Skribbl
Infinite canvas where coding agents run as live terminal nodes you wire together by drawing
The canvas is the easy half. React Flow plus xterm.js plus node-pty gets you panning, zooming and half a dozen live agent terminals in a weekend, and it is a genuinely nice way to watch a fleet work. The gaps are all in the boring layer underneath: knowing when an agent is actually blocked on you rather than just quiet, keeping sessions alive across a restart or a crash, and counting tokens accurately enough that the number can be trusted. Each of those is days of work on its own, and the weekend build reads as finished until the first agent silently dies behind a tab you were not looking at.
Build verification: not recorded. How we judge buildability
What you give up
- hook-driven agent status, so a blocked agent looks the same as an idle one
- session survival across restarts and crashes
- an accurate token meter, cache reads price nothing like input tokens
- a signed and notarized Mac build, so Gatekeeper blocks what you ship to anyone else
Why people still pay
Not for the canvas. For the layer that keeps twelve child processes honest: status that comes from the agent itself instead of scraped output, sessions that come back after a reboot, and a spend number accurate enough to act on before the bill arrives.
Your build guide
The stack, security requirements, and agent rules for a focused replacement.
Before you start
- Node, the Electron build toolchain and node-pty built for the selected Electron version. Start with one local shell; tmux is optional only on a supported host.
- Implementation components: Electron and React with React Flow for the workspace canvas. xterm.js and node-pty in the Electron main process; versioned JSON workspace layout and a tightly validated preload IPC bridge.
- Scope boundary: Agent coordination, code isolation and automatic conflict resolution are separate responsibilities.
Use these project rules and optional skill references alongside the prompt. Review each skill before adding it to your agent; the AGENTS.md export includes the same guidance.
Optional external skill: vercel-composition-patterns — Design reusable React components with composition, context and explicit component variants. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission.
Optional external skill: sharp-edges — Review security-sensitive APIs and configuration for dangerous defaults and easy-to-misuse interfaces. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission.
Project rule — data model: canvas nodes, PTY sessions, working directories, selected agent commands, process states and layout snapshots
Project rule — preserve this invariant: The renderer has no direct shell or filesystem access; each IPC request is validated and closing a node handles its process explicitly.
Project rule — acceptance evidence: Resize a terminal without corrupting its columns, stop a selected process and preserve other nodes; reopening a layout does not silently restart commands.
Implementation plan
Phase 1
Scope and fixtures. Implement this bounded workflow: Build an Electron canvas with React Flow nodes containing xterm.js terminals backed by node-pty. Start only user-selected commands in approved working directories, resize terminals correctly and save the workspace layout. Record prerequisites, select representative user-owned fixtures and document the unsupported features: Agent coordination, code isolation and automatic conflict resolution are separate responsibilities.
Phase 2
Durable model. Model canvas nodes, PTY sessions, working directories, selected agent commands, process states and layout snapshots Add migrations or a versioned document format, explicit validation, stable IDs and a visible import-error report. Preserve this rule: The renderer has no direct shell or filesystem access; each IPC request is validated and closing a node handles its process explicitly.
Phase 3
Complete the first useful path. Implement the workflow's input, review and output interface, with clear controls and explicit empty/error states. Track PTY identity separately from canvas layout. Explicitly stop or detach a session on close; reconnect only to sessions whose ownership is verified.
Phase 4
Permissions and integration failure. Enable context isolation and sandbox the renderer. The preload bridge exposes only typed terminal operations, never arbitrary filesystem or child-process primitives. Request integration credentials and permissions only for the enabled feature; show a disconnected state instead of mock results.
Phase 5
Portable handoff. Export layout and permitted command definitions without secrets or terminal scrollback by default. Reopening layout restores positions but requires explicit action before starting commands. Include setup, operating limits, fixture walkthrough and shutdown/restart instructions in the README.
Phase 6
Acceptance scenarios. Resize a terminal without corrupting its columns, stop a selected process and preserve other nodes; reopening a layout does not silently restart commands. Repeat the workflow after restart and with a denied permission or unavailable dependency; show recoverable failure rather than a success placeholder.
