OpenWork

OpenWork is the free, open-source alternative to Claude Cowork and Codex: a desktop app for macOS, Windows, and Linux where AI agents do real work on your own files. It is built on OpenCode, works with any model — 50+ providers, your own API keys, or local models via Ollama — and lets teams share skills and MCP servers.

Download OpenWork · GitHub releases · Docs

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Add one OpenWork MCP to Codex, Claude Code, Cursor, or another compatible agent and reuse the same skills, MCPs, and connected services across your tools, teammates, and machines. Create something once, share it with coworkers or friends, or keep it for yourself.

The desktop app is there when you want a dedicated workspace, but it is not required. You can use OpenWork from the agent you already have. For larger organizations, the admin interface lets you publish capabilities, manage access, and configure shared or per-user connections.

Why OpenWork instead of Claude Cowork

• Free and open source. The desktop app is MIT-licensed; no OpenWork account is required to use it locally.
• Any model. Bring your own API key, sign in with ChatGPT, or run local models through Ollama or any OpenAI-compatible server. See Add a custom LLM.
• Runs on macOS, Windows, and Linux as a desktop app — not a CLI.
• Your files stay local. Cloud is optional.
• Share skills and MCP servers with your team. See Share skills with your team and Shared MCP connections.
• Self-host the team control plane on your own infrastructure. See Self-host.
• Bring your Cowork setup. Skills, Claude-compatible plugins, and MCP servers carry over. See Migrate from Claude Cowork.

Install with your AI agent

Already use an AI agent? Copy this prompt and paste it into Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, ChatGPT, or any agent that can run commands on your computer.

Install OpenWork on my computer, set up my first workspace, and open it ready to use. Follow the steps in https://openworklabs.com/start.md?v=hero

1. Installs OpenWork
2. Creates your workspace
3. Opens it ready to run

Use OpenWork from any agent

The OpenWork MCP brings your assigned skills, plugins, MCP connections, Google Workspace, and Microsoft 365 capabilities into any compatible agent.

It exposes four tools: search_capabilities finds what you can use, execute_capability runs it, and list_skills / get_skill list your skills and read one SKILL.md directly. After adding the MCP, your client opens a browser so you can sign in and choose your OpenWork organization.

Codex

codex mcp add openwork --url https://api.openworklabs.com/mcp/agent

Claude Code

claude mcp add --transport http openwork https://api.openworklabs.com/mcp/agent

OpenCode

Add this to opencode.json:

{
  "mcp": {
    "openwork": {
      "type": "remote",
      "enabled": true,
      "url": "https://api.openworklabs.com/mcp/agent",
      "oauth": {}
    }
  }
}

Any MCP client

Use this remote MCP server URL:

https://api.openworklabs.com/mcp/agent

OpenWork Den

OpenWork Den is the control plane for managing OpenWork across a team or organization.

• Provision inference at scale and control which members and teams can use each model provider.
• Invite teammates, create teams, and manage access from one place.
• Set desktop policies, restrict local model access, and control which app versions your organization can use.
• Publish skills and plugins through marketplaces, then assign them to the organization, a team, or specific people.
• Import Agent Plugins or Anthropic-compatible plugins and make their supported skills and remote MCPs available through the OpenWork MCP.

Licensing

This repository uses a directory-split license, similar to GitLab:

• Everything outside ee/ is MIT — the desktop app and core platform are open source, free for any use.
• Everything under ee/ (OpenWork Den — the org control plane) is under the OpenWork EE License, a source-available license. The code is public so you can audit exactly what you deploy. Production use requires an OpenWork subscription, except that it is free for organizations with up to 5 users, free to evaluate for 30 days at any size, and always free for development and testing. Each ee/ release additionally converts to MIT two years after publication.

Versions released before this license was adopted remain under their original license (FSL-1.1-MIT). See pricing and the subscription terms.

Documentation

Read the OpenWork docs.

Getting started (contributors)

The fastest path from a fresh clone to a running dev build.

Prerequisites

• Node 24 — pinned in .nvmrc (nvm use picks it up).
• pnpm 11 — pinned in package.json (packageManager); run corepack enable to use the pinned version automatically. Never use npm or yarn.

First run

git clone https://github.com/different-ai/openwork.git
cd openwork
corepack enable
pnpm install
pnpm dev   # launches the Electron desktop app with hot reload

This is the beginning of the README. Read the rest at the original. Read the full README ↗