# Cindy review

> Cindy is an open-source AI agent app for desktop and mobile that combines Claude Code, Codex and Pi across your connected devices.

Devtoolwatch Board, the week of Oct 25–31, 2026. Canonical page: https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/makecindy-cindy/

## TL;DR

Cindy is an open-source AI agent client for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android. It runs Claude Code, Codex and Pi harnesses in one interface, with your own subscriptions, API keys or local models. It also connects your computers and phone, so you can continue sessions, share model providers and use remote desktop without running your own server.

## Cindy at a glance

- **Category:** [Coding agents](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/categories/coding-agents/)
- **Maintained by:** Cindy (organization, [@makecindy](https://github.com/makecindy) on GitHub)
- **License:** Apache 2.0
- **Language:** TypeScript, JavaScript, Swift
- **Repository:** [github.com/makecindy/cindy](https://github.com/makecindy/cindy)
- **Website:** [cindy.app](https://cindy.app)
- **Latest release:** [v0.1.121](https://github.com/makecindy/cindy/releases/tag/v0.1.121) on GitHub, Oct 30, 2026
- **First published:** Jul 22, 2026

## What Cindy does

- Cindy lets you choose Claude Code, Codex or Pi as the agent harness and switch harnesses and models within the same session.
- Cindy lets you open a session from another device, continue the conversation, and access its files without copying them into a new chat.
- Cindy can use model providers configured on another computer, including supported subscriptions, API providers and local models.
- Cindy includes a built-in remote desktop, so you can open apps, type and operate a connected computer from your phone.
- Cindy can coordinate multiple agents for planning, parallel implementation and independent review, with a shared goal and acceptance criteria.
- Cindy supports automations, Slack and Telegram chat channels, and Skills, plugins and MCP for connecting more tools.
- Cindy lets you create companions with their own role, instructions, skills, memory and recurring work.

### How it works

Cindy runs as an Electron desktop app and an Expo/React Native mobile app. You can sign in with a Cindy cloud account or choose Skip Sign-In to use local agents only. Your computers act as the servers. Project files stay on their own machines. Cloud companions sync through Cindy's services, and model requests go to the providers you configure.

## How to install Cindy

**Clone the source**

```
git clone https://github.com/makecindy/cindy.git
```

**Install dependencies**

```
pnpm install
```

**Run desktop dev build (global account)**

```
pnpm restart:desktop:remote --region=global
```

### Requirements

- A model source: a supported subscription, your own API keys, a local model, or Cindy's managed model service.
- A Cindy cloud account for multi-device and server-backed features. Skip Sign-In supports local agents only.
- Building from source requires Node.js 22.x, pnpm 10.x (v11 not yet supported) and Git LFS.

### First steps

1. Download Cindy for your platform from cindy.app/download.
2. Sign in with a Cindy account, or choose Skip Sign-In on the login screen to use local agents.
3. Authorize an existing subscription such as Claude Code or Codex, connect your own API keys, or use a local model.
4. To use remote access, keep your computers online, sign in with the same account and enable the needed permissions.

## Who Cindy is for

- Developers who already use Claude Code or Codex and want them in one interface alongside Pi.
- Developers working across several computers and a phone who want to continue sessions on any device.
- Teams that want multi-agent workflows with separate planning, implementation and review roles.

### Limitations

- Cindy's Skip Sign-In mode makes server-backed capabilities unavailable.
- Cindy's remote access is not whole-disk sync. Connected computers must stay online with permissions enabled.
- The backend service is not in the open-source repository. The client connects to Cindy's official cloud services by default.
- Official builds include TapDB usage analytics, on by default, linked to your account ID after sign-in. You can turn it off in Settings.

