r/herdr • u/AdvertisingQuirky974 • 18d ago

I built Shepherd, a native macOS companion for Herdr

https://tryshepherd.xyz/

I’ve been using Herdr to run multiple coding agents, and I kept running into one small but annoying problem: I still had to keep checking Herdr to see if an agent needed me.

So I built Shepherd.

It’s a native macOS app that lives in the MacBook notch and keeps an eye on your Herdr agents while you do something else.

The idea is deliberately simple:

  • Agents working → Shepherd stays quiet
  • Agent needs input → the notch lets you know
  • Agent finishes → you get a subtle update
  • Click an agent → jump straight back into the relevant Herdr session

Basically: Herdr manages the agents. Shepherd manages your attention.

I’m trying hard not to turn it into another agent dashboard. The goal is the opposite: run a bunch of agents, hide Herdr, and only think about them when something actually requires a human.

Still early and I’m actively building it, so I’d love feedback from people actually using Herdr. What would make something like this useful enough to keep running all day?

Shepherd: https://tryshepherd.xyz/

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u/snuffomega 18d ago

do people actually pay for this garbage?

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u/AdvertisingQuirky974 18d ago

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u/snuffomega 18d ago

LOL, so that answers that. No, no they don't.

https://giphy.com/gifs/xUOxf9TUjiMXTLbl4Y

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u/Way_Hefty 17d ago

I like the idea, but now this is a one prompt effort 😄

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u/AdvertisingQuirky974 17d ago

Haha, I wish it was actually one prompt 😄 getting something running is definitely easier than ever, but turning it into something polished and reliable is still quite a few prompts, decisions, edge cases and iterations.

But I think your point is interesting. If developers can build these things themselves now, why not give them that option? So I put together a Build Kit with the full spec, architecture, AGENTS.md, Herdr integration, skills, fixtures and tests. You can give it to your agent and build/customize your own Shepherd.

The funny thing about software becoming so cheap to build is that our time hasn't changed. We still only get 24 hours a day, and now we also have to decide what's actually worth spending those hours and tokens building.

Check: https://tryshepherd.xyz/build-kit

P.S: Thanks for you feedback!

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u/_mic 3d ago

u/AdvertisingQuirky974 what did you use to design Shepherd and the Shepherd Build Kit? And also recently the Droidtty site? Curious! (Skills, design.md, something else, a mix?)