Everything you need. Nothing you don’t.
CodeMantis provides 20+ features across six categories in a native macOS application for Claude Code. Unlike browser-based wrappers or terminal-only workflows, CodeMantis is built with Tauri v2 and Rust — producing a binary under 50MB that launches in under 3 seconds and uses 40–120MB of memory compared to 300–500MB for typical Electron apps. Here’s every feature.
See it in action
Browse through every screen of CodeMantis.
Core Interface
The foundation of your coding workflow — an IDE-like environment purpose-built for AI-assisted development.
Three-Panel Layout
An IDE-like interface with a sidebar for your file tree and git status, a central chat panel for conversation, and a right panel for the activity feed, open files, terminals, and AI assistants. Everything visible at once, nothing hidden behind tabs.
Chat + Activity Separation
The chat panel shows your conversation text only — clean and readable. Every tool operation (file reads, writes, edits, bash commands) appears in a dedicated Activity Feed with color-coded badges, keeping signal and noise apart.
Session Modes
Three modes for three workflows. Normal mode lets you approve each action. Auto-Accept gives Claude full autonomy. Plan mode is reasoning-only — Claude thinks and recommends but never touches your code.
Tool Approvals
In Normal mode, every file edit, bash command, and file read surfaces for your explicit approval or rejection. You stay in full control of what Claude does to your project — no surprises.
AI Features
Go beyond chat — spec documents, autonomous implementation, parallel AI assistants, and auto-generated changelogs.
SpecWriter
An interactive AI assistant that turns vague ideas into implementation-ready specification documents. It asks follow-up questions, tags confidence levels, and generates verification checklists so nothing gets missed.
Multi-AI Assistants
Open parallel chat tabs with OpenAI, Google Gemini, or Anthropic APIs alongside your Claude Code session. Brainstorm architecture, compare suggestions, or draft docs — each assistant tracks per-session costs.
AI-Powered Changelog
Auto-generated session summaries via Gemini, OpenAI, or Anthropic. At the end of a session you get a structured changelog documenting every change Claude made — ready to share with your team or commit alongside your code.
Implementation Guide
Turn SpecWriter specifications into structured, multi-session implementation plans. Each session has a clear scope, pre-built prompts, and a verification checklist. A progress bar tracks completion and a "Verify for me" button lets Claude auto-check each step.
Self-Drive
An AI orchestrator that autonomously implements your entire Implementation Guide. Self-Drive sends prompts, verifies output, fixes errors, runs build checks and tests, and advances through sessions — all without manual intervention. Confidence guards pause automatically when human review is needed.
Super-Bro
A proactive guidance system that watches your workflow and offers context-aware suggestions, keyboard shortcut reminders, and best-practice tips — without being asked. Like a knowledgeable colleague looking over your shoulder.
Project Setup
From empty folder to productive conversation in under a minute.
Project Templates
10+ curated starter templates — Next.js, Vite+React, FastAPI, Astro, Expo, and more. One click scaffolds the project, installs dependencies, and gets you straight to building.
CLAUDE.md Generation
Every template auto-generates a CLAUDE.md file that teaches Claude your project's structure, conventions, and commands. Claude understands your codebase from the very first message.
Project Picker
Open any existing folder or scaffold a new project from a template. Recent projects are saved for quick access, and the picker shows git status at a glance so you always know where things stand.
Development Tools
A full development environment inside the app — editor, terminals, preview, and diffs.
Integrated File Viewer
A multi-tab Monaco editor with full syntax highlighting for every language. Open files directly from the activity feed or file tree, review changes, and jump to specific lines without leaving CodeMantis.
Integrated Terminals
Full PTY terminals powered by xterm.js with multiple tabs. Run dev servers, tests, or any shell command without switching to a separate terminal app. Output stays visible alongside your chat.
Preview Browser
A separate native window shows your running web app with viewport presets for phone, tablet, and desktop. Auto-detects your dev server and captures console logs — describe a change, watch Claude implement it, see it live.
Diff Viewer
View file changes inline with a clear diff display. Every edit Claude makes is presented as a before-and-after comparison so you can verify exactly what changed before approving.
Extensibility
Extend Claude Code with MCP servers, slash commands, and direct CLI access.
MCP Server Management
A visual UI for adding, editing, and removing MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers. 15+ built-in templates for popular services — configure once, use everywhere. No JSON editing required.
Slash Commands
A searchable command palette with skill templates. Type / to access commands for common workflows — quickly insert context, switch modes, trigger actions, or load pre-built prompts.
CLI Overlay
Direct Claude Code CLI access via the keyboard shortcut. Drop into the raw CLI whenever you need it — full terminal emulation with all Claude Code commands available, without leaving the app.
Polish & UX
The details that make CodeMantis feel like a real Mac app, not a web wrapper.
6 Themes
Three dark themes (Midnight, Ocean, Ember) and three light themes (Dawn, Sand, Arctic). Each is carefully designed for long coding sessions with proper contrast ratios and comfortable colors.
Context Meter
A live token usage display that shows how much of Claude's context window you've used. Visual warnings appear as you approach the limit so you can start a new session before hitting the wall.
Git Status
Always-visible git information — current branch name, uncommitted change count, and last commit time. Stay oriented in your repository without running git commands manually.
Error Recovery
Automatic retry on API rate limits and stale session detection. When things go wrong, CodeMantis handles it gracefully — no lost context, no crashed sessions, no manual restarts.
Auto-Updates
In-app update notifications with one-click install. When a new version ships, you see a non-intrusive banner — click to update and restart. No manual downloads, no version checking.
Keyboard Shortcuts
A comprehensive shortcut system covering navigation, mode switching, panel toggling, and common actions. Learn a few shortcuts and your hands never leave the keyboard.
CodeMantis vs. the alternatives
Claude Code is powerful in any environment. Here’s how the experience compares.
| CodeMantis | Terminal (CLI) | VS Code Extension | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interface | Three-panel native GUI | Single scrolling pane | Sidebar panel |
| Activity feed | Dedicated panel with diffs | Mixed into chat output | Varies by extension |
| Spec writing | Built-in SpecWriter AI | Manual markdown | Not available |
| Project templates | 10+ built-in templates | Manual scaffolding | Not available |
| Memory usage | 40–120 MB | ~50 MB | 300–500 MB (Electron) |
| Download size | Under 50 MB | CLI only (~20 MB) | 200+ MB (full editor) |
| Live preview | Built-in browser | External browser | External browser |
| MCP servers | 15+ server templates | Manual JSON config | Varies |
| License | MIT (free & open source) | Proprietary (Anthropic) | Varies |
Memory and size figures based on internal benchmarks (March 2026). Electron figures reflect typical Chromium-based app overhead. Terminal memory is for the Claude Code CLI process only.
Ready to try it?
CodeMantis is free and open source under the MIT License. Download it, explore every feature, and make Claude Code feel at home on your Mac.