WORKING SLICE Build an Electron canvas with React Flow nodes containing xterm.js terminals backed by node-pty. Start only user-selected commands in approved working directories, resize terminals correctly and save the workspace layout. Build this scoped Skribbl-inspired workflow with a documented data model and visible failure states. Architecture - Electron and React with React Flow for the workspace canvas. - xterm.js and node-pty in the Electron main process; versioned JSON workspace layout and a tightly validated preload IPC bridge. Prerequisites and limits Node, the Electron build toolchain and node-pty built for the selected Electron version. Start with one local shell; tmux is optional only on a supported host. Outside this release: Agent coordination, code isolation and automatic conflict resolution are separate responsibilities. Data model and correctness canvas nodes, PTY sessions, working directories, selected agent commands, process states and layout snapshots Invariant: The renderer has no direct shell or filesystem access; each IPC request is validated and closing a node handles its process explicitly. Track PTY identity separately from canvas layout. Explicitly stop or detach a session on close; reconnect only to sessions whose ownership is verified. Security and privacy Enable context isolation and sandbox the renderer. The preload bridge exposes only typed terminal operations, never arbitrary filesystem or child-process primitives. Recovery and export Export layout and permitted command definitions without secrets or terminal scrollback by default. Reopening layout restores positions but requires explicit action before starting commands. Implementation order 1. Phase 1 — Scope and fixtures. Implement this bounded workflow: Build an Electron canvas with React Flow nodes containing xterm.js terminals backed by node-pty. Start only user-selected commands in approved working directories, resize terminals correctly and save the workspace layout. Record prerequisites, select representative user-owned fixtures and document the unsupported features: Agent coordination, code isolation and automatic conflict resolution are separate responsibilities. 2. Phase 2 — Durable model. Model canvas nodes, PTY sessions, working directories, selected agent commands, process states and layout snapshots Add migrations or a versioned document format, explicit validation, stable IDs and a visible import-error report. Preserve this rule: The renderer has no direct shell or filesystem access; each IPC request is validated and closing a node handles its process explicitly. 3. Phase 3 — Complete the first useful path. Implement the workflow's input, review and output interface, with clear controls and explicit empty/error states. Track PTY identity separately from canvas layout. Explicitly stop or detach a session on close; reconnect only to sessions whose ownership is verified. 4. Phase 4 — Permissions and integration failure. Enable context isolation and sandbox the renderer. The preload bridge exposes only typed terminal operations, never arbitrary filesystem or child-process primitives. Request integration credentials and permissions only for the enabled feature; show a disconnected state instead of mock results. 5. Phase 5 — Portable handoff. Export layout and permitted command definitions without secrets or terminal scrollback by default. Reopening layout restores positions but requires explicit action before starting commands. Include setup, operating limits, fixture walkthrough and shutdown/restart instructions in the README. 6. Phase 6 — Acceptance scenarios. Resize a terminal without corrupting its columns, stop a selected process and preserve other nodes; reopening a layout does not silently restart commands. Repeat the workflow after restart and with a denied permission or unavailable dependency; show recoverable failure rather than a success placeholder. Acceptance Resize a terminal without corrupting its columns, stop a selected process and preserve other nodes; reopening a layout does not silently restart commands. Use real source data or clearly labeled fixtures. Explain unsupported input and provider failures; do not fabricate analytics, delivery receipts, accuracy claims or security guarantees. Optional agent guidance Optional external skill: [vercel-composition-patterns](https://github.com/vercel-labs/agent-skills/blob/main/skills/composition-patterns/SKILL.md) — Design reusable React components with composition, context and explicit component variants. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission. Optional external skill: [sharp-edges](https://github.com/trailofbits/skills/blob/main/plugins/sharp-edges/skills/sharp-edges/SKILL.md) — Review security-sensitive APIs and configuration for dangerous defaults and easy-to-misuse interfaces. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission. Project rule — data model: canvas nodes, PTY sessions, working directories, selected agent commands, process states and layout snapshots Project rule — preserve this invariant: The renderer has no direct shell or filesystem access; each IPC request is validated and closing a node handles its process explicitly. Project rule — acceptance evidence: Resize a terminal without corrupting its columns, stop a selected process and preserve other nodes; reopening a layout does not silently restart commands.
$ open in your agent (prompt prefilled, you press enter), copy the prompt or copy or download AGENTS.md
prompt copied. want to know what dies next week?
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Skribbl pricing
| plan | monthly | annual (per mo) | what you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| founding infinity | $29/user | $8.25/user | 3 concurrent agents; founding-plan access while licenses remain available.Annual price is $99/year. The page showed limited founding-license inventory at verification. |
free tierno free tier; 14-day trial only
billingmonthly or annual
hidden costsThe plan does not include Claude Code, model API or other agent-provider subscriptions; the trial requires a card from day 2 and charges on day 15 unless cancelled.
pricing sources checked 2026-08-14 · pricing source ↗
Questions about Skribbl
Can you build your own Skribbl with AI?
Partly. The canvas is the easy half. React Flow plus xterm.js plus node-pty gets you panning, zooming and half a dozen live agent terminals in a weekend, and it is a genuinely nice way to watch a fleet work. The gaps are all in the boring layer underneath: knowing when an agent is actually blocked on you rather than just quiet, keeping sessions alive across a restart or a crash, and counting tokens accurately enough that the number can be trusted. Each of those is days of work on its own, and the weekend build reads as finished until the first agent silently dies behind a tab you were not looking at.
What does the Skribbl build prompt cover?
The prompt starts with this scope: Build an Electron canvas with React Flow nodes containing xterm.js terminals backed by node-pty. Start only user-selected commands in approved working directories, resize terminals correctly and save the workspace layout. Full-product capabilities excluded from the comparison include: hook-driven agent status, so a blocked agent looks the same as an idle one; session survival across restarts and crashes; an accurate token meter, cache reads price nothing like input tokens. Follow the implementation plan and its prerequisites before expanding the build.
How do I use the prompt, AGENTS.md and agent skills?
Start with the Skribbl prerequisites and stack, then copy the prompt into your coding agent. Save the project rules as AGENTS.md in the project root. Linked skills are optional packages or source instructions for specific tasks; review their current contents and install only those matching the chosen stack. A skill does not supply API credentials or verify the finished app.
How long will this Skribbl project take?
The catalogue estimate is a weekend for the canvas, multi-day for the parts that make it trustworthy for the limited scope. Setup, integration approvals, debugging, deployment and ongoing maintenance can add time. This is an estimate, not a delivery guarantee.
What would I give up by replacing Skribbl?
hook-driven agent status, so a blocked agent looks the same as an idle one; session survival across restarts and crashes; an accurate token meter, cache reads price nothing like input tokens; a signed and notarized Mac build, so Gatekeeper blocks what you ship to anyone else. Not for the canvas. For the layer that keeps twelve child processes honest: status that comes from the agent itself instead of scraped output, sessions that come back after a reboot, and a spend number accurate enough to act on before the bill arrives.
What price is this guide comparing against?
The recorded Pro plan is $8.25/mo (annual, converted to monthly), checked 2026-08-03. Check the linked pricing source before buying. Building your own also has hosting, API and maintenance costs; the recorded amount is not a guaranteed saving.
What can I use instead of building Skribbl?
The prior-art section lists claude-squad, Crystal, vibe-kanban as starting points. Review their current scope, license and maintenance before adopting one.