Builnary Workbench

Public Beta 0.9.0 — Preview. The supported environment is intentionally narrow and the extension may change before a stable release.

Builnary Workbench prepares and runs a human-reviewed code change with Codex in an isolated Git worktree. You decide the scope, whether Codex may run, whether revisions are needed, and whether the reviewed changes may be applied to your repository.

AI prepares. Human decides.

Basic workflow

Describe a change
→ AI prepares the scope
→ Human reviews
→ Codex implements in an isolated worktree
→ Validate / Verify
→ Request revisions if needed
→ Human accepts

Accept applies the reviewed candidate to the original working tree without creating a final commit. You review and commit the result yourself; Workbench does not push.

Supported environment

This Public Beta is supported only in the environment validated by end-to-end dogfood:

• VS Code Desktop 1.100 or later with the WSL extension
• a Linux Extension Host running inside WSL
• Git installed inside WSL
• an installed and authenticated Codex CLI inside WSL
• one Git repository stored on the WSL Linux filesystem
• temporary worktrees stored on the WSL Linux filesystem

The repository must have at least one commit, be on a named branch, and be clean before a new change starts. Workspace Trust is required.

Native Linux, macOS, VS Code for the Web, Codespaces, Dev Containers, multi-root workspaces, local Windows Extension Hosts, repositories on /mnt/c, submodules, and repositories using tracked Git checkout filters are not supported for this Preview. Native Linux and macOS have not been validated even where some preflight checks may allow them.

Prerequisites

1. Install VS Code Desktop and the WSL extension.
2. Inside WSL, install Git and verify git --version.
3. Inside WSL, install Codex CLI, authenticate it, and verify codex login status.
4. Keep the repository under the WSL Linux filesystem, such as /home/<user>/projects.
5. Commit or stash every tracked and untracked change.

Codex CLI is a separate prerequisite and is not bundled with Builnary Workbench.

Install from the Marketplace

In a VS Code WSL window, open Extensions, search for Builnary Workbench, confirm that the extension is marked Preview, and select Install. If VS Code asks where to install it, install it in the WSL workspace so it runs in the Linux Extension Host.

The VSIX instructions under Developer dogfood are for local development and are not the primary installation method for Marketplace users.

Getting started

1. Open one supported, clean Git repository in a VS Code WSL window.
2. Open Builnary Workbench from the Activity Bar.
3. Select Start Change and describe the change you want.
4. Review the proposed files, protected paths, constraints, and checks. Planning is read-only.
5. Select Run only when the scope is correct.
6. Review validation and verification results.
7. Use View Diff to inspect each change. Use Request changes when the candidate needs another bounded review-and-run round.
8. Select Accept Changes only after the candidate is ready. Workbench revalidates the candidate and original Git state before applying it.
9. Review the applied changes in VS Code Source Control and create the final commit yourself.

Safety model

• Planning is read-only and requires a complete human scope review before Run.
• Implementation occurs in a temporary Git worktree. The original repository is not changed before explicit Accept.
• Allowed paths, protected paths, deterministic validation, verification freeze, and process/worktree ownership checks fail closed.
• A revision is a new protected candidate and requires another review and explicit Run.
• Accept rechecks the candidate and original repository, applies with git cherry-pick --no-commit, and runs post-Accept checks.
• Accept does not create the final user commit. Workbench does not push.

Privacy and Codex CLI boundary

Workbench has no independent telemetry or network-upload implementation. Its run state and optional Observation records are stored in VS Code extension storage on the machine. Observation is created only after an explicit user action and is not uploaded automatically.

Observation stores allowlisted measurements and an optional assessment. It does not store original or revision instructions, source or diff content, file or repository paths, remotes, prompts, command output, environment variables, Work Unit data, or estimator internals. Export is an explicit local file action.

Workbench launches the separately installed Codex CLI for planning and implementation. Repository context, instructions, and source needed for the task are therefore processed according to Codex CLI's own service, account, configuration, and network behavior. The statement that Workbench has no independent upload does not mean that Codex keeps source code on-device. Selected repository validation commands can also have their own network behavior.

See the bundled PRIVACY.md for the full data-handling boundary.

Known limitations

• Only the supported WSL environment above has completed end-to-end dogfood.
• If the original HEAD or branch changes, Workbench stops; it does not automatically rebase a candidate.
• Dependencies are not installed or linked automatically in temporary worktrees. A planned check may remain visible as unavailable.
• Process or worktree ownership mismatches fail closed and can require manual inspection or cleanup.
• Some VS Code contribution labels follow the VS Code display language rather than the builnary.language preference.
• No Marketplace screenshot is included in 0.9.0 because no publish-safe, verified UI screenshot is currently available.

Language

Set builnary.language to Auto, 日本語, or English. Auto uses Japanese for Japanese VS Code locales and English otherwise. VS Code-owned contribution labels continue to follow the VS Code display language.

Support

Use the Q&A link on the Marketplace listing for installation and usage questions. Before reporting a problem, remove source, diffs, prompts, paths, repository names, remotes, credentials, and other sensitive data from diagnostics. See the bundled SUPPORT.md for a safe diagnostic checklist.

Report suspected vulnerabilities privately to security@builnary.com. Do not post security reports, credentials, proprietary source, complete diffs, or exported Observation files to Marketplace Q&A. See the bundled SECURITY.md for the security-reporting process.

License

The extension is licensed under the bundled Proprietary Builnary Workbench License. It permits users to obtain, install, and use Builnary Workbench from the Visual Studio Marketplace or another Builnary-authorized distribution channel. It does not permit unauthorized redistribution or resale. See LICENSE for the complete terms.

Developer dogfood

From apps/workbench-vscode:

npm ci
npm run package:vsix

Install dist/builnary-workbench-0.9.0.vsix with Extensions: Install from VSIX…. The fixture at fixtures/builnary-dogfood.contract.json remains available in the repository for development dogfood but is not included in the VSIX.