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Measured on six things

A floating macOS sidebar for terminal-first developers, s...

Growth

Domain only 4 months old with no reviews, no repo, and minimal mentions; early indie launch stage with founder-driven signals.

Screenshots

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Sidebridge

About this app

Sidebridge is a native macOS app that gives you peripheral vision for your terminal. As you switch between tmux panes, Codex, or Claude Code, Sidebridge automatically follows your focus and surfaces project context—git status, diffs, file trees, agent tool calls, and more—in a floating sidebar. No project picker, no mode switch. It's like having an IDE's awareness without the IDE. The free version covers active focus switching; the $15 Pro one-time purchase adds retained history, project search, exports, and an Agent Brief module that agents can write into. Works with Ghostty, iTerm2, Terminal, Warp, Alacritty, WezTerm, kitty, and the Codex/Claude Code desktop apps. Ships with 30+ themes like Dracula, Tokyo Night, and Solarized. Built for developers who live in the terminal and work across multiple repos and agents.

Key features

1Automatic pane-aware floating sidebar for git status, diffs, file trees, and agent activity
2Works with tmux, Ghostty, iTerm2, Warp, Alacritty, WezTerm, kitty plus Codex/Claude Code apps
3$15 one-time Pro unlock for retained history, exports, project search, and Agent Brief module

Target customer profile

Drawn from the product itself, not from a survey.

Demographic

Full-stack developers working with tmux and multiple repos

Pain points

Losing context when switching between terminal panes or projects; constantly checking git status, diffs, and agent output manually

Primary needs

Automatic project awareness that follows pane focus; quick access to git state, file changes, and agent activity without leaving the terminal

Demographic

AI-agent-heavy developers using Claude Code or Codex CLI daily

Pain points

Scattered agent sessions across multiple terminals; hard to track what each agent did, which files changed, and current goals without digging through chat logs

Primary needs

A unified panel showing agent tool calls, active goals, model config, and editable agent brief; history of agent activity per project

Demographic

Remote or solo developers who frequently context-switch between tasks

Pain points

Forgetting what they were working on after interruptions; spending time re-orienting to a project's state (branch, dirty files, recent commits, running processes)

Primary needs

A persistent sidebar showing "since last focus" summary, recent commits, file changes, and ongoing processes; ability to tuck or hide when not coding

Demographic

Mac power users who prefer native, minimal tools over browser-based dashboards

Pain points

Clunky, non-native project monitors that feel out of place on macOS; heavy IDE performance overhead just for project awareness

Primary needs

A lightweight, native Swift macOS app that feels at home with the system; floating sidebar that stays out of the way when not needed

Scout Review

Written by AI from measured evidence, scored out of 100.

Sidebridge is a focused, native macOS companion for terminal-centric developers who juggle tmux panes and AI coding agents. It solves a real context-switching pain point with automatic project awareness that feels like a lightweight IDE sidebar without leaving the terminal. The one-time pricing model and broad terminal compatibility are refreshing. At this early stage the product is light on documentation and external validation, but the core experience shown in screenshots and demos is already coherent and useful.

Measure by measure

Usability

One-click download, automatic pane following, and clear free/Pro split make it simple to try; limited public docs or onboarding flow.

Design

Clean dark UI with strong visual hierarchy, consistent green accents, and realistic product screenshots that match homepage mockups.

Speed

Strong Lighthouse scores (desktop 97, mobile 81) and native local architecture keep it snappy with no cloud dependency.

Security

Basic HTTPS only; missing HSTS, CSP, and any compliance claims or audits typical for a small native tool.

Accessibility

Solid 90 Lighthouse score but several contrast and ARIA issues flagged; native macOS app should inherit system accessibility features.

Growth

Domain only 4 months old with no reviews, no repo, and minimal mentions; early indie launch stage with founder-driven signals.

Improvement areas

Public documentation, onboarding guides, and video demos are currently missing
Security headers and any compliance signals are absent from the marketing site
Zero third-party reviews or community presence after four months

Design & Usability

Sidebridge delivers a polished native macOS sidebar that visually matches its promise of peripheral vision for the terminal. The dark UI with green accents and dense but readable git/agent metrics feels purpose-built for developers already living in tmux and agent CLIs. The homepage makes the value proposition immediate with a prominent free download CTA and live demo panels showing focus switching in action. Usability benefits from zero configuration — it just follows your active pane across supported terminals and Codex/Claude apps. The free tier covers the core focus-following behavior while the $15 one-time Pro unlocks history and agent brief features without subscriptions. Minor friction comes from the lack of public documentation or onboarding guides, leaving new users to explore the floating sidebar on their own.

Speed & Security

Performance is a clear strength thanks to the native Swift implementation and local-only data handling, reflected in excellent Lighthouse desktop scores and acceptable mobile results. No cloud round-trips means the sidebar stays responsive even when switching rapidly between panes or agent sessions. Security posture is minimal but appropriate for a local desktop utility: HTTPS on the marketing site is present, yet advanced headers and any third-party audits are absent. With no user accounts or data leaving the machine, the risk surface stays small. The product prioritizes lightweight native feel over enterprise compliance theater.

Accessibility & Growth

Accessibility lands in a respectable range for a young native app, with Lighthouse flagging only a handful of contrast and ARIA issues that are common on new sites. As a macOS app it can leverage system-level screen reader and keyboard support, though explicit documentation is missing. Growth is the weakest dimension: the domain is under five months old with almost no third-party reviews, community presence, or GitHub activity. Early signals are limited to founder posts and directory listings. This is typical for a solo indie release but means buyers currently rely entirely on the landing page and word-of-mouth within terminal and agent-tooling circles.

Conclusion

For developers tired of manually checking git status and agent logs across scattered panes, Sidebridge offers a low-friction way to keep that context visible. Its youth shows in missing docs and traction, yet the native implementation and clear focus on agent-heavy workflows give it a strong foundation to grow from.

Suggestions for improvement

Add a short getting-started video or interactive demo showing pane switching in real time
Publish a minimal docs page covering supported terminals, Pro features, and troubleshooting
Implement basic security headers (HSTS, CSP) on the marketing site even if the app itself is local
Create a public changelog or roadmap to build early user confidence

How we score

Alternatives comparison

Named competitors, point by point. Nobody paid to appear here or to be left out.

	Sidebridge	tmux-sidebar	Lazygit	GitLens
Agent / Codex / Claude awareness	Yes - surfaces agent tool calls, goals, model config, and brief	No - only file tree and git status	No - git only	No - VS Code git extension only
Works across multiple terminals without IDE	Yes - Ghostty, iTerm2, Warp, Alacritty, WezTerm, kitty, tmux	tmux only	Terminal UI only	VS Code only
Persistent history & exports	Pro ($15 one-time) adds retained history and exports	No persistent cross-session history	Session-based only	Git history inside VS Code