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Tangled has launched a redesigned, federated code forge built on the AT Protocol, with self-hostable services and repository-owned issues and pull requests. The release also adds organization accounts and stacked pull-request workflows; private repositories, a CLI, SDKs and agent skills are listed as forthcoming.
Tangled has announced a redesigned version of its code forge that lets developers host code and related project data on their own infrastructure while collaborating through the AT Protocol. The release changes how the service is built and where issues, pull requests and other records are stored, while adding organization accounts and a revised workflow for stacked pull requests.
The new architecture separates Tangled’s user interface from its indexing and repository services. A new Svelte frontend runs at the edge, while a Rust indexer called bobbin serves AT Protocol data from deployments in more than 11 regions, according to Tangled. The company says the change replaces an earlier Go-based appview that combined the interface and backend and ran on a single server in Sweden.
Repository-related records now live on the hosting knot alongside the code. Tangled says issues, pull requests, comments, reactions, labels and collaborator information are stored as collaborative objects made from Git objects in the repository. The records are signed and synced through the AT Protocol firehose. To address whether a host could alter a user’s contribution, Tangled says the web app also writes an attestation to the user’s personal data server, referencing the specific record version and repository change.
The release also introduces organization accounts as AT Protocol accounts with their own decentralized identifiers and handles. Owners can invite members, and organization members can create or fork repositories under the organization. Tangled has also updated its pull-request flow so Git and Jujutsu users can work with stacked pull requests; Git users can compare versions, while Jujutsu users can compare individual changes. Self-hosters must upgrade knot servers to version 1.20.0, following Tangled’s upgrade guide.
Project Data Travels With Repositories
The design targets a longstanding trade-off in code hosting: centralized services are convenient, but projects depend on the host’s availability and policies. Tangled’s approach is to let people run some or all of the forge themselves while still communicating with other participants through a shared protocol. That could give maintainers more control over where code and project history reside, while retaining a common collaboration layer.
Storing issues and pull requests with the repository treats them as part of a project’s history rather than records tied only to one hosted website. In principle, this can make project data easier to move with its code. Tangled presents attestations as a way for users to verify records written on a knot against entries in their own personal data server. The release describes this as two-way verification, but does not provide independent testing or evidence about how it performs in practice.
The announcement also reflects a broader product bet on self-hosting and extensibility. Developers can choose which services to operate, customize components, or build alternatives on top of the protocol. That flexibility may appeal to teams that want control over infrastructure; it also means operators may take on more setup, maintenance and upgrade work than they would with a fully managed forge.
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From One Server to Distributed Services
Tangled says its earlier web UI and backend ran together in a Go application called the appview, with indexing, caching and interface rendering backed by a SQLite database on one server in Sweden. The company says the setup worked well when users were close to that server, but that many users were not. The new frontend and globally deployed bobbin indexer are presented as a response to that performance constraint.
The release also changes Tangled’s data definitions: its new lexicons use the org.tangled.* namespace in place of the earlier sh.tangled.* records. Its second knot-server implementation, knot2, is written in Rust and includes a custom Git server and SSH server. Tangled says a knot can be self-hosted separately from other components, or operators can run more of the system, including its API and interface.
Tangled frames this development as an alternative to relying on a single centralized forge, drawing on Git for moving code and email’s open-protocol model for communication. The announcement is a product description from Tangled itself; it does not establish that the system has been independently evaluated or that every component can be operated without trade-offs.
“You can host code on your own servers and still collaborate seamlessly with others.”
— Tangled
Adoption and Operations Still Unclear
The announcement does not give user numbers, independent performance measurements, or evidence about how widely the new architecture is already deployed. Tangled reports bobbin is running in more than 11 regions, but does not specify the regions, service-level guarantees or measured gains for users.
It is also unclear how the attestation process will work in less typical cases, such as disputes over edits or changes made through different clients, and how straightforward it will be to move a project between knots. The release describes the underlying records and verification approach but does not provide an independent security review or detail recovery procedures.
Some features are not available yet. Tangled says private repositories, a command-line interface, software development kits and tools for AI agents are planned for subsequent weeks. The company also says it is working on a way for existing users who used standard accounts as organization stand-ins to migrate them; no timing for that migration is given.
More Tools Planned in Stages
Tangled says it will stagger the launch over the next few weeks. Its stated next additions are private repositories, a CLI, language SDKs and agent skills. The company has not provided specific release dates in the supplied announcement.
Operators who self-host Tangled should follow the published upgrade guide and move knot servers to v1.20.0 to support the new system. Existing account holders using regular accounts as stand-in organizations will need to wait for the planned migration path. Further details on feature availability and migration are expected from Tangled as the staged rollout proceeds.
Key Questions
What is Tangled’s federated code forge?
It is Tangled’s code-hosting and collaboration service, built on the AT Protocol. Tangled says users can host code on their own servers and collaborate with people using other parts of the network.
Where are issues and pull requests stored?
Tangled says issues, pull requests, comments and related records are stored on a repository’s knot, alongside the code, as collaborative objects made from Git objects.
How does Tangled say users can check records written on a knot?
The web app writes an attestation to the user’s personal data server that points to a particular record version and the corresponding repository change. Tangled describes this as two-way verification; independent testing details were not included in the announcement.
What is new for organizations and pull requests?
Organizations now have their own AT Protocol account, identifier and handle, with members able to act as the organization when creating or forking repositories. The revised pull-request flow supports stacked pull requests for both Git and Jujutsu users.
What features are still planned?
Tangled lists private repositories, a command-line interface, language SDKs and agent skills as upcoming additions in a rollout planned over the following weeks. It has not provided exact release dates.
Source: tangled.org
