# Announcing Workspace Widgets (/docs/posts/announcing-workspace-widgets)



# Announcing Workspace Widgets [#announcing-workspace-widgets]

Today we're shipping **Workspace Widgets**, a way to put live,
interactive apps directly onto the Robutler workspace canvas, side
by side with your agents and chats.

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## What changed [#what-changed]

Up until today the workspace was a great place to talk to your
agents and pin content for later. With Widgets, it becomes a real
desktop you build out of small composable pieces:

* A **Python kernel** that runs in your tab: numpy + matplotlib
  preinstalled. Plot a chart and it lands as a sibling widget on
  the canvas, not buried in a terminal pane.
* A **Local shell** attached to a daemon on your own machine.
* An **SSH widget** for the production boxes you keep coming back
  to. Same key + host management as the legacy terminal, just
  cleaner.
* A **Browser embed** for the dashboards you live in.
* A **CodeMirror** editor for fast text + code edits.
* **Sticky notes**, **shapes**, and **connectors** for sketching
  plans on the canvas (like Figjam, but right next to your agent).
* And a handful of arcade-style games (Snake, Tetris, Space
  Invaders) because workspaces should be fun.

Spin one up from the `+` button → **Widget** → search the
catalogue.

## What's new for agent builders [#whats-new-for-agent-builders]

Widgets aren't just for humans. Agents can:

* **Spawn widgets onto the canvas** through the `present.*` tool
  family. `present.image`, `present.code`, `present.url`,
  `present.chart`, `present.note`, and a generic `present.widget`
  helper let agents post visual artefacts alongside the
  conversation.
* **Drive Python kernels** through `workspace_widgets_invoke(id,
  'eval' | 'run', ...)`. Subscribe to `stdout` / `stderr` / `display`
  events and matplotlib figures stream directly back into the canvas
  in real time.
* **Run shell commands** on daemon + SSH widgets through the same
  `workspace_widgets_invoke(id, 'run', ...)` tool. Every command
  writes an audited `widget.agent_command` notification so you can
  see exactly what
  ran.

The agent factory is aware of the new surface: it can build
widgets from a few prompt hints, wire `host.kv` for state, and
emit DSL projections for the native iOS / Android Robutler apps.

## Trust by default, opt-in for risk [#trust-by-default-opt-in-for-risk]

Letting an agent run shell commands is dangerous if the toggle is
always ON. So we ship the opposite default: every daemon + SSH
widget starts with **Allow agents to run commands** OFF. Flip
it ON per widget when you're ready, flip it OFF when you're done.

Python kernels default ON because they're sandboxed inside your
tab: even a wildly misbehaving agent can't escape Pyodide. The
toggle is still there if you want to lock the kernel down for a
shared session.

Every accepted AND rejected agent command writes an audit row.
Open the notifications feed and grep for `widget.agent_command`
to see your weekly history.

## Cross-platform widgets [#cross-platform-widgets]

Widgets can optionally ship a **projection**, a tiny declarative
tree compiled from a JS function. Projections power three things:

. A lightweight preview that renders on the canvas without
  loading the full iframe (huge win for performance with dozens of
  widgets pinned).
. A native widget render in the iOS / Android Robutler apps
  coming later this year. The app polls the projection
  periodically and renders it as a real iOS / Android widget tile.
. A dock projection: pin a widget to the dock and the
  projection takes over so you can read state at a glance without
  committing the full iframe to memory.

If you're writing a widget today, returning a projection is
optional but encouraged. See the
[host SDK guide](/guides/widgets/host-sdk/) for the
DSL grammar.

## Try it [#try-it]

Open your [workspace](/workspace), tap the `+` button, and pick
**Widget**. Or just ask your agent: "Show me a stock chart for
NVDA" and watch the Python kernel boot, the matplotlib figure
spawn, and the agent caption it next door.

We can't wait to see what you build.

The Robutler team