---
title: "Muse Code GUI FAQ: every question, answered"
url: https://helicon.sh/faq
description: "Every question about running Muse Code through a desktop or web GUI: licensing, credentials, Windows and WSL2, cost, approvals, remote daemons and what Helicon is not."
updated: 2026-09-19
site: Helicon
---

# Frequently asked questions

Helicon is a free, MIT licensed, unofficial desktop and web client for Meta's Muse Code CLI. It needs a muse CLI that is installed and signed in, stores no credentials, adds no billing, never bypasses an approval, and keeps every thread on your own machine.

## Before you install

### Is this official?

No. Helicon is an unofficial community project, MIT licensed. It is not made, sponsored or endorsed by Meta. It is a client for the Muse Code CLI, and has nothing to do with the Muse assistant app for Mac. "Muse" and "Muse Code" are trademarks of Meta, used here only to say what Helicon works with.

### Do I need a separate API key?

No. Helicon uses your existing Muse Code subscription through the muse CLI. There is no second bill.

### Where do my credentials live?

With the muse CLI, from your own muse login. Helicon never stores or handles them.

### Does it see sessions I started in the terminal?

Yes. Sessions started in the terminal TUI show up in the sidebar with full history, and you can resume them.

### Why does macOS warn me on first launch?

The macOS builds are not Apple-notarized yet. Right-click the app and choose Open the first time.

### Can I run it against a remote machine?

Yes. The same UI ships as a web app that can point at a daemon running elsewhere.

### How does it work on Windows?

Muse Code runs natively on Windows now, and Helicon runs it directly: your own Windows paths, PowerShell for shell commands, no WSL. Muse Code inside WSL2 still works, and Helicon uses it when native Muse Code is not installed.

### What does the cost view actually show?

What each thread would have cost at Meta's published per-token rates. It is not a bill, just the meter reading, so you can see what your subscription did.

### Can I drive it without a mouse?

Yes. Command palette, slash commands, and a model and reasoning-effort picker cover everything, with full keyboard operation throughout.

### What do I need installed?

Just the muse CLI, logged in with your own muse login. The desktop app ships its own Node.js. Running from source or hosting the web app needs Node 22+ yourself.

### Does Helicon phone home?

Only to check for updates. The desktop app asks helicon.sh whether a newer version exists, and that request tells us an install is alive: the platform, the version, and a weekly hash of the IP it came from. Nothing about your code, prompts, threads or files ever leaves your machine, and there is no account.

### Is it really free?

Yes. MIT licensed, no paid tier, source on GitHub. It uses your existing Muse Code subscription, so there is no second bill.

## About Helicon

### Does Muse Code have a GUI?

Yes. There is a standalone desktop and web app called Helicon, several VS Code extensions, and Agent Client Protocol bridges for Zed and JetBrains IDEs. All of them drive the same muse CLI.

### Is there an official Muse Code GUI?

Muse Code itself ships a terminal interface. The graphical clients are community projects, built on the MIT licensed SDK Meta publishes for the Muse Code Session Protocol.

### Do I need a second subscription for a GUI?

No. A client drives your existing muse CLI and your own muse login. Helicon is free, MIT licensed, and adds no billing.

### Which Muse Code GUI works best on Windows?

Helicon ships a signed Windows installer with auto update, runs Muse Code natively with PowerShell for shell commands, and falls back to Muse Code inside WSL2 with two way path translation.

### Can a GUI see sessions I started in the terminal?

A protocol native client can. Helicon's daemon discovers sessions for a workspace regardless of which client created them, so terminal sessions are listed and resumable.

### Is there a desktop app for Muse Code?

Yes. Helicon is a free, open-source desktop app for the Muse Code CLI, with a signed Windows installer and a universal macOS DMG, plus a web build against a daemon you run.

### Is the Muse Code desktop app free?

Helicon is free and MIT licensed with no paid tier. It runs on the Muse Code subscription you already have.

