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Show HN: Claudraband – Claude Code for the Power User

120 points by halfwhey 6mo ago

Hello everyone. Claudraband wraps a Claude Code TUI in a controlled terminal to enable extended workflows. It uses tmux for visible controlled sessions or xterm.js for headless sessions (a little slower), but everything is mediated by an actual Claude Code TUI. One example of a workflow I use now is having my current Claude Code interrogate older sessions for certain decisions it made: https://github.com/halfwhey/claudraband?tab=readme-ov-file#self-interrogation https://github.com/halfwhey/claudraband?tab=readme-ov-file#s... This project provides: - Resumable non-interactive workflows. Essentially `claude -p` with session support: `cband continue <session-id> 'what was the result of the research?'` - HTTP server to remotely control a Claude Code session: `cband serve --port 8123` - ACP server to use with alternative frontends such as Zed or Toad (https://github.com/batrachianai/toad https://github.com/batrachianai/toad): `cband acp --model haiku`. - TypeScript library so you can integrate these workflows into your own application. This exists cause I was using `tmux send-keys` heavily in a lot of my Claude Code workflows, but I wanted to streamline it.

colobas 6mo ago
Any idea of how this interacts with Anthropic's ToS for subscription-based use?
- cortesoft 6mo ago
  It looks like it shouldn’t be an issue… it is just a wrapper around CLI calls to the official Claude code. It would be indistinguishable from the Anthropic side, and it isn’t even doing anything hacky or impersonating the official client.
  - halfwhey 6mo ago
    This is my interpretation as well, Anthropic wants to be in full control of the connection between the client and their servers, and that's compatible with what I'm trying to do.
    - natpalmer1776 6mo ago
      I love how aligned with traditional hacker culture this. Fantastic job, 10/10!
  - j45 6mo ago
    Nor is it flooding servers with open claw type use.
lifis 6mo ago
That's cool but by only supporting Claude Code you are contributing to the Anthropic lock-in problem. This needs to support at least Gemini CLI, Codex and OpenCode as well, preferably by being generic as much as possible.
- halfwhey 6mo ago
  Codex and Gemini have ACP servers already: https://github.com/zed-industries/codex-acp https://github.com/zed-industries/codex-acp https://geminicli.com/docs/cli/acp-mode/ https://geminicli.com/docs/cli/acp-mode/ In fact Codex, in OpenAI fashion, have their own protocol as well: https://developers.openai.com/codex/app-server https://developers.openai.com/codex/app-server Opencode too. These tools are already so programmable and embeddable, it's just Claude Code is a sticking point. But maybe it would be useful to provide a unified CLI and Daemon for all of them.
  - lifis 6mo ago
    They have ACP servers but they might apply different rate limits or policies if they notice ACP use, while a solution like yours would not trigger that unless it becomes popular enough to specifically detect. It also seems this provides more features them just an ACP server.
    - halfwhey 6mo ago
      That's a good point, I'll look into tackling this soon
    - BoorishBears 6mo ago
      Is there an example of this?
    - stingraycharles 6mo ago
      > they might apply different rate limits or policies if they notice ACP use Is there any evidence that supports this claim?
- 6mo ago
mikeroySoft 6mo ago
License? I see none listed in the repo.
- halfwhey 6mo ago
  Fixed
mr_johnson123 6mo ago
