The developer preview of co(lab) is live. co(lab) is our hybrid code editor and web browser that keeps your code, terminals, Git workflow, and research tabs in one place—without hopping between apps. You can download the preview at blackboard.sh/colab and explore the source on GitHub.
Watch co(lab) in action
What the developer preview includes
- Two engines, one workspace. Open both WebKit and Chromium tabs side-by-side so you can test and debug with real engine parity.
- Workspaces built for context. Arrange multiple windows and panes, save workspaces, and jump between projects without losing your place.
- Built-in Git with GitHub integration. Full Git GUI plus a GitHub flow that makes cloning any public or private repo a few clicks.
- PTY terminals that feel native. Spin up full terminal tabs to run
top, or chat with Claude Code, Codex, or Gemini in the same workspace. - AI, local-first. An open model downloader and in-app chat so you can bring your own models without leaving the editor.
- Extensible by design. We're building a plugin/extension layer that connects web + code + terminal + AI, so you can automate the workflows you repeat every day.
Open source and ready to hack
The developer preview is free to download at blackboard.sh/colab and the code is open source at github.com/blackboardsh/colab. The repo is already on this machine if you want to poke around locally.
co(lab) is built on top of a few open source projects we have written at Blackboard: Electrobun (our Bun-based desktop runtime), GoldfishDB (the sync layer that keeps your state fast and resilient), and the newly separated zig-bsdiff (our SIMD-accelerated zstd-powered binary diff/patch tool that ships Electrobun's differential updater).
What’s next
We're shipping a plugin/extension infrastructure next so anyone can wire up the browser, code editor, terminals, and AI to their own services. Later this year we’re launching co(lab) Cloud to make syncing workspaces and collaborating with teammates effortless.
Help us shape it
Grab the developer preview, try your current workflows, and tell us what breaks or what should exist. The earlier you share feedback, the more we can bake into the 1.0.