open-claude-cowork: Open Source Automation

What is open-claude-cowork?

What it is

Open Claude Cowork is an open-source JavaScript desktop chat application in the Electron, Node.js, and Anthropic Claude ecosystem. It uses the Claude Agent SDK, Composio Tool Router, and MCP, and includes Secure Clawdbot for messaging platforms.

It solves the problem of running work automation from one desktop interface instead of many SaaS tools. Users can chat with Claude-based agents that call Gmail, Slack, GitHub, Google Drive, Calendar, and other integrations, while the backend streams responses, shows tool inputs and outputs, and maintains persistent sessions.

Key capabilities

The project supports Claude Agent SDK or Opencode for different models.
It maintains persistent sessions and displays token-by-token responses through Server-Sent Events.
It shows tool inputs and outputs in a sidebar.
It supports custom skills by loading SKILL.md files from the .claude/skills directory.
It connects to more than 500 SaaS applications through Composio, including Gmail, Slack, GitHub, Google Drive, and Calendar.
Secure Clawdbot adds WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, and iMessage access with memory, browser automation, scheduling, and reminders.

Who uses it and how

Work automation users can run the desktop interface on macOS, Windows, or Linux and ask agents to operate connected SaaS tools.
Developers and operators can clone the repository, run the Express backend on port 3001, and start the Electron frontend in a second terminal.
Teams that need messaging-based assistance can start the Secure Clawdbot gateway and connect WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, or iMessage.

Getting started

Typical setup is to clone the repository, run ./setup.sh, copy .env.example to .env, and add Anthropic and Composio API keys, with Opencode optional. The README then shows running the server and desktop app with npm start in separate terminals, or running node cli.js for Secure Clawdbot.

When to use it — and when not to

Use it when you want an open-source alternative to Claude Cowork and are willing to run a local Electron and Node.js application. It fits users who have Anthropic and Composio API keys and want desktop chat, persistent sessions, tool visibility, and many SaaS integrations. Do not choose it if you need a hosted option, because the README describes local setup, API keys, and a backend on port 3001, while the repository lists fifteen open issues and no contributor count.

project readme (upstream, from github) — read inline

Open Claude Cowork

An open-source desktop chat application powered by Claude Agent SDK and Composio Tool Router. Automate your work end-to-end across desktop and all your work apps in one place.

Get your free API key to get started →

Pst. hey, you, join our stargazers :)

What's Inside

This repo includes two powerful AI tools:

	Open Claude Cowork	🦑 Secure Clawdbot
What	Full-featured desktop chat interface	Personal AI assistant on messaging
Where	macOS, Windows, Linux	WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, iMessage
Best for	Work automation, multi-chat sessions	On-the-go AI access, reminders, memory

Both include 500+ app integrations via Composio (Gmail, Slack, GitHub, Google Drive, and more).

Quick Start

Open Claude Cowork

git clone https://github.com/ComposioHQ/open-claude-cowork.git
cd open-claude-cowork
./setup.sh

Then run in two terminals:

# Terminal 1
cd server && npm start

# Terminal 2
npm start

🦑 Secure Clawdbot

cd clawd
npm install
node cli.js

Select "Terminal chat" to test, or "Start gateway" to connect WhatsApp/Telegram/Signal/iMessage.

See Secure Clawdbot Documentation for full setup.

Features

Open Claude Cowork

Multi-Provider Support - Claude Agent SDK or Opencode for different models
Persistent Sessions - Context maintained across messages
Real-time Streaming - Token-by-token response display
Tool Visualization - See tool inputs/outputs in the sidebar
Skills Support - Extend Claude with custom capabilities
Modern UI - Clean, dark-themed interface

🦑 Secure Clawdbot

Multi-Platform - WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, iMessage
Persistent Memory - Remembers facts, preferences, daily notes
Browser Automation - Navigate, click, fill forms, screenshot
Scheduling - Natural language reminders and cron jobs
500+ Integrations - Gmail, Slack, GitHub, Calendar via Composio

Tech Stack

Component	Technology
Desktop	Electron.js
Backend	Node.js + Express
AI	Claude Agent SDK + Opencode SDK
Tools	Composio Tool Router + MCP
Streaming	Server-Sent Events (SSE)

Configuration

API Keys

You need:

Anthropic API key from console.anthropic.com
Composio API key from app.composio.dev
Opencode API key (optional) from opencode.dev

cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your keys

Skills

Extend Claude with custom skills by adding SKILL.md files to .claude/skills/:

---
description: Use this skill when the user asks about [topic]
---

# My Skill

Instructions for Claude...

See Agent Skills documentation for details.

Project Structure

open-claude-cowork/
├── main.js              # Electron main process
├── renderer/            # Frontend UI
├── server/              # Backend + providers
│   ├── providers/       # Claude & Opencode implementations
│   └── server.js        # Express server
├── clawd/               # Secure Clawdbot (messaging bot)
│   ├── cli.js           # Entry point
│   ├── adapters/        # WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, iMessage
│   └── README.md        # Full documentation
└── .claude/skills/      # Custom agent skills

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
Can't connect to backend	Ensure server is running on port 3001
API key error	Check `.env` - Anthropic keys start with `sk-ant-`
Session not persisting	Check server logs for session ID
Streaming slow	Check firewall/network for SSE connections

Contributing

Fork the repository
Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
Open a Pull Request

Resources

Community

Discord - Chat with developers
Twitter/X - Updates and features
[email protected] - Questions

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Frequently asked questions

Is open-claude-cowork free to use?

open-claude-cowork is open source under the MIT licence. There is no licence fee and no seat count — you can self-host it or, where the project offers one, pay a vendor for a managed version instead.

What does open-claude-cowork do?

Open Source version of Claude Cowork with 500+ SaaS app integrations

What is open-claude-cowork written in?

open-claude-cowork is primarily written in JavaScript. Its source is publicly available at https://github.com/composio-community/open-claude-cowork, and it has 4,359 GitHub stars.