mandara

Scripting, automation and agents

Mandara is built to be driven by you, your scripts or an AI agent.

Agent-ready

Mandara is built to be driven from the command line, by you, your scripts or an AI agent. Almost every action in the bar, panels and Studio is a command on the running shell, and the catalog describes itself:

mandara commands --json                      # every command with its arguments and examples
mandara msg --json shell state               # what is open right now, as JSON
mandara msg config get /bar/height           # read any setting; config set /bar/height 30 changes it live
mandara msg --json plugins list              # every plugin, enabled or not, and why one failed
mandara studio plugins --plugin weather --settings   # open Studio exactly where a setting lives

Launcher skills chain commands into named routines, hooks run commands on desktop events, and installs and setup have dry runs (mandara install --dry-run, mandara setup --check). See the command tour and, for contributors and coding agents, AGENTS.md.

What you can build on it

Mandara is a platform as much as a shell:

• Script everything. Every action the UI can take is a documented command (mandara commands --json): bind it to a key, call it from a script, or let an AI agent drive your desktop through it.
• React to your desktop. Hooks run your commands on 27 events (locked, idle, plugged in, battery low, wallpaper or colors changed, before sleep…), with details in environment variables.
• Show progress. A long build, a backup or an AI agent can put a live progress ring in the bar (mandara msg progress set build 40%) and finish with a notification (progress done build).
• Name routines. Launcher skills chain commands into one named step, and slash commands (/g, /yt, /todo, your own) turn the launcher into a command line.
• Theme everything, if you want. One palette drives the shell and, for each app you switch on, your terminal, editors, GTK and Qt apps, browsers and compositor borders.
• Extend it safely. Sandboxed plugins can add bar items, panels and sidebar cards, and reach users through the marketplace the day you tag a release.

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