Helicon is a free, open-source, unofficial desktop, web, and VS Code extension client for Meta's Muse Code CLI that shows every project, session, diff, approval, and cost figure in one window.
- 01
Threads from every project grouped by working directory, including git worktrees, with one-click resume and history from terminal-started sessions
- 02
Inline diffs rendered at the point in the conversation where each edit happened, with a side file viewer
- 03
Approval queue mapped one-to-one to Muse Code approvals (onRequest, promptUnmatched, denyUnmatched), never batched or bypassed
- 04
Per-thread, per-day, per-model cost at published API rates plus a 5-hour/weekly plan usage meter
- 05
Keyboard-first operation with command palette, slash commands, and model/reasoning-effort picker
- 06
Remote daemon and web UI for supervising Muse Code on another machine, plus subagent and workflow controls
- 07
VS Code/Cursor/Windsurf/Antigravity extension side panel driving the muse CLI
Open Source
Helicon is free forever under the MIT license with no paid tier, trial, seats, or account; the only cost is your existing Muse Code subscription, which Helicon drives through your own muse login.
Best for
Developers running multiple Muse Code sessions across repos who want persistent history, visible approvals, inline diffs, and cost visibility outside the terminal, especially on Windows.
Not ideal for
Anyone without a Muse Code plan or pay-as-you-go Model API billing, since Helicon has nothing to drive without the muse CLI; users wanting an official Meta-supported tool should look elsewhere.
Helicon offers a polished, genuinely free MIT-licensed GUI over Muse Code with strong approval safety, inline diffs, and cost transparency, and it is praised by Meta staff. However, it is an unofficial one-person project, macOS builds are not notarized, and it is useless without a paid Muse Code subscription.
v0.21.5 (9 October 2026) fixed side chats and kept threads live when Muse stops pushing updates; v0.21.4 (8 October 2026) added side chats and a workflow Pause button and bumped @muse-code/sdk to 1.4.4; v0.21.2/0.21.1 (6 October 2026) added VS Code and Cursor guides and Enter-to-steer; v0.21.0 (1 October 2026) added VoiceOver support; v0.20.0 (29 September 2026) added Muse Code monitors.
As of
Is Helicon free?+
Yes - Helicon is Open Source. Helicon is free forever under the MIT license with no paid tier, trial, seats, or account; the only cost is your existing Muse Code subscription, which Helicon drives through your own muse login.
Is Helicon open source?+
Yes - Helicon is open source. Helicon is free forever under the MIT license with no paid tier, trial, seats, or account; the only cost is your existing Muse Code subscription, which Helicon drives through your own muse login.
Who is Helicon best for?+
Developers running multiple Muse Code sessions across repos who want persistent history, visible approvals, inline diffs, and cost visibility outside the terminal, especially on Windows.
Who is Helicon not ideal for?+
Anyone without a Muse Code plan or pay-as-you-go Model API billing, since Helicon has nothing to drive without the muse CLI; users wanting an official Meta-supported tool should look elsewhere.
What are the best Helicon alternatives?+
The closest Helicon alternatives on ai.dosa.dev are Cursor, Devin, Trae - all listed under AI-Native IDEs & Editors.
Who makes Helicon?+
Helicon is developed by Harjot Singh Rana. It is listed in the AI-Native IDEs & Editors category on ai.dosa.dev.
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