Stvena

Stop reopening your IDE just to review what your coding agent changed.

Run Codex or Claude Code beside a live review workspace in the same terminal.
Inspect every changed file, read the surrounding code, run checks, select exact
lines, and send that context straight back to the agent.

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/7aecafe5-1e45-442e-ab49-82cfc3750d9f

Built in Go. Designed for terminal workflows with Codex and Claude Code.
Early-stage software: interfaces and local storage formats may change.

If Stvena saves you from the "open the IDE just for the diff" loop, consider
starring the repository.

Why Stvena?

• See the work as it happens. Review changes since the agent started, or
  inspect staged, unstaged, and new files across the workspace.
• Read beyond the diff. Browse the project tree, open complete files, and
  switch between unified and side-by-side views with syntax highlighting.
• Give the agent precise context. Select code with the mouse or keyboard,
  collect snippets across files, and paste an assembled draft into the agent.
  You decide when to submit it.
• Keep track of your review. Pin a captured version, mark files and hunks
  reviewed, and see when a reviewed change has changed again.
• Check the code you are looking at. Run a command in a temporary checkout
  of a captured version, inspect logs, and jump from recognized failures to source.
• Stage deliberately. Stage or unstage files and hunks with confirmation.

Installation

You need Git, an interactive terminal, and your chosen agent CLI installed
and authenticated. Stvena uses Unix PTYs and process groups; macOS and Linux are
the intended platforms. Native Windows is not supported.

Prebuilt binary (recommended)

No Go installation is required:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nccapo/stvena/main/install.sh | sh

The installer downloads the correct macOS or Linux release for your machine,
verifies it against the published SHA-256 checksums, and installs it in an
existing writable binary directory or $HOME/.local/bin.

Run the same command again to upgrade to the latest release. Check the installed
version with stvena --version.

To choose the installation directory or install a specific release:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nccapo/stvena/main/install.sh | \
  STVENA_INSTALL_DIR="$HOME/.local/bin" STVENA_VERSION=v0.1.0 sh

Homebrew is not required. A dedicated Homebrew tap is not published yet, so the
verified installer is currently the shortest supported installation path.

Install with Go or build from source

These options require Go 1.24.2 or newer:

go install github.com/nccapo/stvena/cmd/stvena@latest

git clone https://github.com/nccapo/stvena.git
cd stvena
go build -o bin/stvena ./cmd/stvena
./bin/stvena --help

Quick start

Launch Stvena inside the Git project you want to work on. You can pass an
agent command and its arguments after --, or reopen a saved review:

cd /path/to/your/project
stvena                    # Starts Codex
stvena claude             # Starts Claude Code
stvena -- codex --model YOUR_MODEL
stvena review
stvena sessions
stvena review --session ID

Multiple agent terminals: Ctrl-] opens a chooser: c starts Codex, l
starts Claude Code, and Enter repeats your original command with its arguments.
Run Codex and Claude side by side; Ctrl-N / Ctrl-P switch between them. Background
agents keep running in the same repository, with one shared review workspace. Ctrl-W closes the current agent
and stops its command. Ctrl-Q stops them all.

Reopening a review compares a saved baseline with today's workspace; it does
not resume an agent conversation. Other commands can run in the agent pane,
but direct selection paste is supported for Codex and Claude Code.

A typical workflow

1. Start stvena in your project and give the agent a task.
2. Press Ctrl-G to focus review. Open a changed file, or press 3 to browse
   the project. Press v to switch between a diff and the full file.
3. Drag over code and press b to paste it into the agent's input. Add your
   request and submit it in the CLI. Use x to collect multiple selections
   and B to open the context tray.
4. Press t to run a check such as go test ./.... Open results with T,
   then o for recognized problem locations.
5. Mark a file reviewed with Space and move to the next unreviewed file with
   N. In Workspace view, S stages or unstages the selected file.

Review shortcuts apply when review has focus. Ctrl-C keeps the agent's
native interrupt behavior. Review remains open after the agent exits; q
closes it. See the complete user guide for comments, hunk staging,
search, clipboard tools, and every shortcut.

For a review pause, switch panes with Ctrl-G, then choose Actions → Review
checkpoint (K) after the agent changes files. Stvena pins the captured
session tree. Use Space/H to review files/hunks, N for the next unreviewed
file, and c or x to save exact-line comments or selections across files.
Finish checkpoint (Z) warns about remaining work and previews one draft;
b pastes it into Codex/Claude Code without submitting, or copies it in
standalone review. P resumes live; changed items need review again. An open
checkpoint and its feedback survive reopening a saved review.

Privacy and local data

Stvena does not require its own API key or account. It launches the agent CLI
you already use with your environment and credentials. Your chosen agent's
network access and data handling still apply.

• Review metadata, comments, snippets, draft requests, preferences, and check
  output are stored under your OS cache directory in stvena/<repository hash>.
• Captured code is retained in local Git objects under refs/stvena/sessions/*
  and refs/stvena/reviews/*. Use normal branch pushes; a mirror push can also
  publish these private refs.
• Capture respects Git ignore rules for untracked files. Already tracked
  files are captured even if subsequently ignored. Put credentials outside
  Git and inspect your index before committing.
• Selected code is pasted only when requested; Stvena does not press Enter to
  submit it. Drafts can include absolute paths and captured source.
• Check commands run with your user permissions and inherited environment.
  The temporary checkout is not a sandbox. Run commands you trust.

Retained snapshots do not expire automatically. Use one Stvena process per
repository to avoid competing writes to saved review state. The
storage and limits guide describes
capture behavior and size limits.

Development and contributions

Bug reports, focused pull requests, and usability feedback are welcome.
Read CONTRIBUTING.md for setup, checks, and what to include in
a report. For sensitive findings, see SECURITY.md.

go test ./...
go test -race ./...
go vet ./...
go build ./...

Maintainers publish the prebuilt archives and checksums by pushing a semantic
version tag. See Publish a release for the
release command and verification steps.

The product direction and
research notes describe ideas and tradeoffs;
they are dated planning documents, not a promise of supported features.

License

MIT © 2026 Stvena contributors.

Stvena is an independent project, unaffiliated with OpenAI or Anthropic.