Native Windows support
The core loop - install, providers, runs, diffs and merge - runs natively on Windows in PowerShell or cmd, with no WSL. The run page's Terminal tab and Docker isolation are the exceptions.
In simple words
Vibestrate runs natively on Windows, with no WSL. In PowerShell or cmd you install the CLI, open the dashboard, set up providers, run tasks, review diffs and merge.
npm install -g vibestrate
cd C:\path\to\your-project
vibe uiThe dashboard comes up on http://127.0.0.1:4317 and More > Setup takes it from there.
One thing you do not get: the run page’s Terminal tab. It needs a POSIX shell, so on native Windows Vibestrate reports it unavailable rather than spawning a shell that isn’t there. If you want a shell inside the app, run Vibestrate under WSL.
Your own terminal still works fine. The run page’s Workspace panel has a Copy cd button for the run’s worktree path, so you can open it in PowerShell.
What works natively
The dashboard
vibe ui in PowerShell or cmd, browser and scheduler included.
Providers The same detection, setup and testing as anywhere else.
Runs and worktrees Real git worktrees, real isolation, no translation layer.
Diffs and merging The Source page’s Changes, Tree and Merge tabs, or your own terminal.
Native Windows support is not a port of a POSIX assumption, it is a separate execution path. That is why the Terminal tab is switched off with a reason rather than failing when you click it.
Providers on Windows
Claude Code, Codex and Gemini run natively on Windows once you’ve installed their CLIs with npm, and Vibestrate calls them the same way it does on macOS and Linux.
Past those three it varies tool by tool, and some are still POSIX-only. The Setup page’s Connect a model step flags any provider it can’t find or run, so you know where each stands before you start.
“claude is not recognized” right after installing? Two causes, both on the Windows side: your PATH hasn’t picked up the new npm global bin directory yet, which a fresh terminal fixes, or PowerShell’s execution policy is blocking the .cmd/.ps1 shim. Confirm the provider runs on its own with claude --version, then press Re-check on the Setup page.
Docker isolation on Windows
The Docker execution backend is an opt-in sandbox on every platform; you never need it. Native execution is the supported path everywhere, Windows included.
The Docker backend isn’t wired up for Windows yet. It mounts the run’s worktree at its real host path, so the diff gate and the path guard resolve against the same paths the host uses, and a Windows host path isn’t valid inside a Linux container. Making it work needs a host-to-container path-mapping pass, so run natively until then. See Container isolation for how the Docker backend works.
Next
- Installation - requirements, and the same setup path on every platform.
- Connect a model - point Vibestrate at the CLIs you have.
