What is Backgrind?

Backgrind is a desktop overlay for macOS and Windows that keeps your AI coding agent—Claude Code, Cursor, or the built-in Grindy agent—floating in an always-on-top window above any app, including fullscreen games. It wraps the CLI tools you already use, preserving your existing login and history, and only alerts you when the agent actually needs a decision. No terminal switching, no context loss.

Who it's for

• Vibe coders who want to ship features while staying immersed in a game, video, or creative app without breaking flow
• Pro devs who run multiple agents across different workspaces and need a persistent, non-intrusive interface that works over any fullscreen application
• Remote workers who step away from their desk and rely on live mirroring to their phone or iPad to monitor agents and answer prompts on the go

Key features

Always-on-top overlay

The Backgrind window stays pinned over your editor, browser, docs, or a borderless-fullscreen game. One hotkey summons it, another makes it vanish. You can drag, stretch, recolor, and even fade the window through to the content underneath.

Click-through glance mode

Tap a key and the window goes transparent—your clicks and keystrokes pass straight through to whatever is underneath. Hover to bring it back. This lets you peek at agent output without interrupting your current task.

Multi-agent tabs with per-workspace backends

Run several agents side by side, each pinned to its own folder with multi-root workspace support. Switch backends per workspace between Claude Code, Cursor, or Grindy without lock-in. Each agent operates independently in its own tab.

Local-first with .grindignore

Your secrets stay home. A .grindignore file marks what never leaves your machine—.env files, keys, and anything else you don't want on a wire. Your login and history remain yours, with nothing new to trust.

What stands out

Backgrind floats your agent over a fullscreen game and only pings you when it actually needs a decision.

That's the core insight: most coding agent tools assume you're always at a terminal. Backgrind treats the agent as a background process that you interact with on your terms. The click-through glance mode and nag-only alerts mean you can grind a raid, watch a tutorial, or read docs without the agent demanding your attention until it's truly stuck. It's a thin frontend over the CLI you already use, not a new ecosystem to learn.

Worth checking out if…

You want to keep coding agents running while gaming, watching videos, or working in fullscreen apps. You prefer bringing your own Claude Code or Cursor setup over adopting a proprietary agent. You need multi-agent workflows across different folders and backends. You value local-first privacy with a .grindignore file. You want to monitor and command agents from your phone or iPad via end-to-end encrypted live mirroring.