### Does it work on Windows?

Yes, with a signed installer and auto update. It runs Muse Code natively on Windows with PowerShell for shell commands, and uses Muse Code inside WSL2 with path translation when native is not installed.

### Do I need an API key?

No. Authentication is your own muse login, held by the CLI. Helicon stores no credentials.

### Who makes it?

Harjot Singh Rana and contributors, as an unofficial MIT licensed community project. It is not made, sponsored or endorsed by Meta.

### Is Helicon free?

Yes. MIT licensed, no paid tier, no trial, no seats, no account.

### Is there an enterprise plan?

No. There is one plan and it is free. Managed, SSO and multi user deployment are out of scope today.

### Do I need a Muse Code subscription?

Yes. Helicon drives the muse CLI, so you need Muse Code and a working muse login.

### Will it start charging later?

The source is MIT licensed, so any version you have stays yours. There is no paid tier today and no revenue path in the current version.

### Is Helicon a company?

No. It is a personal open-source project by one developer, Harjot Singh Rana, based in New Delhi, India. There is no registered entity, no funding and no team.

### Is Helicon affiliated with Meta?

No. Helicon is an unofficial community client for Meta's Muse Code CLI. It is not made, sponsored or endorsed by Meta, and Muse and Muse Code are Meta trademarks used only to describe what Helicon connects to.

### How does Helicon make money?

It does not. There is no paid tier, no trial and no account. It uses your existing Muse Code subscription through the muse CLI, so it never resells model access.

### How do I report a Helicon bug?

Open an issue at https://github.com/HarjjotSinghh/helicon/issues with your operating system, your Helicon version, the output of muse --version, and the steps that reproduce it. Public issues are fixed faster than emails because they are tracked and searchable.

### Where do I report a security vulnerability in Helicon?

Through a private GitHub Security Advisory at https://github.com/HarjjotSinghh/helicon/security/advisories/new, never a public issue. Reports are acknowledged within 72 hours and disclosed in coordination with the reporter.

### Is there commercial support for Helicon?

No. Helicon is free, MIT licensed and maintained by one person on a best effort basis. For licensing or commercial questions, email me@harjotrana.com.

### Does Helicon have a public API?

Yes. A read-only JSON API at https://helicon.sh/api/v1, with no key and no account, described by an OpenAPI 3.1 document at https://helicon.sh/openapi.json. It covers releases, installers, documentation pages, search and the FAQ.

### Do I need an API key to use the Helicon API?

No. Every endpoint is public, anonymous and read only, and CORS is open, so you can call it from a browser, a server or an agent without registering anything.

### How do I get the latest Helicon version programmatically?

GET https://helicon.sh/api/v1/status and read latest_version, or GET /api/v1/release for the full release with an installer per platform. Both return 503 rather than a stale guess when GitHub is unreachable.

### Is there a Helicon CLI on npm?

Not yet. Helicon drives Meta's muse CLI rather than shipping its own, and the repository's npm workspaces are libraries rather than a published command line tool. Everything scriptable about the website is in the public JSON API.

### What licence is Helicon under?

MIT. Use, modify, redistribute and sell it, commercially included, as long as the copyright notice and licence text travel with it.

### Where do I report a security issue?

SECURITY.md in the repository has the process. Do not open a public issue for a vulnerability.

### Does Helicon send my code anywhere?

No. Nothing about your code, prompts, threads or files leaves your machine through Helicon. What you send to Muse Code goes through the muse CLI to Meta, under Meta's terms.

### Does the desktop app have telemetry?

No. There is no analytics SDK in the app. The only request it makes for itself is an update check, reporting platform, version and a weekly hash of the IP.

### Does Helicon store my Muse Code credentials?

No. Authentication stays with the muse CLI, from your own muse login. Helicon never reads or stores it.

### Does this website record my session?

Yes. PostHog session replay is enabled, with all input fields masked before recording. A content blocker stops it and the site still works.