[dead]
beepbooptheory 6mo ago
Isn't "Claude Code power user" an oxymoron or am I confused?
- sudb 6mo ago
  Are you asking if it is possible to be a power user of Claude Code? Because it very much is - what's the oxymoron?
  - ghiculescu 6mo ago
    I thought Claude Code _is_ for power users. How much more powerful do you need to be to use this?
- halfwhey 6mo ago
  Some people open a claude code session and just talk with it. And some use hooks, custom commands, agent-teams..and so on. You can definitely be a power user. But I’m sure whether that translates to actual “power” is up for debate.
  - beepbooptheory 6mo ago
    I would simply ask the claude code to use the hooks and custom commands and agent teams for me.
    - selcuka 6mo ago
      In order to ask it to use them, you should be first aware of them. Non-power users aren't.
      - beepbooptheory 6mo ago
        I would ask the claude code what I should be aware of if I was a power user.
dragonfax 6mo ago
Using Claude Channels can make it easy to inject prompts and get just the response back without having to identify it in the terminal output or fight with the TUI. But they're not well designed, and some things just have to go in through the terminal interface like slash commands (i.e. `/clear`)
pxc 6mo ago
If xterm.js is slower than tmux, why don't you just use tmux for the headless sessions as well? How is tmux not headless enough?
- halfwhey 6mo ago
  Not everyone has tmux. I default to tmux if you have it and fallback to xterm.js
  - pxc 6mo ago
    Ah, ah, got it. So you get a kind of graceful degradation if the optional dependency is missing. Nice! And, I guess, it's headless in the sense that you can't attach to it even if you want to. I get what you meant now.
eddie-wang 6mo ago
[dead]
alun 6mo ago
It's interesting how Anthropic haven't shipped their own IDE for more vertical integration. All it would take is implementing their own forked version of VSCode (like Cursor did) and making Claude the default choice. Obviously I'm simplifying here, but they definitely have the capability to do it.
- throwadobe 6mo ago
  > they definitely have the capability to do it. You'd think so, but I guess they don't.
- SOLAR_FIELDS 6mo ago
  What cursor has learned, very painfully, is that making a complex gui, even with the help of ai, is a lot fucking harder than a cli tool. Anthropic is wisely staying out of that space and sticking to more basic ui’s like cowork. There is a LOT of work buried in your statement “all it would take”. All one has to do is look at the evolution of cursor to confirm my statement. Compare v1 of cursor to v3 and see how much more insanely simplified the ui has become in v3 - it’s essentially a glorified cowork interface now
- pxc 6mo ago
  Is that something anyone wants? It seems like being able to plug into other editors works well. What are the experiences people are trying to get but currently can't build because ACP sucks or whatever?
- braebo 6mo ago
  Claude Code Desktop is as close as I can see them getting as it seems the big bet is that the IDE is on its way out as models improve.
SV_BubbleTime 6mo ago
I’m very dumb. How is this different than starting Claude Code in a tmux and then connecting to that?
- halfwhey 6mo ago
  The extra stuff is that you can automate interactions with Claude Code sessions using a CLI (which just tmux send-keys under the hood), an HTTP server, and ACP server (so you can embed claude code in other IDEs), and typescript library. So it's meant to make CC more embeddable in your workflows.
zzy824 6mo ago
[dead]

