monsterbrain

Available for development setups – technical details: Host apps.

monsterbrain is the danwos desktop app for keeping track of a knowledge folder: file tree, the file rendered for its type, links and metadata, and a change view that shows what agents changed. deciwa adds the review to it:

• review on the rendered file – Markdown, HTML and the new side of a diff get the same bars, card and keys as in the browser,

• review on source code – Python files and the source of Markdown and HTML files, element by element,

• review on data – JSON and YAML files as a tree, value by value,

• state in the tree and the change view – each file shows how much of it is open, approved, stale or frozen, and which questions wait for an answer,

• feedback of the active file in monsterbrain’s right panel,

• the facts view – every fact of the facts files with its state, approved one by one or a whole file at once (A fact is a structural bloc... (DEC_FACT_BLOCKS)),

• questions instead of [CHECK] markers (deciwa replaces the [CHECK]... (DEC_REPLACES_CHECK)) – what the AI asks shows up at the element and in the change view,

• same data as everywhere else – feedback goes to .deciwa/ in the folder, so deciwa todo, Claude and the other integrations see it.

deciwa comes as a monsterbrain extension and brings its engine along – no Python, no terminal (Host apps get deciwa as an ... (DEC_HOST_EXTENSIONS), The Python parts can be shi... (DEC_STANDALONE_ENGINE)). Without the extension monsterbrain works as before, just without review.

In monsterbrain

• Review mode – Shift R or the switch Review on/off next to View · Source · Diff; it shows when the file is reviewable. Then the keys of the review UI work on the rendered file: a r f d for a verdict, 0–5 for stars, n for a comment, v guided review, j k next and previous element. Outside review mode monsterbrain keeps its own keys.

• Side panel – the section Review · deciwa holds the deciwa panel of the file: what is open, approved, stale, the questions, the whole project.

• Tree and change view – a mark per file: 2? open questions, a number for jobs for the AI, 3/5 required elements approved, ✓ all reviewed.

• Diffs – the new side of a rendered or side-by-side diff is reviewable; an approved paragraph that changed shows as stale.

• Source code – Python files in the code view: classes, functions, methods and the statements outside functions (imports, assignments, if __name__ …) are elements (Alt click for the class around a method); an approved function that changes shows as stale. The Source tab of a Markdown or HTML file works the same way, line by line.

• JSON and YAML files – monsterbrain shows them as a tree; every node is an element, from the whole document down to a single value (JSON and YAML files are rev... (DEC_DATA_ADAPTERS)). Selecting a node inside a collapsed part opens it; reformatting the file or reordering keys keeps the review, a changed value makes it and the nodes around it stale. The Source tab works line by line as for Python.

• HTML files – the rendered page is reviewable with the same elements as its source; the review switch and Shift R work for the page, the page’s own deciwa button opens its panel.

• Facts (Ctrl 4) – deciwa fills monsterbrain’s facts view: every list item, table row and free paragraph of a file in 20_facts/ with its group (approved, open, stale, question, unverified), counted per folder and file. A click on a fact opens the file there in review mode, so a approves it; ✓ on a file or folder, or Shift A on the active file, approves every fact not approved yet and the file as a whole. A whole-file approval shows ✓ at the file and gets stale (✓!) on any change.

• Inform Claude – the button next to the review switch tells the Claude session of the folder about the review (monsterbrain’s agent actions). It covers the file’s open concept when that concept – its folder or a file it lists under results: – has review entries newer than the last hand-over, else the file alone. Approvals count: Claude may be waiting for one. Claude reads the entries itself (deciwa show, deciwa todo); their created times tell it what is new. The button is greyed out while nothing is new and only a click starts it; the time of the last hand-over is kept only while monsterbrain runs – deciwa stores nothing for it.

• Claude tools – monsterbrain’s MCP server gains deciwa_feedback (the review state of a file, or every open job) and deciwa_show (open a file at an element).

The facts view in monsterbrain: a click on a fact opens it in review mode.

The review data is the folder’s .deciwa/. A folder without one shows Set up review in the side panel (deciwa init).

Setting up (development)

Until the standalone engine exists, the extension uses the engine of a deciwa checkout:

$ cd ~/workspace/deciwa && uv sync
$ cd packages/monsterbrain && npm ci && npm run build

In monsterbrain: settings (Ctrl ,) → Extensions → Add folder … → ~/workspace/deciwa/packages/monsterbrain, then Restart to apply. The extension finds the engine in .venv of the checkout; another one can be set in monsterbrain’s settings.json: {"path": "…/packages/monsterbrain", "options": {"enginePath": "/path/to/deciwa"}}.