### Is there an account?

No. No sign up, no email, no profile, and no server side record of you beyond the analytics described above.

### Is Helicon official or endorsed by Meta?

No. It is an unofficial community project. Muse and Muse Code are Meta trademarks, used here only to describe what Helicon connects to.

### Can I use Helicon commercially?

Yes. The MIT licence permits commercial use, modification and redistribution, provided the copyright notice and licence text are included.

### Is there any warranty?

No. The MIT licence provides the software as is, without warranty of any kind, and disclaims liability.

### Who is responsible if the agent breaks something?

You are. Helicon surfaces every approval and never bypasses one, and allow all is an explicit opt in. Use version control and isolated worktrees.

### Can this project disappear?

The project can stop. The software cannot be taken back: it is MIT licensed, so any version you have is yours to keep, run and fork.

## Install

### Do I need WSL2 to run Muse Code on Windows?

No. Muse Code runs natively on Windows and Helicon drives it directly, using your Windows paths and PowerShell for shell commands. WSL2 still works, and Helicon uses it when native Muse Code is not installed.

### Is the Windows installer signed?

Yes, and it ships auto update. Releases are published on GitHub.

### Does Helicon work on Windows on ARM?

The published installer is x64. ARM users can run from source, which needs Node 22 or newer on the Windows host.

### Where do my Muse Code credentials live on Windows?

With the muse CLI, from your own muse login, in whichever environment you installed it. Helicon never stores or handles them.

### Is there a separate Apple Silicon build?

No, one universal DMG covers Apple Silicon and Intel.

### Is this the Muse app for Mac?

No. Helicon is a client for the Muse Code CLI and has nothing to do with the Muse assistant app for Mac.

### Can I install with Homebrew?

The published artifacts are the DMG and the Windows installer on GitHub Releases. Running from source also works and needs Node 22 or newer.

### Is there an AppImage?

Yes, x86_64, attached to every GitHub release, with auto update. There is no deb or rpm, and no ARM build yet.

### The AppImage does nothing when I double click it.

It needs the executable bit: `chmod +x Helicon_*.AppImage`. If it then exits with a FUSE error, install `libfuse2` or your distribution's equivalent.

### What Node version do I need?

None for the AppImage, which bundles its own. Running from source needs Node 22 or newer.

### Can the daemon run headless on a server?

Yes. Run it from source there and open the web build in a browser.

### Do I still need WSL2?

Not for Muse Code itself, which runs natively on Windows. Keep WSL2 if your project or toolchain lives there. Helicon supports both, prefers native when it finds it, and honours `HELICON_MUSE_RUNTIME=wsl` when you want the WSL2 route regardless.

### Which paths should I add as projects?

Add the path as the side you work on. Helicon translates, so either works, and the diffs and file viewer follow.

### Does it work with distributions other than Ubuntu?

The routing is per distribution rather than Ubuntu specific. Whichever one holds a working, logged in muse CLI is the one to use.

## Compare

### Does Helicon replace the muse CLI?

No. Helicon requires the muse CLI to be installed and logged in. It drives `muse serve` and speaks the Muse Code Session Protocol to it. If the CLI is not there, Helicon has nothing to talk to.

### Can Helicon see sessions I started in the terminal?

Yes. The daemon discovers sessions for a workspace regardless of which interface started them, so TUI sessions appear in the sidebar with full history and can be resumed from the app.

### Is there a performance cost to running the GUI?

Helicon runs one `muse serve` host per workspace, the same process the CLI would start. The UI is a Tauri window, and all state is local SQLite. The agent itself runs exactly as it would from the terminal.

### Is Helicon the only GUI for Muse Code?

No. VS Code extensions exist, editor integrations over ACP exist, and there are other open source wrappers. Helicon is the standalone desktop and web option with a signed Windows installer and a cross project session list.

