Project Dashboard

A desktop dashboard for managing local development projects. Quickly launch projects in VS Code, terminal, or AI coding assistants (Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode) with a global hotkey command palette.

Features

• Command Palette - Press Win+Shift+W from anywhere to instantly search and open projects
• Project Cards - Visual dashboard showing all your projects with quick-launch buttons
• Multiple Launchers - Open in VS Code, Terminal, File Explorer, or AI coding tools
• Configurable - Customize hotkeys, launchers, and file manager via JSON config
• System Tray - Runs quietly in the background with auto-start server

Requirements

• Windows 10/11 (not compatible with Linux/macOS)
• Python 3.11+
• Node.js 18+
• uv (Python package manager)

Installation

1. Install Prerequisites

Python 3.11+ Download from python.org or install via winget:

winget install Python.Python.3.11

Node.js 18+ Download from nodejs.org or install via winget:

winget install OpenJS.NodeJS.LTS

uv (Python package manager)

powershell -ExecutionPolicy ByPass -c "irm https://astral.sh/uv/install.ps1 | iex"

2. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/project-dashboard.git
cd project-dashboard

3. Install Dependencies

Backend (Python)

cd backend
uv sync
cd ..

Frontend (Node.js)

cd frontend
npm install
npm run build
cd ..

4. Copy Frontend Build to Backend

Copy-Item -Recurse -Force frontend/out/* backend/frontend_dist/

5. Run the Dashboard

uv run --project backend python -m backend.tray

The dashboard will:

• Start the API server on http://localhost:37453
• Show a system tray icon (green = running)
• Register the global hotkey Win+Shift+W

Usage

Command Palette (Win+Shift+W)

Press Win+Shift+W from anywhere to open the command palette:

Key	Action
Enter	Open in VS Code
Ctrl+Enter	Open Terminal
Shift+Enter	Open File Explorer
Ctrl+C	Open Claude Code
Ctrl+X	Open Codex
Ctrl+Z	Open OpenCode
Esc	Close palette

Web Dashboard

Double-click the tray icon or visit http://localhost:37453 to open the full dashboard.

Adding Projects

1. Click "Add Project" in the dashboard
2. Enter the full path to your project folder
3. The project will be scanned and added to the dashboard

Configuration

Settings are stored in backend/data/config.json:

{
  "server": {
    "port": 37453
  },
  "global_hotkey": "win+shift+w",
  "file_manager": null,
  "launchers": [
    {
      "id": "vscode",
      "name": "Code",
      "command": "__vscode__",
      "hotkey": "enter",
      "enabled": true,
      "builtin": true
    },
    ...
  ]
}

Configuration Options

Option	Description
server.port	API server port (default: 37453)
global_hotkey	Hotkey to open command palette (e.g., win+shift+w, ctrl+alt+p)
file_manager	Path to custom file manager exe, or null for Windows Explorer
launchers	Array of launcher button configurations

Adding Custom Launchers

Add a new entry to the launchers array:

{
  "id": "npm-dev",
  "name": "Dev Server",
  "command": "npm run dev",
  "hotkey": "ctrl+d",
  "enabled": true,
  "builtin": false
}

Restart the tray app for changes to take effect.

Auto-Start on Login

To start the dashboard automatically when Windows starts:

1. Press Win+R, type shell:startup, press Enter
2. Create a shortcut to StartDashboard.vbs in this folder

Or create a VBS file with:

Set WshShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
WshShell.CurrentDirectory = "C:\path\to\project-dashboard"
WshShell.Run "uv run --project backend python -m backend.tray", 0, False

Project Structure

project-dashboard/
├── backend/
│   ├── data/              # User data (projects, config)
│   ├── frontend_dist/     # Built frontend files
│   ├── routers/           # API routes
│   ├── services/          # Business logic
│   ├── main.py            # FastAPI app
│   ├── tray.py            # System tray controller
│   ├── hotkey_manager.py  # Global hotkey listener
│   └── command_palette_ui.py  # Tkinter command palette
├── frontend/
│   └── src/               # Next.js frontend source
├── docs/                  # Documentation
└── README.md

Troubleshooting

"Win+Shift+W doesn't work"

• Make sure the tray app is running (green icon in system tray)
• Some apps may capture this hotkey first - try closing conflicting apps
• Change the hotkey in config.json if there's a conflict

"Projects not showing"

• Check that project paths are valid Windows paths
• View backend/data/projects.json to see stored projects

"VS Code won't open"

• Ensure VS Code is installed and code is in your PATH
• Run code --version in terminal to verify

License

MIT