120 points by halfwhey 6mo ago

colobas 6mo ago

Any idea of how this interacts with Anthropic's ToS for subscription-based use?

cortesoft 6mo ago
It looks like it shouldn’t be an issue… it is just a wrapper around CLI calls to the official Claude code. It would be indistinguishable from the Anthropic side, and it isn’t even doing anything hacky or impersonating the official client.
- halfwhey 6mo ago
  This is my interpretation as well, Anthropic wants to be in full control of the connection between the client and their servers, and that's compatible with what I'm trying to do.
  - natpalmer1776 6mo ago
    I love how aligned with traditional hacker culture this. Fantastic job, 10/10!
- j45 6mo ago
  Nor is it flooding servers with open claw type use.

lifis 6mo ago

That's cool but by only supporting Claude Code you are contributing to the Anthropic lock-in problem. This needs to support at least Gemini CLI, Codex and OpenCode as well, preferably by being generic as much as possible.

halfwhey 6mo ago
Codex and Gemini have ACP servers already: https://github.com/zed-industries/codex-acp https://github.com/zed-industries/codex-acp https://geminicli.com/docs/cli/acp-mode/ https://geminicli.com/docs/cli/acp-mode/ In fact Codex, in OpenAI fashion, have their own protocol as well: https://developers.openai.com/codex/app-server https://developers.openai.com/codex/app-server Opencode too. These tools are already so programmable and embeddable, it's just Claude Code is a sticking point. But maybe it would be useful to provide a unified CLI and Daemon for all of them.
- lifis 6mo ago
  They have ACP servers but they might apply different rate limits or policies if they notice ACP use, while a solution like yours would not trigger that unless it becomes popular enough to specifically detect. It also seems this provides more features them just an ACP server.
  - halfwhey 6mo ago
    That's a good point, I'll look into tackling this soon
  - BoorishBears 6mo ago
    Is there an example of this?
  - stingraycharles 6mo ago
    > they might apply different rate limits or policies if they notice ACP use Is there any evidence that supports this claim?
6mo ago

mikeroySoft 6mo ago

License? I see none listed in the repo.

halfwhey 6mo ago
Fixed

mr_johnson123 6mo ago

[dead]

beepbooptheory 6mo ago

Isn't "Claude Code power user" an oxymoron or am I confused?

sudb 6mo ago
Are you asking if it is possible to be a power user of Claude Code? Because it very much is - what's the oxymoron?
- ghiculescu 6mo ago
  I thought Claude Code _is_ for power users. How much more powerful do you need to be to use this?
halfwhey 6mo ago
Some people open a claude code session and just talk with it. And some use hooks, custom commands, agent-teams..and so on. You can definitely be a power user. But I’m sure whether that translates to actual “power” is up for debate.
- beepbooptheory 6mo ago
  I would simply ask the claude code to use the hooks and custom commands and agent teams for me.
  - selcuka 6mo ago
    In order to ask it to use them, you should be first aware of them. Non-power users aren't.
    - beepbooptheory 6mo ago
      I would ask the claude code what I should be aware of if I was a power user.

dragonfax 6mo ago

Using Claude Channels can make it easy to inject prompts and get just the response back without having to identify it in the terminal output or fight with the TUI. But they're not well designed, and some things just have to go in through the terminal interface like slash commands (i.e. `/clear`)

pxc 6mo ago

If xterm.js is slower than tmux, why don't you just use tmux for the headless sessions as well? How is tmux not headless enough?

halfwhey 6mo ago
Not everyone has tmux. I default to tmux if you have it and fallback to xterm.js
- pxc 6mo ago
  Ah, ah, got it. So you get a kind of graceful degradation if the optional dependency is missing. Nice! And, I guess, it's headless in the sense that you can't attach to it even if you want to. I get what you meant now.

eddie-wang 6mo ago

[dead]

alun 6mo ago

It's interesting how Anthropic haven't shipped their own IDE for more vertical integration. All it would take is implementing their own forked version of VSCode (like Cursor did) and making Claude the default choice. Obviously I'm simplifying here, but they definitely have the capability to do it.

throwadobe 6mo ago
> they definitely have the capability to do it. You'd think so, but I guess they don't.
SOLAR_FIELDS 6mo ago
What cursor has learned, very painfully, is that making a complex gui, even with the help of ai, is a lot fucking harder than a cli tool. Anthropic is wisely staying out of that space and sticking to more basic ui’s like cowork. There is a LOT of work buried in your statement “all it would take”. All one has to do is look at the evolution of cursor to confirm my statement. Compare v1 of cursor to v3 and see how much more insanely simplified the ui has become in v3 - it’s essentially a glorified cowork interface now
pxc 6mo ago
Is that something anyone wants? It seems like being able to plug into other editors works well. What are the experiences people are trying to get but currently can't build because ACP sucks or whatever?
braebo 6mo ago
Claude Code Desktop is as close as I can see them getting as it seems the big bet is that the IDE is on its way out as models improve.

SV_BubbleTime 6mo ago

I’m very dumb. How is this different than starting Claude Code in a tmux and then connecting to that?

halfwhey 6mo ago
The extra stuff is that you can automate interactions with Claude Code sessions using a CLI (which just tmux send-keys under the hood), an HTTP server, and ACP server (so you can embed claude code in other IDEs), and typescript library. So it's meant to make CC more embeddable in your workflows.

zzy824 6mo ago

[dead]