What is Hatcher?

Hatcher is an open-source IDE designed for the AI era of software development. It bridges the gap between visual interface design and code generation, providing developers with controlled amplification through AI-powered tools.

The Vision

Traditional development workflows break down when AI enters the picture. While AI can generate impressive code, developers lose the deterministic control they need to ship production-ready applications. Hatcher solves this by acting as a precision control layer between you and powerful AI engines.

Core Innovation: Visual-to-Code Bridge

Instead of describing what you want in text, simply select it visually:

1. Point & Click: Select elements directly in your rendered application
2. Visual Manipulation: Drag, resize, or modify styling in real-time
3. Instant Code: Watch as precise code modifications appear
4. Review & Apply: Approve changes with full visibility into what's being modified

This eliminates the frustrating cycle of:

Describe → Generate → Debug → Repeat

And replaces it with:

Select → Generate → Apply

The Philosophy: Controlled Amplification

We believe the future of development isn't about replacing developers—it's about amplifying their capabilities while maintaining complete control. Hatcher embodies three core principles:

1. Visual Intent Communication

Your visual interactions communicate intent more precisely than any text description could.

2. Deterministic Control

Every AI-generated change is reviewable, predictable, and aligned with your project's patterns.

3. Context-Aware Intelligence

Our Playbooks system ensures AI understands your team's conventions, architecture decisions, and coding standards.

Designed for High-Performance Teams

Frontend Developers

• Rapid UI prototyping and refinement
• Consistent component styling across projects
• Effortless responsive design adjustments

Full-Stack Teams

• Bridge design-to-code handoffs
• Maintain consistency across large codebases
• Accelerate feature development cycles

Design Systems Teams

• Enforce design tokens and patterns
• Generate component variations automatically
• Maintain visual consistency at scale

Key Benefits

Speed Without Sacrifice

Generate code 10x faster while maintaining the quality and patterns your team requires.

Learning Amplification

Watch how expert-level code is generated, learning best practices in real-time.

Team Alignment

Playbooks ensure every team member generates code that follows the same conventions.

Debugging Made Simple

Visual diffs and integrated git workflows make it easy to understand and review AI-generated changes.

Technology Stack

Hatcher is built on modern, proven technologies:

• Electron: Cross-platform desktop application
• Vue.js 3: Reactive UI framework
• TypeScript: Type-safe development
• Turborepo: Monorepo management
• Vite: Fast build tooling

Getting Started

Ready to experience controlled amplification? Follow our Getting Started Guide to install Hatcher and configure your first AI engine.

Open Source & Community

Hatcher is fully open source under the MIT license. We believe the future of developer tools should be built by the community, for the community.

• Website: hatche.rs
• GitHub: HatcherDX/dx-engine
• Discord: Join our community
• Twitter: @HatcherDX

What's Next?

This is just the beginning. Our roadmap includes ambitious plans for test automation, team collaboration features, and a marketplace of reusable development workflows.

Join us in building the future of software development.