the terminal for a faster design loop.

sidealong is a mac terminal for your coding agent, built for a faster design loop. press ⌃⌥ over figma, a browser preview or any app, and claude code or codex is right there beside it. snap what feels off or just talk it through, then see it changed without leaving your canvas.

and it’s ready for real code. each idea gets its own workspace, a git worktree of its own, so one experiment never steps on another. when one feels right, open a pull request and merge it from the same panel.

yes, everything is free while it's new, at least until december 1. after that it's $49 a year, everyone keeps 5 free days a month, & you'll hear 2 weeks before anything changes.

i'm letting people in in small groups each week so i can help each one get set up. you'll get an email with the download link when it's your turn.

sidealong works with claude code and codex for now, and more agents are on the way. it runs the one you already use, on the plan you already pay for, so there's no new account and no sidealong server in the middle.

yes. sidealong runs the claude code you already have, in a real terminal, so your settings, skills, hooks and MCPs all come along.

sidealong works with any of them, because snap works on whatever's on your screen, from figma and paper to a page in your browser. when claude changes the thing you sent, back to canvas takes you straight to it. that works for tabs in chrome, safari and dia, and for paper, pencil and figma through their MCPs.

no, keep what you use. conductor, t3 code and cursor are great for working on the code and for big jobs you check on later. sidealong is for when you're in the design, looking at the canvas, and want it changed now. it's its own app, so it sits right alongside them. since i started using sidealong, i haven't gone back to conductor. your setup might be different.

a copy of your project for one idea, so you can try a direction without touching your main branch. each one has its own chats. when an idea works, it goes up as a pull request, and when it doesn't, you just close it.

barely. sidealong sends your messages as they are. the only extras are a tiny call that names each new chat, and a review when you ask for one. your 5-hour and weekly use sit in the footer, so you always know where you are.

only to your agent, the same place it goes today. your screen & code never touch my server. the only one i run handles licences: if you pay, it knows your email & which macs you use. if you don't, it never hears from you, apart from checking for updates. when you talk over a walkthrough, your voice turns into text right on your mac. if you join the waitlist, i keep your email to send you the link & tell you about changes, nothing else.

a mac on macOS 15 or later. sidealong asks for a few permissions one at a time, right when they're needed, & says why. the welcome note walks you through them.

yes, and honestly you might enjoy it. a hotkey that opens claude in a terminal over whatever you're looking at is about two hours with your agent. mine started as a duct-tape prototype too.

the core loop is the easy part. most of my time since went into the stuff you only find by living in it every day. like the panel showing up in under 5 ms, so pressing ⌃⌥ feels instant. or claude still running when the app crashes, with the whole chat right where you left it. or snap bringing back the exact tab you sent from, even on another desktop. or chats falling asleep when you're away, so five claudes don't eat your mac's memory.

so my honest take? if two hours of building, plus fixing it every time claude code changes, is worth less than $49 a year, go build it, you'll learn a ton. if not, sidealong is right here, and it's free right now.

honestly? it started as my side project, and i won't pretend it's a company with a roadmap. but it's the tool i felt was missing as a designer, and it's been my daily driver for hours a day since the first duct-tape prototype. ever since, i couldn't think of a better way of designing and shipping stuff than with sidealong. from late august to november 1, that's 1,997 commits and 210 merged pull requests, with 68 new versions since mid october alone. i'd love to make it my full-time thing if enough of you want it, and that's why it'll be $49 a year, & everyone keeps 5 free days a month. & if i ever stop working on sidealong, i'll ship one last version that needs no licence, so your copy keeps working on any mac. fair enough? ;)