A practical guide to installing OpenBot, connecting your existing ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Grok plans, and running persistent local AI agents.
What is OpenBot and why does it matter? #
OpenBot is a free, open-source desktop application that lets you build persistent AI agents on your own computer instead of renting them from a managed cloud service. It runs on Mac, Windows, and Linux, with companion iPhone, Android, and web apps that let you talk to your agents remotely while the actual work stays on your machine. The project, available on GitHub under Nightly Labs/Openbot, was built as a direct response to tools like Grokbot, which gives agents their own always-on cloud computer but locks you into its provider’s infrastructure and model choices.
The core idea is simple: you already pay for a ChatGPT plan, a Claude plan, maybe Gemini or Grok. Why rent a second, separate agent environment on top of that when you can run the same persistent-teammate experience locally, using the subscriptions and API keys you already own?
TL;DR #
- OpenBot runs locally on your own hardware, keeping agent workspaces, conversations, files, and browser data on your machine instead of a third-party cloud server.
- It connects to plans you already pay for , including Codex through a ChatGPT plan, Claude Code through a Claude plan, Gemini through a Google AI Pro or Ultra plan, Grok through an xAI account or API key, plus Cursor, Cline, Muse Code, Open Code, Pi, and Inception Mercury.
- Agents are persistent teammates , each with a name, instructions, its own workspace, and a memory of past work, rather than disposable one-off chat sessions.
- You can swap the model powering an agent without losing its role or history, and OpenBot can automatically fail over to a backup provider if one hits a usage limit or goes down.
- Agents can collaborate in shared channels , handing off tasks to each other, reviewing each other’s work, and running on schedules without you relaying messages by hand.
- The app is free with no locked features , but it ships under the Polyform Non-Commercial license, meaning commercial use requires a separate paid license.
- It is explicitly a development preview , and agents currently run with full file, command, network, and browser access after a one-time consent screen, so trust and backups matter.
Remy doesn't build the plumbing. It inherits it. #
Other agents wire up auth, databases, models, and integrations from scratch every time you ask them to build something.
Remy ships with all of it from MindStudio — so every cycle goes into the app you actually want.
How do you install and set up OpenBot? #
Getting started follows a short, linear path. You download the desktop app for macOS 13 or newer (Apple Silicon or Intel), Windows 10 or newer, or Linux as an AppImage. From there:
- Connect a provider you already use. This could be your ChatGPT plan for Codex, your Claude plan for Claude Code, a Google AI Pro or Ultra subscription for Gemini, or a Grok account or xAI API key. OpenBot also supports Cursor, Cline, Muse Code, Open Code, Pi, and Inception Mercury, plus any agent that speaks the Agent Client Protocol (such as Goose or Qwen Code) pointed at an OpenAI-compatible endpoint. Local models through Ollama or LM Studio work too.
- Describe the agent you want in one prompt. OpenBot drafts a teammate from that description, generating a name, a job, and a starting set of instructions.
- Review and edit the instructions before saving. This is the step worth not skipping. The draft is a starting point, not a finished hire.
- Assign the agent to a provider and model , choosing the reasoning effort and engine per agent rather than accepting whatever a managed service picks for you.
Once saved, the agent behaves like a standing teammate: it keeps its workspace, its conversation history, and its context from one session to the next.
How does OpenBot compare to Grokbot? #
Grokbot, built by SpaceX AI (the company behind Grok), turned an internal tool into a product: you create a bot, give it a name and a job, and it runs on an always-on cloud computer with its own browser, file system, and terminal. It keeps working after you close your laptop and only surfaces when it needs your approval. Access comes bundled with paid Cursor plans and Super Grok subscriptions, and the model selection is managed for you.
OpenBot rebuilds that same shape but flips who controls the infrastructure. Instead of your bots living on a cloud computer hosted by someone else, they live on your desktop or home server. Instead of a managed model, you choose the provider and model for each agent individually. The trade-off is direct: Grokbot’s cloud computer keeps running with nothing switched on at your end, while OpenBot needs your machine to stay on for its agents to keep working. OpenBot’s answer to that gap is to let you run it on a home server that stays on while your laptop sleeps, or use one of its hosted servers in the EU (starting around €20 or $25 a month) if you want always-on behavior without maintaining your own box. There’s also a Teams offering with managed servers set up around a company’s existing tools.