### Can I run Helicon and a VS Code extension at the same time?

Yes. Both drive the same muse CLI. Sessions started in either are visible to the daemon, so Helicon can list and resume work an extension started in that workspace.

### Do I need a second subscription?

No. Helicon uses your existing Muse Code subscription through your own `muse login`. It stores no credentials and adds no billing of its own.

### Does Helicon support the Agent Client Protocol?

Helicon is a Muse Code Session Protocol client. It talks to `muse serve` directly through Meta's MIT SDK rather than going through ACP.

### Can I use both Zed and Helicon against one Muse Code install?

Yes. They share the CLI and your `muse login`. Helicon's daemon discovers sessions for a workspace, so work started elsewhere is listed and resumable.

### Which one gets Muse Code features first?

In general, whichever layer is thinnest. A direct protocol client can expose a new Muse Code capability as soon as the SDK does, while a bridge needs the general protocol to grow a word for it first.

### Does Helicon have refactoring tools?

No. Helicon is a client for the Muse Code CLI with a read oriented file viewer. Language aware refactoring stays in your editor or IDE.

### Can Helicon open files in my IDE?

Paths the agent mentions open in Helicon's own viewer beside the thread. You can keep the IDE open on the same repository at the same time.

### Is Helicon heavier than an IDE plugin?

It is a separate Tauri window with a local daemon rather than a plugin inside a running JVM. In practice that is a smaller resident footprint than an extra IDE project window.

### Can Helicon run Claude Code?

No. Helicon is a Muse Code Session Protocol client. It drives the muse CLI and nothing else.

### Is Helicon made by Meta?

No. Helicon is an unofficial community project, MIT licensed, not made, sponsored or endorsed by Meta. Muse and Muse Code are Meta trademarks, used here only to say what Helicon connects to.

### Does Helicon cost anything?

No. It is free and MIT licensed with no paid tier. It runs on the Muse Code subscription you already have, so there is no second bill.

### Can Helicon run tasks in the cloud?

It can point at a daemon on another machine you control, which is how the web app works. It does not execute work in a hosted environment run by us.

### Is Helicon a fork of anything?

No. It is an independent MIT project built on Meta's Muse Code Session Protocol SDK.

### Can Cursor use my Muse Code subscription?

Cursor routes its own models and billing. Helicon exists precisely because a Muse Code subscription is best used by a Muse Code client.

### Is Helicon an editor?

No. It has a file viewer with syntax highlighting, Markdown preview and editing, and image, video and PDF preview, so you can read what the agent touched. Writing code stays in your editor.

### Which is cheaper?

Helicon is free and MIT licensed with no paid tier. It adds nothing to the Muse Code subscription you already hold.

### Does Helicon have autocomplete?

No. Helicon is a client for an agent, not an editor. Completion stays with your editor.

### Can I use Windsurf and Helicon together?

Yes. They are separate products with separate billing and do not interfere with each other.

### What does Helicon cost?

Nothing. MIT licensed, no paid tier, no second bill on top of Muse Code.

### Can Helicon route to other providers?

No. Helicon drives the muse CLI. Whatever models Muse Code offers on your plan are the models you get.

### Is Helicon open source too?

Yes, MIT licensed, with the desktop app, web app, daemon and this site in one public repository.

### Do I need API keys for Helicon?

No. Authentication is your own `muse login`, held by the CLI. Helicon never stores credentials.

### Does Helicon commit for me?

Helicon shows what the agent changed as inline diffs. Committing is yours, and git worktrees appear as their own projects in the sidebar.

### Can Helicon use my own API key?

No. It uses the muse CLI and your `muse login`. That is the design: no second bill and no credential custody.

### Is Helicon a terminal app?

No. It is a Tauri desktop app and a web app on the same React UI, talking to a local or remote daemon.

### Does Helicon ask before running commands?

Muse Code raises the approval and Helicon surfaces it. onRequest, promptUnmatched and denyUnmatched are mapped one to one, and allow all is behind an explicit opt in.

