open-cowork
Open-source AI agent desktop app for Windows & macOS. One-click install Claude Code, MCP tools, and Skills, with sandbox isolation, multi-model support, and Feishu/Slack integration.
Runssource: GitHubhomepageTypeScriptMITcommit a1d0e4ab0f0f
TypeScript, MIT licensed. The project labels itself: ai agent, ai coding, ai tools, anthropic, claude code, coding agent, computer use and desktop app.
open-cowork runs. An Argusic agent installed it in 7 minutes and hit 3 errors and fixed every one without help on a clean machine with no GPU, and the whole session was recorded.
npm install completed successfully with Node.js v22.22.0. 155 of 158 test files pass (1141 of 1144 tests), MCP servers are built, better-sqlite3 native module rebuilt, and Electron v41.7.1 is ready.
What the agent ended up with on a clean machine, in its own words. How this is measured
Measured by Argusic on a fresh machine every time. Every number links to its evidence. Argusic Score 100 of 100 (the mean of this project's run scores).
At a glance
Subject data from GitHub, linked at the top of this page, refreshed . Test data by Argusic (CC BY 4.0); every number links to a run page with the full log, the recording, and their sha256 hashes.
What was measured
From the run that decided this verdict. Every line is a recorded value, not an estimate.
What went wrong, in the agent's own words
The agent's own words, worst first, never rewritten into advice.
- Node.js <22 in container (18.19.1), project requires >=222 minutes
- MCP protocol tests timeout because dist-mcp bundle not built2 minutes
- better-sqlite3 native module ABI mismatch after node upgrade0.5 minutes
- Install time
- 7 minutes
- Cold machine to finish
- 63 minutes
- Errors hit and fixed
- 3 hit, 3 fixed with no human help
- How the result was proved
- node node_modules/vitest/vitest.mjs run --reporter=default --test-timeout=15000: 158 test files, 155 passed (1141/1144 tests). Electron --version returns v41.7.1.
- Model tokens used
- 343,793
- Exact commit tested
- a1d0e4ab0f0f
- Container image
- sha256:cdd920bce783
What was not measured
The other half, so you can see exactly how far this evidence goes. A gap is printed as a gap and never filled in.
- Peak GPU memory
- this ran on a CPU machine, so there was no GPU to sample
- Behaviour over a long run
- each attempt uses the smallest documented settings and a fixed time budget, so this measures whether it runs, not how it holds up under load
The end of the recording
The last lines of the terminal session that decided this verdict, exactly as they were recorded.
**Launch**: Electron v41.7.1 is installed and functional. The Electron app itself requires a Vite b… tokens used 343,793 Here's the final summary of my work. ## Summary **Install**: Ran `npm install` with Node.js v22.22.0 (downloaded from nodejs.org since system node … **Error Record**: 1. **Node.js version mismatch** — system had v18.19.1, project requires >=22. Fixed by downloading … 2. **better-sqlite3 ABI mismatch** — native module compiled against Node.js v18 won't load on v22. … 3. **MCP bundle not built** — two MCP protocol tests timed out because dist-mcp didn't exist. Fixed… **Test Results**: 155-156 of 158 test files pass (1141-1142 of 1144 tests). 2-3 tests fail only whe… **Launch**: Electron v41.7.1 is installed and functional. The Electron app itself requires a Vite b…
Replay the whole session, every command from a clean machine to this point.
How it was tested
One agent, one container, no human help. It installs the project the way its own documentation says to, runs it, and fixes what breaks. Everything below is recorded as it happened: the terminal session, the log and the exact commit. The full method.
Strengths and limits
Measured facts, not opinions. How this is written.
What went well
- Reached a running state on a clean machine, with the session recorded.
- Recovered from all 3 errors without a human stepping in, which says the failures are documented well enough to solve.
- Ran without a GPU, so it does not need one to start.
- Licensed MIT, as reported by its host.
What did not, or is not known
- Took 7 minutes to install, slower than the median of the 21 comparable projects Argusic has measured.
- Measured once so far. A single attempt shows it can run, not that it runs reliably.
Of the 22 ai-agent projects Argusic has installed and timed, open-cowork was the 14th fastest to reach a running state, and 15 of 22 reached one at all.
What it is a reasonable choice for
- Trying it on a laptop or a small server: it reached a running state without a GPU.
- A quick evaluation: it was running 7 minutes after the clone.
Also tested, in the same area
Every one of these was installed and run by Argusic on a clean machine. Nothing appears here that was not tested.
Run history
Topics (from GitHub)
ai-agentai-codingai-toolsanthropicclaude-codecoding-agentcomputer-usedesktop-appelectronmcpmulti-modelopen-coworksandboxskills
Embed the badge
Markdown for the project README. It links back here; terms on the terms page.
[](https://argusic.com/subject/open-cowork)Questions
- Does open-cowork run?
- Yes. open-cowork runs. Argusic installed and launched it on a clean machine in 7 minutes, hitting 3 errors on the way, and recorded the session.
- How did Argusic test open-cowork?
- On a fresh, disposable machine, with every command recorded and the repository pinned at commit a1d0e4ab0f0f. One attempt is recorded, and the full method is on the methodology page.
- What did it cost to test open-cowork?
- The run that produced this verdict cost $0.27: real compute and model cost, not a list price per million tokens. It is recorded on that run's page.
- How long does open-cowork take to install?
- 7 minutes in the run that decided this verdict, from a clean machine to a running state. That is one measured attempt, not an average.
- Does open-cowork need a GPU?
- Not to start. Argusic reached a running state on a machine with no GPU.
- What goes wrong when installing open-cowork?
- 3 things broke in the recorded run, and 3 were fixed without human help. Each one, and the time it cost, is listed on this page.
- How does open-cowork compare with the alternatives?
- Of the 22 ai-agent projects Argusic has installed and timed, open-cowork was the 14th fastest to reach a running state, and 15 of 22 reached one at all.
- Where is the evidence for open-cowork?
- The recorded run is on this page, each linking to its full log and terminal recording, stored with a sha256 fingerprint so it cannot be quietly altered.