bb — The IDE That Builds Itself
bb — The IDE That Builds Itself
A local-first, open-source agent workbench that can run several coding agents and be extended by asking an agent to build a plugin.
Links
- Website: https://getbb.app/
- Blog: An Agentic IDE That Builds Itself — the clearest explanation of the product and its philosophy.
- GitHub: https://github.com/get-bb/bb
- License: MIT
Overview
bb is an agent-oriented IDE and orchestrator for working across threads, worktrees, and coding agents. It supports Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Pi, OpenCode, Grok, omp, Hermes, and ACP-compatible agents, using the subscriptions you already have.
Its distinguishing claim is malleability: much of bb itself is implemented as plugins, and users can ask an agent to add a capability. The product post gives examples including a task-management GUI, tiled thread navigation, automated code review, a markdown vault, and a small digital-audio workstation. A plugin can add both a sidebar surface and a CLI/skill for agents to use.
It belongs to the crowded agent-workbench space, but is more interesting as an experiment in software that lets its own agents reshape the environment they work in than as another fixed agent dashboard.
Related
- moc-agent-workbenches — the wider category of environments for running and managing coding agents.
- pi.dev — a smaller, terminal-first coding harness built around extensibility.
- paperclip — an orchestration layer for agent teams and autonomous businesses.