### Can I see token cost per task?

Yes. Helicon shows what each thread would have cost at published per token rates, plus daily and per model breakdowns. It is a meter reading on your subscription, not an invoice.

### Does Helicon need VS Code?

No. It is a standalone desktop app, and the same UI runs in a browser against a daemon.

### Can I still use the terminal after installing Helicon?

Yes, and sessions you start there are discovered by the daemon and resumable in the app.

### Does Helicon include a terminal?

Helicon shows the commands the agent runs and their output inside the thread. It is not a general purpose shell.

### Does it work on Windows terminals?

Helicon runs Muse Code natively on Windows with PowerShell for shell commands, and uses Muse Code inside WSL2 with path translation when native is not installed.

### What should I check before installing any Muse Code GUI?

Whether it stores credentials, whether it bypasses approvals, whether it speaks the protocol or scrapes the TUI, and whether the binaries are signed. Helicon's answers are: no, no, protocol, and yes on Windows.

### Is Helicon official?

No. It is an unofficial community project, MIT licensed, not made, sponsored or endorsed by Meta.

## Features

### Does Helicon see sessions I started in the terminal?

Yes. The daemon discovers sessions for a workspace regardless of which client started them, so terminal TUI sessions appear in the sidebar with full history and resume from the app.

### Where is session history stored?

In local SQLite on your machine. Helicon has no server side account and syncs nothing.

### Can I resume a session after rebooting?

Yes. History is on disk, so a restart does not lose anything.

### Can I edit files in Helicon?

Markdown can be previewed and edited in the viewer. For source code, Helicon is read oriented and expects you to keep your own editor.

### Do diffs survive a resume?

Yes. They are part of the thread history, so reopening the session shows them exactly where they were.

### Does it show shell commands too?

Yes. Tool calls and their output are rendered in the thread alongside the diffs.

### Can Helicon approve things on my behalf?

Only if you turn on allow all, which is an explicit opt in presented as dangerous. By default every approval waits for you.

### Do I lose approvals if I close the window?

No. The request belongs to the session, so reopening the thread shows it still waiting.

### Does Helicon change what Muse Code considers safe?

No. The allow list and the modes are Muse Code's. Helicon renders them and sends your answer back.

### Does Helicon charge me anything?

No. Helicon is free, MIT licensed, with no paid tier. It uses the Muse Code subscription you already have.

### Are these numbers exact?

They are token counts reported by Muse Code multiplied by published per token rates. They are exact as an arithmetic exercise and irrelevant as an invoice, because your subscription is what pays.

### Can I see usage against my plan limit?

Yes, separately. Helicon shows the 5 hour window and the weekly cap as Muse Code reports them, in the sidebar and on the usage page.

### Is this Helicon's estimate of my limit?

No. It is the value the Muse Code CLI reports over the protocol, displayed unchanged.

### Does it work on every plan?

It shows whatever Muse Code reports for your plan. Where the CLI reports nothing, the meter is empty rather than guessed.

### Where do I see it?

In the sidebar during normal work, and in detail on the usage page alongside cost at API rates.

### How many projects can I add?

As many as your machine can run hosts for. Each workspace gets one `muse serve` process, the same process the CLI would start.

### Do worktrees show as one project or several?

Several. Each worktree is its own directory and gets its own entry with a badge, because that is how the agent sees it.

### Can I run several agents at once?

Yes. That is the case the sidebar is built for, including seeing which of them is waiting on an approval.

### Can I use Helicon entirely without a mouse?

Yes. Every project, session and action is reachable from the palette or a shortcut.

### Do slash commands work like the CLI?

The composer accepts slash commands, and the goal controls are available there as well as in the goal panel.

### Can I change the model mid thread?

Yes. The model and reasoning effort picker applies to the next turn.

### Can I edit source in the viewer?

Markdown is editable. Source files are read oriented, because Helicon is a client for an agent rather than an editor.