## Usage data (the week of Oct 25–31, 2026)

- Board rank: #3 overall, #1 in Coding agents, momentum score 99
- New GitHub stars per week (last 12 weeks): Aug 9: 166; Aug 16: 178; Aug 23: 103; Aug 30: 78; Sep 6: 225; Sep 13: 109; Sep 20: 59; Sep 27: 61; Oct 4: 134; Oct 11: 188; Oct 18: 1.1k; Oct 25: 4.6k

## Cindy alternatives

| Rank | Tool | Stars | Downloads/wk |
|---|---|---|---|
| #2 | [OpenMausBot](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/milind-soni-openmausbot/) | 9.6k | – |
| #3 | [Orca](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/stablyai-orca/) | 111.7k | – |
| #4 | [OpenBot](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/copilotkit-openbot/) | 9.1k | – |
| #5 | [Agent Reach](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/panniantong-agent-reach/) | 107.2k | – |
| #6 | [Skill Recorder](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/microsoft-skill-recorder/) | 5.6k | – |
| #7 | [ARTEMIS](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/google-artemis/) | 15.9k | – |

## Cindy FAQ

### Is Cindy free and open source?

Yes. Cindy's source code is on GitHub (makecindy/cindy) under the Apache 2.0 license, so you can use it for free. Its website also links to a pricing page (https://cindy.app/pricing) for any paid plans.

### How do I install Cindy?

Run `git clone https://github.com/makecindy/cindy.git`. The install section above has the other options from the project's README.

### Is Cindy still maintained?

Yes. The makecindy/cindy repository was last updated on Nov 1, 2026, and the latest release, v0.1.121 on GitHub, came out on Oct 30, 2026.

### How popular is Cindy?

Cindy has 8.8k GitHub stars as of Nov 1, 2026. It gained 4.6k new stars in the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, against a 12-week average of 583 a week. That made it #1 among AI coding agents on the Devtoolwatch Board.

### What are the best alternatives to Cindy?

Other AI coding agents on the Devtoolwatch Board in the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, by momentum: OpenMausBot (#2), Orca (#3), OpenBot (#4), Agent Reach (#5), Skill Recorder (#6). The alternatives table above has their numbers.

### Can I use Cindy without a Cindy account?

Yes. Choose Skip Sign-In on the login screen to run local agents without a Cindy account. The app then shows your account as "Not signed in." Server-backed capabilities are unavailable in this mode, and local mode does not report analytics to TapDB.

### Which agents does Cindy support?

Cindy supports three harnesses: Claude Code, Codex and Pi. Pi is a lean, open-source, extensible agent that works with multiple model providers. You can switch harnesses within a session. Switching hands off or rebuilds the engine context rather than making their internal states identical.

### Does Cindy upload my project files to the cloud?

No. Cindy keeps project files on their own computer, and remote access is not whole-disk sync. Cloud companions do sync their conversations, memory, skills and shared attachments through Cindy's services. Model providers process the requests you send them.

### What data does Cindy's telemetry collect?

Cindy's official builds use TapDB to collect device identifiers, OS and app version, and startup and activity events. TapDB does not collect chat content, file content or working-directory data. You can disable it under Settings → About → Usage statistics on desktop, or under Usage statistics in Settings on mobile.

### Do I need to run my own server to use Cindy remotely?

No. With Cindy, your own computer acts as the server, so you do not need to rent or self-host one. Version 0.1.121 also added an optional relay service. You can run it on your computer or deploy it over SSH to your own Linux server.

## Sources

1. [makecindy/cindy on GitHub](https://github.com/makecindy/cindy)
2. [Cindy README](https://github.com/makecindy/cindy/blob/main/README.md)
3. [Cindy website](https://cindy.app)
4. [Release v0.1.121 (Oct 30, 2026)](https://github.com/makecindy/cindy/releases/tag/v0.1.121)
5. [Release v0.1.120 (Oct 29, 2026)](https://github.com/makecindy/cindy/releases/tag/v0.1.120)
6. [Release v0.1.119 (Oct 28, 2026)](https://github.com/makecindy/cindy/releases/tag/v0.1.119)
7. [Devtoolwatch Board, the week of Oct 25–31, 2026](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/)