# OpenWork Open-source AI coworker desktop app built on top of [[OpenCode]]. Positioned as an alternative to [[Claude Cowork]]/Codex desktop apps. Designed for running agents, skills, and MCPs with a GUI rather than a terminal. Built with Tauri (Rust + web UI). MIT licensed. 12k+ GitHub stars. ## Core philosophy - **Local-first, cloud-ready**: runs on your machine, send messages instantly - **Composable**: desktop app, WhatsApp/Slack/Telegram connector, or server; no lock-in - **Ejectable**: powered by OpenCode, so everything OpenCode can do works in OpenWork - **Shareable**: start solo, then share; one command spins up a shareable instance ## Modes - **Host mode**: runs OpenCode locally via `openwork-orchestrator`. Default runtime orchestrates `opencode`, `openwork-server`, and optionally `opencode-router`. Binds to `127.0.0.1` by default - **Client mode**: connect to an existing remote OpenCode server by URL ## Features - **Sessions**: create/select sessions, send prompts - **Live streaming**: SSE subscription for realtime updates - **Execution plan**: renders OpenCode todos as a timeline - **Permissions**: surfaces permission requests with allow once/always/deny - **Templates**: save and re-run common workflows (stored locally) - **Skills manager**: list, install (via OpenPackage `opkg`), and import skill folders - **Plugin management**: reads/writes `opencode.json` for project and global scope plugins ## Orchestrator (headless) Run without the desktop UI: ```bash npm install -g openwork-orchestrator openwork start --workspace /path/to/workspace --approval auto ``` ## References - https://github.com/different-ai/openwork - https://openworklabs.com ## Related - [[OpenCode]] - [[Claude Cowork]] - [[AI Agent Harness]]