### Does it index my whole disk?

No. It browses the project directories you add, nothing else.

### Does it work in the web build?

Yes. The same UI ships as a web app against a daemon, so the viewer reads files on the daemon's machine.

### Is there a hosted version of Helicon?

No. The web app points at a daemon you run. There is no account and no service in the middle.

### Can I use it over the internet?

The daemon is a normal service you can expose however you expose services. Put it behind your own tunnel, VPN or reverse proxy.

### Is the web UI feature complete?

It is the same React UI as the desktop app, so the interface is the same. The difference is which machine the daemon runs on.

### Can I stop one subagent without stopping the thread?

Yes. Individual agents in a workflow run can be skipped or retried, and a workflow run can be cancelled on its own.

### Do subagents cost extra?

They use your Muse Code subscription like any other turn. Helicon shows what the thread would have cost at published rates so the fan out is visible.

### Can I start a workflow from Helicon?

Workflow support tracks what the protocol exposes. Where Muse Code surfaces a run, Helicon renders and controls it.

### Is this different from just sending a message?

Yes. A goal persists across turns as a standing objective rather than being one more message in the history.

### Can I still use the slash command?

Yes. The composer accepts it, and the panel is there when you would rather click.

### Does pausing stop the agent?

Pausing suspends the standing objective. Stopping a running tool call or the whole turn is a separate control.

### Does backgrounding lose the output?

No. The call continues and its output lands in the thread when it finishes.

### Can I stop everything quickly?

Yes. Stop all ends every running call at once, without ending the session.

### What happens to a cancelled workflow run?

The run ends and the thread stays open. Individual agents can be skipped or retried instead if that is what you want.

## Guides

### Is WSL2 still supported?

Yes. Helicon uses Muse Code inside WSL2 when native Muse Code is not installed, and translates paths in both directions.

### Can I have both installs?

You can, and Helicon will prefer the native one. Keeping both is a reasonable way to migrate gradually.

### Which shell runs the agent's commands?

PowerShell on the native route, and the distribution's shell on the WSL2 route.

### Can I resume a session I started in the terminal?

Yes. The daemon discovers sessions for the workspace no matter which client started them.

### Does resuming cost anything extra?

It uses your Muse Code subscription like any other turn. Helicon shows what the thread would have cost at published rates.

### What if the project moved on disk?

Sessions are keyed by working directory, so add the new path as a project. The old entry stays until you remove it.

### Is there a hosted version?

No. The daemon is yours, on a machine you control.

### Does the web UI have fewer features?

No. It is the same React UI as the desktop app. The difference is which machine the daemon runs on.

### Can several people use one daemon?

Multi user deployment is out of scope today. Helicon targets an individual developer's own machines.

### Will Helicon ever bill me?

No. Helicon is free, MIT licensed, with no paid tier and no billing relationship.

### Is this my plan usage?

No. Plan usage is shown separately as the 5 hour window and weekly cap, exactly as Muse Code reports them.

### Is the calculation done locally?

Yes. Token counts come from Muse Code and the arithmetic happens on your machine.

### Does Helicon commit changes?

No. It shows what changed. Committing stays yours.

### Can I see the exact command that ran?

Yes. Tool calls are rendered with the command and its output rather than a description.

### Where do I see what I approved?

Approval decisions stay in the thread history at the point they were made.

### How many agents can I run?

As many as your machine and your Muse Code plan allow. Each workspace gets its own muse serve host.

### Do worktrees show as separate projects?

Yes, each with a badge, because each is its own working directory.

### How do I know which one is waiting on me?

Blocked threads are marked in the sidebar, so the approval queue is visible without opening each one.

### Can I remap shortcuts?

The palette covers every action by name, which is the intended fast path. Settings holds the app level preferences.

### Do slash commands behave like the CLI?

The composer accepts them, and the goal controls also exist as panel buttons when you prefer clicking.

