What is OpenWork used for?

OpenWork is a free, open-source desktop app where AI agents work on your files, built on OpenCode, compatible with 50+ model providers and shareable skills and MCP servers. It is a good fit for running agents on local documents and files, sharing agent skills across a team, and using one set of tools across several coding agents.

Is OpenWork open source?

Yes. OpenWork is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at different-ai/openwork and is written mainly in TypeScript.

Yes. OpenWork is open source, so the software itself is free to use under the terms of its own licence. Paid plans are also available, starting at $10 per seat per month.

Can I self-host OpenWork?

Yes. OpenWork can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What is OpenWork an alternative to?

OpenWork is an open-source alternative to Claude and Claude Cowork. Other open-source alternatives to Claude include Abu Cowork, Suna and DeepSeek Cowork.

Is OpenWork actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to OpenWork was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is v0.18.54, published on 25 September 2026. The project has 24k stars on GitHub.

OpenWork: open-source alternative to Claude, Claude Cowork

About OpenWork

OpenWork is a free, open-source desktop application, available on macOS, Windows and Linux, in which AI agents work on your own files. It is presented as an alternative to Claude Cowork and Codex and is built on OpenCode. It is model-agnostic: connect more than fifty providers with your own API keys, or run local models through Ollama, and no OpenWork account is needed to use it locally.

A key idea is sharing: teams can distribute skills and MCP servers, and attaching one OpenWork MCP server to Codex, Claude Code, Cursor or a similar agent lets you carry the same skills, MCPs and connected services across tools, teammates and machines. The desktop app gives you a dedicated workspace but is optional, because the capabilities work from whichever agent you already use. For bigger organizations an admin interface lets administrators release capabilities, control who can use them and set up either shared or per-user connections.

The desktop app is MIT licensed according to the README, while the repository license is listed as 'Other' on GitHub, so confirm what applies to each component. It suits individuals and teams who want agentic automation of file-based work with control over models and data.

Key features

Desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux
Agents working on your local files
Any model: 50+ providers or local via Ollama
Shareable skills and MCP servers
Single MCP to reuse skills across other agents
Admin interface for access and connections

Good fit for

→Running agents on local documents and files
→Sharing agent skills across a team
→Using one set of tools across several coding agents

Built with: TypeScript
Tags: ai-agents; desktop-app; opencode; mcp; skills; ollama; automation; claude-cowork-alternative

OpenWork: questions and answers

What is OpenWork used for?: OpenWork is a free, open-source desktop app where AI agents work on your files, built on OpenCode, compatible with 50+ model providers and shareable skills and MCP servers. It is a good fit for running agents on local documents and files, sharing agent skills across a team, and using one set of tools across several coding agents.
Is OpenWork open source?: Yes. OpenWork is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at different-ai/openwork and is written mainly in TypeScript.
Is OpenWork free?: Yes. OpenWork is open source, so the software itself is free to use under the terms of its own licence. Paid plans are also available, starting at $10 per seat per month.
Can I self-host OpenWork?: Yes. OpenWork can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What is OpenWork an alternative to?: OpenWork is an open-source alternative to Claude and Claude Cowork. Other open-source alternatives to Claude include Abu Cowork, Suna and DeepSeek Cowork.
Is OpenWork actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to OpenWork was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is v0.18.54, published on 25 September 2026. The project has 24k stars on GitHub.