Summary of "Claude's new Cursor killer just dropped"

Concise summary

A hands-on review of Anthropic’s new Claude Code desktop app (bundled into the main Claude app with Chat and Co-work). The reviewer appreciates the GUI and lower RAM usage versus the prior CLI but finds the release buggy, half-baked, and lacking polish. They recommend open alternatives (Codeex, T3 Code) until Anthropic improves UX, QA, and openness.

Overview

Claude Code is now available as an official desktop GUI (Chat + Co-work + Code in one app).
The app reduces memory/CPU use compared to the prior CLI/VM service.
Despite performance improvements, the release is criticized for many UX issues, bugs, and questionable product choices.

Key positives

Official desktop GUI combining Chat, Co-work, and Code.
Lower memory and CPU usage than the previous CLI approach.
Promising feature set:
- Split/tiled chat views and multi-chat tiling.
- Ability to add multiple folders as context.
- Remote-run (run sessions on other machines on your local network).
- Routines/templated runs (cron/webhook).
- Skills/connectors and a plugin/connector store.
- Forking chats and a “preview” developer workflow (run dev server, inspect logs/network).
Easier model toggles and ability to switch Opus model versions (reviewer prefers Opus 4.5 over 4.6/461m).

Major problems and UX/bugs (detailed)

Image paste / attachment issues
- Pasted screenshots attach to the wrong message or appear out of order.
- UI sometimes requires a manual refresh to show attachments.
- No easy delete UI for attachments.
Missing convenience affordances
- Many places lack click-to-copy buttons.
- Copy/paste behavior can add extra newlines or wrap oddly.
Agent behavior and permissions
- Agents sometimes perform side effects (create branches/PRs, modify permissions) when only analysis was requested.
- Bypass/permission preferences aren’t reliably saved.
Hotkey, focus, and keybinding problems
- Global hotkeys act on the wrong pane (often the leftmost window) rather than the focused pane.
- Terminal opens in the wrong tab.
- Command-W has edge case behavior when closing panes.
- Several hotkeys map to suboptimal functions (e.g., command-number toggles chat/co-work/code unexpectedly).
Split view and layout instability
- Tiling/opening threads causes layout shifts.
- Drag/drop ordering and sidebar customization are poorly implemented.
- Many UI elements don’t behave as expected.
Git / worktree handling
- Default worktree storage can pollute repositories (users must add .gitignore entries).
- Little visibility into the current worktree/branch state.
Platform limitations and product choices
- Cloud Code requires a specific project structure (quad files/quad MD) — feels like vendor lock-in.
- Some connectors exposed may violate platform ToS.
QA and polish issues
- Abrupt bugs and UI oddities: menus disappearing, mismatched settings placement, duplicate voice input, diff view rendering issues.
- Reviewer finds this level of polish surprising for a well-funded company and compares unfavorably to more mature alternatives.

Comparisons and alternatives

Codeex / Codex (open-source CLI + app server)
- Praised for reliability and wide adoption as a harness for agent tools.
- Easy to integrate with other GUIs; recommended if you want an open solution.
T3 Code (reviewer’s open-source project)
- Presented as a more polished alternative: better add-project flow, favicon grabbing, proper multi-tab handling, hotkeys that respect focus, one-click copy, robust diff rendering, long-thread performance, drag/drop project ordering.
- Claimed to be faster, more stable, and more usable despite being a two-person project.
Cursor and other GUIs
- Some competitors adopt community standards (agents directory, agent.md).
- Anthropic’s approach remains more proprietary by comparison.

Practical tips, fixes, and workflow notes

Model selection
- If Opus 4.6 / 461m underperforms for you, switch to Opus 4.5 locally.
Git / worktree
- Expect to add .gitignore entries for Claude’s built-in worktree defaults to avoid repo pollution.
Remote-run and Cloud Code
- Remote-run sessions are possible on your network, but mobile use is limited.
- Cloud Code for web is a different product and won’t run code locally.
If you want an open foundation
- Use Codeex’s Apache-licensed CLI/app server as a base; consider T3 Code for a GUI.

Reviewer’s verdict and analysis

Pros: fixes some performance problems (notably RAM) and provides an official GUI.
Cons: far behind in polish, stability, and UX. The app feels rushed, with many basic UI/QA failures.
Strategic critique: Anthropic’s decision to keep core pieces closed/proprietary is criticized — the reviewer argues Anthropic should either open key components or deliver a world-class UI; currently it’s doing neither.
Practical recommendation: Because Claude is a common sign-in path, the app may still see wide use, but serious coders should evaluate alternatives (Codeex-based tools, T3 Code, Cursor) until Anthropic improves the product.

Guides / demos shown in the video

Pasting screenshots into chat and issues observed.
Using split/tiled views and opening terminals.
Switching Opus models.
Adding projects and grabbing favicons.
Installing the T3 Code nightly build.
Showing code diffs and long-thread navigation.
Demonstrating how worktrees are created and why .gitignore edits are needed.
Promise of a future in-depth comparison video across multiple GUIs for agentic coding.

Sponsor

Code Rabbit — an AI code review platform. Presented as a tool for automated code review to catch small mistakes and free humans to focus on high-level review.

Main speakers / sources

Video narrator / reviewer: creator of T3 Code (primary speaker).
Companies / products discussed: Anthropic (Claude / Cloud Code), Codeex / Codex, T3 Code, Cursor, OpenAI, Code Rabbit.
Individuals referenced: Julius and Julia (T3 Code collaborators), Theo and Ben (mentioned in commentary).