### Can I switch model mid thread?

Yes, with the picker. It applies from the next turn.

### Does Helicon install the muse CLI for me?

No. It drives an install you own, using your own login. That is deliberate: it keeps credentials out of Helicon entirely.

### Can I point Helicon at a specific muse binary?

Detection prefers a native install and falls back to WSL2 on Windows. Making the right binary reachable on PATH in the shell Helicon starts from is the reliable fix.

### Do I need Node.js?

Not for the desktop app, which bundles its own. Running the daemon from source needs Node 22 or newer, and on Windows that means on the Windows host.

### Will the builds be notarized?

Notarization is a known gap rather than a decision. Until then the right click and Open path works.

### Is the app signed at all?

Yes, it is updater signed, which is what makes auto update work. Apple notarization is the separate step.

### Does this affect auto update?

No. Updates arrive through the app's own updater.

### Do I have to stop using the CLI?

No. Helicon requires it, and many people keep both open.

### Will the GUI change my Muse Code configuration?

It drives the CLI with your own settings and login. Approval modes and allow lists stay Muse Code's.

### What if I decide against it?

Uninstall the app. Your sessions and your CLI are untouched, because Helicon only ever read them.

## Use cases

### Do I need WSL2?

No. Muse Code runs natively on Windows and Helicon drives it directly. WSL2 remains supported for setups that need it.

### Is the installer signed?

Yes, with auto update built in.

### Does it work on Windows on ARM?

The published installer is x64. ARM users can run from source with Node 22 or newer.

### Is there an Apple Silicon build?

One universal DMG covers Apple Silicon and Intel.

### Why the Gatekeeper warning?

The builds are updater signed but not Apple notarized yet. Right click and Open the first time.

### Does it replace my editor?

No. It has a file viewer for reading what the agent touched. Writing code stays where you like it.

### How many threads is too many?

The limit is usually your attention rather than the machine. The sidebar exists so the number you can supervise is higher than the number you can remember.

### Do worktrees appear separately?

Yes, each as its own project with a badge, because each is its own working directory.

### Can I stop everything at once?

Yes, and it ends running calls without ending the sessions.

### Is the web build a cut down version?

No. It is the same React UI. Only the daemon's location differs.

### Can several people share one daemon?

Multi user deployment is out of scope today. Helicon targets one developer's own machines.

### Does my code pass through helicon.sh?

No. Nothing about your code, prompts, threads or files leaves your machines.

### Does Helicon commit or push anything?

No. It shows what changed. Git stays yours.

### Can I audit what the client sends?

Yes. It is MIT licensed and the source is public.

### Does it phone home?

Only an update check, which reports platform, version and a weekly hash of the IP. No account, no thread data.

### Can I export cost data?

The usage page breaks it down by thread, day and model. It is computed locally from the usage Muse Code reports.

### Is this a billing tool?

No. It is a meter reading on a subscription you already pay for.

### Does client code leave my machine?

No. Nothing about your code, prompts, threads or files leaves it.

### Does Helicon index my monorepo?

No. It indexes sessions, not source. Reading files is on demand through the viewer.

### One project per package or one for the repo?

Whatever directory the agent works in is the project. For parallel work, a worktree per task is the cleaner shape.

### Can the daemon run on a build server?

Yes. That is the remote daemon setup, with the UI in a browser.

### Can I use it without a mouse?

Yes. The command palette reaches every project, session and action.

### Will it change my CLI setup?

No. It drives your existing install with your own login and settings.

### What if I try it and prefer the terminal?

Uninstall the app. Your sessions and configuration are untouched, because it only ever read them.

## Glossary

### Is Muse Code free?

It is used through a Meta subscription. Helicon, a client for it, is free and MIT licensed and adds no billing of its own.

### Does Muse Code run on Windows?

Yes, natively, and it also runs inside WSL2.

### Is Muse Code the same as the Muse assistant app?

No. Muse Code is the coding agent used through the muse CLI. The Muse assistant app for Mac is a different product.

