Problem

Developers using AI agents (Claude Code, Cursor, Aider, etc.) face:

  • Agent outputs are hard to read in terminal (long code, broken diagrams)
  • Need separate tools to view HTML mockups, Mermaid diagrams
  • No quick way to preview agent-generated artifacts
  • Difficult to find previous outputs as terminal scrollback grows

Pain Intensity: 8/10 - Frustration grows with AI agent adoption

Market

  • Primary Market: Developers using AI coding tools
  • Segment: Claude Code, Cursor, Aider, Copilot Chat users
  • TAM: AI agents market $7.6B in 2026 → $50B by 2030
  • SAM: Developer tools segment ~$1B

Solution

Agent Output CLI - A lightweight tool that renders AI agent outputs in real-time in a separate window

Core Features

  1. Real-time Output Mirroring: Stream terminal output to a dedicated window
  2. Smart Rendering: Auto-detect and format HTML, Mermaid, Markdown, code
  3. History Browsing: Search and navigate all session outputs
  4. MCP Server Integration: Native connection with Claude Desktop, Cursor

Technical Implementation

- Electron-based lightweight viewer
- WebSocket for terminal output streaming
- Monaco Editor for code highlighting
- Mermaid.js for diagram rendering

Competition

CompetitorPriceWeakness
Ray 3.0 (Spatie)$79 one-timePaid, PHP ecosystem focus
Built-in TerminalFreeNo rendering capabilities
VS Code IntegrationFreeIDE-locked, not separate window

Competition Intensity: Low - Almost no direct competitors besides Ray 3.0 Differentiation: Open-source, CLI-first, works with all agents

MVP Development

  • MVP Timeline: 6 weeks
  • Full Version: 4 months
  • Tech Complexity: Low-Medium
  • Stack: Electron, Node.js, WebSocket, React

MVP Scope

  1. ao-cli watch command to capture terminal output
  2. Real-time rendering in separate window
  3. Basic HTML, Markdown rendering
  4. Session history storage

Revenue Model

  • Model: Open-source + One-time Purchase (Pro)
  • Pricing:
    • Free: Core features (open-source)
    • Pro: $29 one-time (cloud sync, team sharing)
  • Expected MRR (6 months): $3,000-5,000
  • Expected MRR (12 months): $6,000-10,000

Risk

TypeLevelMitigation
TechnicalLowProven Electron stack
MarketLowRay 3.0 success validates market
ExecutionMediumNeed to test with various agents

Recommendation

Score: 98/100 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

  1. Ray 3.0 already validated the market (selling at $79)
  2. Open-source positioning for differentiation
  3. 6-week MVP enables fast validation
  4. Market grows with AI agent adoption

Risk Factors

  1. Ray team has strong execution
  2. Competition may intensify as IDEs add features

First Actions

  1. Build PoC for Claude Code output capture
  2. Open-source release on Hacker News
  3. Gather feedback from Ray user community

This idea reimagines Ray 3.0 (Spatie)’s AI agent output viewer concept as an open-source CLI tool.