synlynk Interface Positioning

Where does synlynk live relative to Claude CLI, Gemini, Codex, Cursor, etc.?

A

Invisible OS

synlynk runs as a daemon. Users work in their preferred tools. synlynk captures output, updates state.db, fires sentinels — entirely in the background. No persistent TUI during agent work.

# user launches their preferred tool directly
$ claude ← user lives here
$ gemini ← user lives here

# synlynk watches silently in background
# state.db updated, costs tracked, sentinel fires
# user checks: synlynk status / synlynk board

Pros

  • Zero friction
  • No interface competition
  • Works with any tool

Cons

  • No interface gravity
  • Invisible = forgettable
  • Magic moment is lost
B

Launcher Hub (Home Base)

synlynk is your home base TUI. You launch Claude, Gemini, Codex from within it. Each agent runs in a managed pane. You return to synlynk to review, assign next task, check costs. Like OpenCode but as a meta-layer above any tool.

synlynk TUI
┌──────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 🏠 Home │ 📋 Board │ 🤖 Agents │ 💰 Cost │
├──────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ [▶ Launch Claude] Story: Fix auth bug │
│ [▶ Launch Gemini] Story: Write tests │
│ [▶ Launch Codex] Story: Docs update │
│ │
│ ↵ to launch · Tab to switch · q to quit │
└──────────────────────────────────────────┘

Pros

  • Strong interface gravity
  • Magic moment is visible
  • Hybrid Workgroup is tangible

Cons

  • Users may bypass for native UX
  • Complex to implement (pty)
  • Competes with tool preferences
C

Detachable Command Centre

synlynk TUI is the home base and can be detached. Launch agents from synlynk (they run in the background or a split). User can then switch to native Claude/Cursor UX — synlynk keeps running. Re-attach anytime with synlynk. Like tmux sessions for your Hybrid Workgroup.

$ synlynk ← attach to workgroup
▶ dispatching claude → story #14
▶ dispatching gemini → story #15
✓ codex completed → story #13 verified

Ctrl+D to detach · agents keep running

$ claude ← user works in native UX
$ synlynk ← re-attach, see what happened

Pros

  • Home base + native UX coexist
  • Agents visible when you want
  • Familiar (tmux mental model)
  • synlynk never competes

Cons

  • Slightly more complex mental model
  • Needs persistent daemon

All three keep state.db canonical. The difference is how visible synlynk is during agent work.