/latest/download/emdash-x64.exe

AppImage (x64): https://github.com/generalaction/emdash/releases/latest/download/emdash-x64.AppImage
Debian package (x64): https://github.com/generalaction/emdash/releases/latest/download/emdash-x64.deb

Emdash currently integrates with twelve CLI providers and are adding new providers regularly. If you miss one, let us know or create a PR.

Emdash allows you to pass engineering tickets straight from your issue tracker to your coding agent at workspace creation.

Tool Status Authentication

Linear	✅ Supported	Connect with a Linear API key.
Jira	✅ Supported	Provide your site URL, email, and Atlassian API token.
GitHub Issues	✅ Supported	Authenticate via GitHub CLI (gh auth login).

Run multiple agents in parallel

Contributions welcome! See the Contributing Guide to get started, and join our Discord to discuss.

What telemetry do you collect and can I disable it?

We send anonymous, allow‑listed events (app start/close, feature usage names, app/platform versions) to PostHog.
We do not send code, file paths, repo names, prompts, or PII.

Disable telemetry:

In the app: Settings → General → Privacy & Telemetry (toggle off)
Or via env var before launch:

Full details: see docs/telemetry.md.

Where is my data stored?

Everything is local‑first. We store app state in a local SQLite database:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/emdash/emdash.db Windows: %APPDATA%/emdash/emdash.db Linux: ~/.config/emdash/emdash.db

You can reset by deleting the DB (quit the app first). The file is recreated on next launch.

Do I need GitHub CLI?

Only if you want GitHub features (open PRs from Emdash, fetch repo info, GitHub Issues integration).
Install & sign in:

If you don’t use GitHub features, you can skip installing gh.

How do I add a new provider?

Emdash is provider‑agnostic and built to add CLIs quickly.

Open a PR following the Contributing Guide (CONTRIBUTING.md).
Include: provider name, how it’s invoked (CLI command), auth notes, and minimal setup steps.
We’ll add it to the Integrations matrix and wire up provider selection in the UI.

If you’re unsure where to start, open an issue with the CLI’s link and typical commands.

I hit a native‑module crash (sqlite3 / node‑pty / keytar). What’s the fast fix?

This usually happens after switching Node/Electron versions.

Rebuild native modules:

If that fails, clean and reinstall:

(Resets node_modules, reinstalls, and re‑builds Electron native deps.)

What permissions does Emdash need?

Filesystem/Git: to read/write your repo and create Git worktrees for isolation.
Network: only for provider CLIs you choose to use (e.g., Codex, Claude) and optional GitHub actions.
Local DB: to store your app state in SQLite on your machine.

Emdash itself does not send your code or chats to our servers. Third‑party CLIs may transmit data per their policies.

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