Web IDE

Edit files in the browser¶

Mewbo can launch a full IDE in your browser, running code-server against a session's working directory. You get a real editor in the same tree the agent is working in.

One container runs per session, starting on demand and stopping itself after a configurable duration. Any session with a resolvable project qualifies, whether a project you configured, a workspace or worktree Mewbo manages, or a registered repository with a local checkout.

Enabling¶

The feature is off until you turn it on in configs/app.json.

configs/app.json

{
  "agent": {
    "web_ide": {
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}

It needs MongoDB to persist container state across API restarts. See Storage Backends for the driver. The Docker Compose stack wires the rest of the plumbing for you.

Launch an IDE¶

From the console¶

An Open in Web IDE button appears on session cards once the feature is enabled. Click it to start the container and open the IDE in a new tab, with IdeLoader holding the screen while it boots.

From the API¶

The console button calls the same endpoints you can drive directly.

Method	Endpoint	Purpose
`POST`	`/api/sessions/{session_id}/ide`	Create or reconnect to the IDE container
`GET`	`/api/sessions/{session_id}/ide`	Poll current container status
`DELETE`	`/api/sessions/{session_id}/ide`	Stop and remove the container
`POST`	`/api/sessions/{session_id}/ide/extend`	Extend the session lifetime

The POST response includes a password field valid for one use. The GET response omits it. The IDE is reachable at /ide/{session_id}/ behind the nginx proxy Mewbo ships with.

Create an IDE session.

curl -sk -X POST https://mewbo.example.com/api/sessions/abc123.../ide \
  -H "X-API-Key: your-token" | jq .

{
  "session_id": "abc123...",
  "status": "starting",
  "url": "/ide/abc123.../",
  "password": "...",
  "expires_at": "2026-04-18T15:00:00+00:00",
  "remaining_seconds": 3600
}

Extend the deadline.

curl -sk -X POST https://mewbo.example.com/api/sessions/abc123.../ide/extend \
  -H "X-API-Key: your-token" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"hours": 2}'

The extend endpoint accepts either hours, an integer from 1 to 168, or an absolute expires_at ISO timestamp. Exactly one field is required. A request that would push the deadline past max_lifetime_hours is rejected with HTTP 409.

Session lifetime¶

Every IDE session carries an expiry. When the wall clock passes expires_at, the container shuts itself down.

Action	What happens
Running	The container stays alive until `expires_at`.
Extend	Pushing the deadline out takes effect within about 15 seconds.
Stop	The container tears down immediately.
Reconnect	Reconnecting returns the current URL and password. If the container exited unexpectedly, Mewbo respawns it.

Configuration¶

Every key nests under agent.web_ide in configs/app.json. The Configuration Reference lists all of them with their defaults, including the container lifetime, the CPU, memory and PID ceilings, and the Docker network the proxy has to share with each container.

Restrict resources and pin the image.

configs/app.json

{
  "agent": {
    "web_ide": {
      "enabled": true,
      "image": "codercom/code-server:4.95.3",
      "default_lifetime_hours": 2,
      "max_lifetime_hours": 4,
      "cpus": 0.5,
      "memory": "512m"
    }
  }
}

The session's project directory is mounted into the container, so your edits and the agent's land in the same tree and each sees the other immediately.

Next steps¶

Sessions. The composer that starts a session the IDE can attach to.
Docker Compose. The stack that wires the IDE plumbing.
REST API Reference. The full IDE endpoint contract.