What can OpenBot agents actually do? #
Each agent in OpenBot is persistent in the same way Grokbot popularized: it has a name, its own instructions, its own workspace, and its own conversation that carries forward day to day. A few capabilities stand out for anyone who already works with agents regularly:
- Provider switching without losing the agent. Change which model powers an agent and it keeps its role, workspace, and conversation. You’re swapping the engine, not starting a new hire from scratch.
- Automatic failover. If a plan hits its usage limit or a provider goes down, an agent can move to a backup model on another provider mid-task, with a note in the chat marking the switch.
- Multi-agent collaboration. Agents message each other, hand off tasks, and review each other’s work inside shared channels. One agent can fix a bug, pass it to a second for review, and let a third close the loop, each task channel having one clear owner with controls to stop, resume, reassign, archive, or restore work.
- A built-in browser the agent can open, read, and control, useful for work behind a login that has no clean API.
- Task queuing. You can send an agent a new job while it’s busy; the job waits in queue, and you can , resume, or cancel work already in progress.
- Scheduled routines , with a “keep this computer awake” option on Mac and Windows so scheduled jobs fire even if the machine would otherwise sleep.
- Chat integrations for Slack, Discord, and Telegram, plus a voice interface where local models handle speech so only text reaches the agent.
- A credential vault that keeps logins and payment details encrypted on your computer via the OS and Bitwarden, showing agents only a card name and last four digits while you approve the first autofill on each site.
Everyone else built a construction worker.
We built the contractor.
One file at a time.
UI, API, database, deploy.
Is OpenBot worth running right now? #
It depends on what you value more: control or convenience. OpenBot is worth it if you already pay for Codex, Claude, Gemini, or Grok plans, want your files and chats to stay on hardware you control, and want an app whose source code you can actually inspect on GitHub. The app itself costs nothing, with no features locked behind a paywall. Your spending stays limited to the plans and API keys you already hold, plus an optional hosted server if you want always-on behavior without running your own machine.
Grokbot makes more sense if you want a fully managed experience, already live inside Cursor or Super Grok, and would rather not keep any computer switched on to support your agents.
Two things to weigh before committing OpenBot to real work. First, it’s labeled a development preview, and agents currently run with full file, command, network, and browser access after a one-time consent screen at launch, with no per-action approval. That’s a meaningful amount of trust to extend to software running on your actual machine, so start with tasks you can afford to lose, keep backups, and consider a dedicated machine if agents will run all day. Second, the license: the code is open under Polyform Non-Commercial 1.0.0, which permits free use for personal projects, study, and research, but requires a separate commercial license for business use. Any team planning to build on OpenBot should price that conversation in up front.
Frequently Asked Questions #
Does OpenBot work offline?
No. “Local first” means your workspace, conversations, files, and browser data stay on your machine, but the AI provider you connect (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, etc.) still receives the prompts your agents send, and any web pages your agents open still require a network connection.
Do I need to buy a new AI subscription to use OpenBot?
No. OpenBot doesn’t sell its own model access. It connects to subscriptions and API keys you likely already have, such as a ChatGPT plan for Codex, a Claude plan for Claude Code, a Google AI Pro or Ultra plan for Gemini, or an xAI account or API key for Grok.
Can I use OpenBot for commercial projects?
The source code is public, but it’s licensed under Polyform Non-Commercial 1.0.0. You can read and run it freely for personal, non-commercial use like study or research. Commercial use requires a separate license from the project.
What happens if my AI provider hits a usage limit?
OpenBot can automatically fail an agent over to a backup model on a different provider mid-task, inserting a note in the chat to flag the switch, so long-running work doesn’t just stall out when a weekly limit runs dry.
Is it safe to let OpenBot agents run unattended?
Other agents ship a demo. Remy ships an app. #
Real backend. Real database. Real auth. Real plumbing. Remy has it all.
Treat it carefully. The project itself warns that this is a development preview: agents get full file, command, network, and browser access after a single consent screen, without per-action approval. Run it only with agents and tasks you trust, keep backups, and consider a separate machine or server for all-day use.