### Do I need the CLI if I use a GUI?

Yes. Every Muse Code GUI drives the CLI. It is a requirement, not an alternative.

### What does muse serve do?

It starts a host that speaks the Muse Code Session Protocol over JSON-RPC, which is how applications drive a session properly.

### Where does muse login store credentials?

With the CLI itself. Clients like Helicon read nothing and store nothing.

### Is MSP the same as the Agent Client Protocol?

No. ACP is a general protocol several editors use for any agent. MSP is Muse Code's own interface, so it carries Muse Code specific things like its exact approval modes and usage reporting.

### Do I need to know about MSP to use a GUI?

No. It matters only because a protocol native client behaves better than one scraping a terminal.

### Is the SDK open source?

Yes, MIT licensed.

### Does muse serve replace muse?

No. It is the same tool exposing a protocol instead of a terminal interface, for applications to drive.

### How many hosts does Helicon run?

One per workspace you add, which is the same process the CLI would start for that directory.

### Can I run muse serve myself?

Yes. It is a normal CLI command, and any MSP client can drive it.

### Does Helicon use ACP?

No. Helicon is a Muse Code Session Protocol client and talks to muse serve directly.

### Can I use an ACP editor and Helicon together?

Yes. They share the same CLI and login, and sessions are discoverable either way.

### Is one protocol better?

They answer different questions. Breadth across agents, or depth on one.

### Does an ADE replace my IDE?

No. It supervises agents. You still write code where you like.

### Is Helicon an ADE?

That is the category it is built for: a desktop and web workspace for Muse Code sessions.

### Do I need one if I use one agent occasionally?

Probably not. The value appears when you have more threads than you can hold in your head.

### Can I turn approvals off?

Allow all exists in Helicon behind a deliberate opt in, labelled as dangerous. It is off by default.

### Who decides what is in the allow list?

Muse Code does. A client renders the modes and sends your answer back.

### Do approvals slow things down?

They add a decision point. Seeing which thread is blocked in a sidebar is usually faster than discovering it in a scrollback.

### Do worktrees use a lot of disk?

Much less than clones, because they share the repository's object store.

### Can two agents share one worktree?

They can, and they will collide. One worktree per agent is the point.

### How does Helicon show them?

As their own projects in the sidebar, badged as worktrees, with their sessions underneath.

### Do subagents cost more?

They use more tokens in the same wall clock time. A per thread cost view makes the tradeoff visible.

### Can I stop one subagent?

In Helicon, yes. Individual agents in a workflow run can be skipped or retried, and the run can be cancelled on its own.

### Is a subagent a separate session?

It belongs to the parent thread. The session is still the thing you resume.

### Does higher effort always help?

No. On mechanical work it usually just costs more tokens and more time.

### Can I change it mid thread?

In Helicon, yes. The model and reasoning effort picker applies from the next turn.

### How do I see what it cost?

The usage page breaks cost down by model, which is where the difference shows up.

### Is a GUI slower than a TUI?

Only if it forces the mouse. A keyboard first GUI with a command palette is competitive for navigation and better for triage.

### Can a GUI see TUI sessions?

A protocol native one can, because sessions are state on disk rather than terminal output.

### Should I stop using the TUI?

No. Most people keep both.

### Is llms.txt a standard?

It is a community convention rather than a formal standard, and it is widely enough adopted to be worth shipping.

### Does Google require it?

No. Google says its AI features need no special files. Other answer engines do read them.

### Where is Helicon's?

At /llms.txt, with the full text at /llms-full.txt and an agent guide at /agents.md.

### Is Helicon an Electron app?

No, it is Tauri 2, which uses the system webview and a Rust core.

### Does the desktop app bundle Node.js?

Yes. Running from source instead needs Node 22 or newer on the machine.

### Does the same code run in a browser?

Yes. One React codebase ships as the desktop app and as the web app against a daemon.