What is Kun used for?

Kun is a desktop and terminal workspace where AI agents handle coding, writing, design and research, running locally on one shared runtime. It is a good fit for AI-assisted software development, document and spreadsheet analysis, and coordinating several agents on a task.

Yes. Kun is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at KunAgent/Kun and is written mainly in TypeScript.

Yes. Kun is open source, so the software itself is free to use under the terms of its own licence.

Yes. Kun can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure; there is no official hosted version.

What is Kun an alternative to?

Kun is an open-source alternative to Claude Cowork. Other open-source alternatives to Claude Cowork include LobsterAI, Abu Cowork and Goose.

Is Kun actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to Kun was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is v0.3.12, published on 27 September 2026. The project has 6.3k stars on GitHub.

Kun: open-source alternative to Claude Cowork

About Kun

Kun is a local-first workspace where AI agents plan, execute and verify work in real projects instead of only answering questions. Its desktop GUI and terminal interface share the same local runtime, so threads, goals, plans, approvals and background tasks carry over between them.

The workspace is organized into modes. Code covers software delivery with project context, file editing, a terminal, Git and worktrees, diffs, tests and review, with a Design canvas available inside the same task. Work handles Markdown editing, PDF and Office document analysis, spreadsheets and presentations built from outlines. Rooms let several agents collaborate through private and group chats. Agents read workspace context, call tools and run checks.

Repository topics list MCP, OpenAI-compatible endpoints, DeepSeek and multi-agent support. It is built with Electron, React and TypeScript and published under a license GitHub lists as 'Other'. The README is primarily in Chinese, with an English version linked.

Key features

Code mode with Git, diffs and tests
Design canvas for prototypes
Work mode for documents and spreadsheets
Multi-agent Rooms with group chat
Shared desktop GUI and terminal runtime
Approval flow for agent actions

Good fit for

→AI-assisted software development
→Document and spreadsheet analysis
→Coordinating several agents on a task

Built with: TypeScript; Electron; React
Tags: ai-agent; local-first; desktop-app; tui; mcp; coding-agent; electron; multi-agent

Kun: questions and answers

What is Kun used for?: Kun is a desktop and terminal workspace where AI agents handle coding, writing, design and research, running locally on one shared runtime. It is a good fit for AI-assisted software development, document and spreadsheet analysis, and coordinating several agents on a task.
Is Kun open source?: Yes. Kun is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at KunAgent/Kun and is written mainly in TypeScript.
Is Kun free?: Yes. Kun is open source, so the software itself is free to use under the terms of its own licence.
Can I self-host Kun?: Yes. Kun can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure; there is no official hosted version.
What is Kun an alternative to?: Kun is an open-source alternative to Claude Cowork. Other open-source alternatives to Claude Cowork include LobsterAI, Abu Cowork and Goose.
Is Kun actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to Kun was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is v0.3.12, published on 27 September 2026. The project has 6.3k stars on GitHub.