caretta Help

Desktop and web UI

caretta provides two interactive UI modes: a native desktop app and a local web server variant.

Desktop mode

Launch desktop UI:

caretta # or caretta gui

Desktop layout

The desktop experience is split into:

  • Sidebar: agent/model selection, workflow actions, tracker/issues/PR controls, and related configuration.

  • Editor panel tabs:

    • Agent Output

    • Files

    • Personas

    • Security

    • Interview

    • Chat

Personas

The Personas tab manages persistent persona JSON files used by UXR workflows. By default, caretta resolves persona storage next to the effective user_personas skill file.

Web mode

Serve the embedded web app over HTTP:

caretta serve

Default address is http://127.0.0.1:8080.

Custom port example:

caretta serve --port 3000

Development helper script

When working from source, scripts/agent.sh offers convenience wrappers:

# Web mode ./scripts/agent.sh # Desktop mode ./scripts/agent.sh --desktop

UI operation tips

  • Use Follow in event output when you want live scrolling.

  • Use Expand All to inspect collapsed reasoning/tool output blocks.

  • Use Stop to request cancellation of active runs.

  • Switch themes from title bar dropdown in desktop mode.

When to choose desktop vs web

  • Use desktop when you need local file persistence integration and full panel interactions with OS keychain-backed storage.

  • Use web when you want lightweight browser access to the same project workflows from a local machine context.

Last modified: 02 July 2026