---
title: "Muse Code GUI: every graphical interface, compared"
url: https://helicon.sh/muse-code-gui
description: "Yes, Muse Code has graphical interfaces. A standalone desktop and web app, VS Code extensions, ACP editor bridges and other open-source wrappers, compared honestly."
updated: 2026-09-19
site: Helicon
---

# Muse Code GUI options

Yes, Muse Code has graphical interfaces. There are three kinds: a standalone desktop and web app such as Helicon, VS Code extensions that put the agent in a sidebar, and Agent Client Protocol bridges for Zed and JetBrains IDEs. All of them drive the same muse CLI and the same subscription.

## The three kinds, and who each is for

| Kind | Example | Best when |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Standalone app | Helicon, desktop and web | You run threads across several repositories |
| Editor extension | VS Code Muse extensions | You work in one repository inside the editor |
| ACP bridge | Zed and JetBrains bridges | You want one editor panel for several agents |
| Other wrappers | Small open-source projects | You want something minimal to modify |

Nobody should claim to be the only option here, and this page does not. Editor integrations exist, several open-source wrappers exist, and they all drive the same CLI. The useful question is which shape fits the way you work.

## What a standalone app adds

- A session list across every project on the machine, grouped by working directory, with isolated git worktrees as their own entries.
- Resume for any past session, including ones started in the muse terminal TUI.
- Inline diffs at the turn that produced them, with a file viewer beside the thread.
- An approval queue where onRequest, promptUnmatched and denyUnmatched are mapped one to one and never bypassed.
- Cost at published per token rates by thread, day and model, plus the 5 hour window and weekly cap as Muse Code reports them.
- The same UI as a web app against a daemon on another machine.

## What to check before installing any of them

1. Does it store credentials? It should not need to. Authentication belongs to your own `muse login`.
2. Does it bypass approvals? A client that auto approves to look smooth has removed the safety property.
3. Does it speak the protocol or scrape the terminal? Scraping breaks and cannot see structured events.
4. Are the binaries signed? On Windows this is the difference between an install and an argument with SmartScreen.
5. Is the source readable? The thing being wrapped has file system and shell access.

## Helicon's answers to those five

| Question | Helicon |
| --- | --- |
| Stores credentials | No. Authentication stays with your muse login |
| Bypasses approvals | No. Allow all is an explicit, dangerous opt in |
| Protocol or scraping | Muse Code Session Protocol, via the official MIT SDK |
| Signed binaries | Signed Windows installer; macOS DMG updater signed, not Apple notarized yet |
| Source | MIT, one public repository for app, daemon and this site |

## Platform support at a glance

| Platform | Helicon | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Windows | Signed installer, auto update | Native Muse Code, or WSL2 with path translation |
| macOS | Universal DMG, auto update | Apple Silicon and Intel; right click and Open on first launch |
| Linux | x86_64 AppImage, auto update | Needs FUSE on some distributions; no ARM build yet |
| Browser | Web app against a daemon | Same React UI, daemon on a machine you control |

> 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 it connects to.

## Frequently asked questions

### 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.

## Related

- [Muse Code desktop app](https://helicon.sh/muse-code-desktop-app): Helicon is a free, open-source desktop and web app for the Muse Code CLI. Signed Windows installer, universal macOS DMG, sessions, diffs, approvals and cost in one window.
- [Other Muse GUIs](https://helicon.sh/compare/other-muse-code-guis): An honest look at the small field of Muse Code GUI wrappers, what separates them, and the specific things to check before trusting any client with shell access.
- [VS Code extensions](https://helicon.sh/compare/vs-code-extension): A standalone Muse Code desktop app compared with running the muse CLI inside VS Code: where an editor panel wins, where a separate session home wins, and how to run both.
- [Windows](https://helicon.sh/install/windows): A signed Windows installer for a Muse Code desktop app, with auto update. Runs Muse Code natively on Windows, or inside WSL2 with path translation both ways.
- [Muse Code](https://helicon.sh/glossary/muse-code): Muse Code is Meta's AI coding agent, used through the muse command line tool on macOS, Linux and Windows. A plain definition, what it does, and how clients connect to it.

---

Helicon is a free, MIT licensed, unofficial community client for Meta's Muse Code CLI. Not made, sponsored or endorsed by Meta. Source: https://helicon.sh/. Machine readable index: https://helicon.sh/llms.txt