Mesa – A collaborative canvas IDE built for agent-first development
Hi HN - I'm Ryan a product designer who codes, and I built Mesa. Current IDEs feel wrong for the type of development being done now - the focus is still on files. Mesa puts the focus on the full workflow: your agent, terminal, browser, and files all live as equal nodes on a canvas with full multiplayer support. (think figma but for code) I was tired of the overhead of switching windows, tabs, and terminals across multiple projects. Inspired by TouchDesigner and Factorio, I wanted something more fluid and visual. Been using it as a total replacement for Cursor at work every day now. Being…
In plain words
Mesa is a collaborative canvas IDE designed for agent-first development. It organizes workflows by placing agents, terminals, browsers, and files as equal elements on a canvas rather than relying on traditional file-focused interfaces, with full multiplayer support. Built for developers working with AI agents and multiple projects simultaneously, Mesa reduces window-switching overhead by allowing users to view and control multiple repositories at once. The tool is free to try and functions as a complete IDE replacement.
written from the facts on this page · September 2026
From the sources
In the maker’s words, at launch
Hi HN - I'm Ryan a product designer who codes, and I built Mesa. Current IDEs feel wrong for the type of development being done now - the focus is still on files. Mesa puts the focus on the full workflow: your agent, terminal, browser, and files all live as equal nodes on a canvas with full multiplayer support. (think figma but for code) I was tired of the overhead of switching windows, tabs, and terminals across multiple projects. Inspired by TouchDesigner and Factorio, I wanted something more fluid and visual. Been using it as a total replacement for Cursor at work every day now. Being able to see multiple repos at once and control agents on each without navigating windows has freed up my headspace and increased productivity. It's free to try — would love to know what you think!
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