The desktop app
What a window, the main process and its helpers each do, and the sockets the app listens on.
The desktop app is one program. Each window draws a workspace. One main process does the rest: it keeps your settings and workspaces, and starts the helpers that run your agents and reach your other devices.
- Window ↔ main process: the app's own messages (IPC). A window draws the canvas, tiles and views. It opens no file and no connection itself.
- hive ctl, programs → main process:
drive.sock, with a token. See The hive command. - Browser tab → main process: a WebSocket on 127.0.0.1. See Open the app in a browser tab.
- Main process ↔ background process: a local socket. See Terminals and the background process.
- Main process ↔ hive-net: a local socket. See Devices and hive-net.
- Close every window: the background process keeps your terminals and agents running.
Windows and workspaces
Each window shows one workspace. Open a second window for a second project; both share the one main process and the one background process. The main process saves each workspace's layout as you change it, and each window's size and place. Where: Data and where it is stored.
Plugins in a window
A window runs views, widgets and tools, each in a different place. What each can reach: Trust, permissions and privacy.
Last validated for Hivemind 2026.10.3.