The agent layer needs an orchestrator.

Thesis

The first wave of AI coding tools each shipped their own CLI, their own config directory, their own provider binding, and their own usage log. Independently, each is fine. Collectively, on the same developer machine, they're a mess. The terminal feels less like a workshop and more like an unmanaged tool drawer.

We think the right answer is the same one Unix gave for shells and the one package managers gave for libraries: a thin orchestration layer that owns the namespace, the credentials, and the lifecycle — and stays out of everything else. That's Ringlet.

What we believe

• Local-first. Your agent CLI is on your laptop. Your provider keys are on your laptop. The orchestrator should be on your laptop too. No mandatory cloud, no SaaS dependency, no telemetry you didn't opt into.
• Profiles are the right unit. Not workspaces, not sessions, not tasks. A profile is a long-lived bundle of (agent, provider, credentials, history) that survives across days, machines, and tools. Profiles are what your bash aliases are pretending to be.
• Cost transparency by default. Token counting is part of the wire format every modern provider emits. There's no excuse not to expose it.
• Sandbox by default. Agents that can write code can also write rm -rf. Remote sessions run inside bwrap or sandbox-exec; if you want to lower the walls, you opt in.
• Open source, MIT. Use it commercially. Fork it. Vendor it. Attribution appreciated; not required.

Who's building it

Ringlet is built by Neul Labs — the same team that ships agentlib (the mobile-native AI agent SDK) and closegate (the open-source policy gate for finance AI agents). We're small, open about what we ship, and biased toward building durable open-source primitives.

Roadmap pointers

• Now (0.x): Profile isolation, multi-agent support, provider switching, cost tracking, hooks, remote terminal sessions, web UI, Tauri desktop app.
• Next: Plugin SDK (Rhai-scriptable hooks), cross-device profile sync, expanded agent registry.
• After that: Team tier with shared profiles and centralised provider policy. Enterprise with SSO, audit, compliance, private registry, air-gapped install.

Get in touch

• Issues + discussions: github.com/neul-labs/ringlet
• Email: ringlet@neullabs.com
• Security: security@neullabs.com