open-spaces
Free, open-source alternative to ChatGPT Spaces: a self-hostable AI workspace for shared pages and conversations.
Runssource: GitHubhomepageJavaScriptMITcommit c789f40ccbbf
JavaScript, MIT licensed. The project labels itself: ai assistant, ai chat, ai workspace, artificial intelligence, chatgpt spaces alternative, collaboration, document editor and fastapi.
open-spaces runs. An Argusic agent installed it in 10 minutes and hit 6 errors and fixed every one without help on a clean machine with no GPU, and the whole session was recorded.
API server on port 8000 and Next.js client on port 3000 both serve HTTP 200 responses; the API returns/creates spaces, pages, messages, and auth records correctly over a local SQLite database.
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.
- SQLite does not support ALTER TABLE IF NOT EXISTS — startup migration crashes3 minutes
- session.py raises RuntimeError when DATABASE_URL is not set (no PostgreSQL available)2 minutes
- Node.js 18.19.1 incompatible with Next.js 16 which needs >=20.9.02 minutes
- SQLAlchemy missing from requirements.txt — import error on startup1 minute
- Missing __init__.py in app/api/ and app/api/routers/ prevents module import1 minute
- TailwindCSS native bindings compiled for wrong Node version after reinstall1 minute
- Install time
- 10 minutes
- Cold machine to finish
- 10 minutes
- Errors hit and fixed
- 6 hit, 6 fixed with no human help
- How the result was proved
- curl -s http://localhost:8000/health returned 200; curl -s http://localhost:8000/api/spaces -H 'X-User-Id: usr-1' returned 200 with 2 spaces; curl -s http://localhost:3000/ returned HTTP 200 with 26419 bytes HTML; curl -s -X POST http://localhost:8000/api/auth/signup returned 200; curl -s -X POST http://localhost:8000/api/spaces returned 201 Created
- Model tokens used
- 117,946
- Exact commit tested
- c789f40ccbbf
- 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.
Everything is working. Let me compile the report. ## Result Summary **Errors found and fixed:** 1. **SQLAlchemy missing from `requirements.txt`** — Added `sqlalchemy>=2.0` 2. **No PostgreSQL in container, `session.py` crashes without `DATABASE_URL`** — Rewrote `session.p… 3. **Missing `__init__.py` files** — Created `app/api/__init__.py` and `app/api/routers/__init__.py` 4. **SQLite incompatible `ALTER TABLE ... IF NOT EXISTS` in `space_store.py`** — Replaced with `ins… 5. **Node.js v18 incompatible with Next.js 16** — Used Node.js 20 from the npx cache at `/home/runn… 6. **Native binding mismatch after Node version switch** — Re-ran `npm ci` with Node 20 **API endpoints verified on `localhost:8000`:** health (200), root (200), spaces listing (200, 2 sp… **Chat, images, files** require a MuAPI API key — real third-party credentials are needed, no mock … **Web client** responds 200 on `http://localhost:3000/` with 26 KB of rendered HTML via Next.js (Tu…
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 6 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 10 minutes to install, slower than the median of the 3 comparable projects Argusic has measured.
- Measured once so far. A single attempt shows it can run, not that it runs reliably.
Of the 4 ai-assistant projects Argusic has installed and timed, open-spaces was the 3rd fastest to reach a running state, and 4 of 4 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 10 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-assistantai-chatai-workspaceartificial-intelligencechatgpt-spaces-alternativecollaborationdocument-editorfastapiknowledge-baseknowledge-managementnextjsopen-sourcepostgresqlproductivityself-hostedself-hostingsupabaseteam-collaborationtiptapworkspace
Embed the badge
Markdown for the project README. It links back here; terms on the terms page.
[](https://argusic.com/subject/open-spaces)Questions
- Does open-spaces run?
- Yes. open-spaces runs. Argusic installed and launched it on a clean machine in 10 minutes, hitting 6 errors on the way, and recorded the session.
- How did Argusic test open-spaces?
- On a fresh, disposable machine, with every command recorded and the repository pinned at commit c789f40ccbbf. One attempt is recorded, and the full method is on the methodology page.
- What did it cost to test open-spaces?
- The run that produced this verdict cost $0.13: real compute and model cost, not a list price per million tokens. It is recorded on that run's page.
- How long does open-spaces take to install?
- 10 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-spaces need a GPU?
- Not to start. Argusic reached a running state on a machine with no GPU.
- What goes wrong when installing open-spaces?
- 6 things broke in the recorded run, and 6 were fixed without human help. Each one, and the time it cost, is listed on this page.
- How does open-spaces compare with the alternatives?
- Of the 4 ai-assistant projects Argusic has installed and timed, open-spaces was the 3rd fastest to reach a running state, and 4 of 4 reached one at all.
- Where is the evidence for open-spaces?
- 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.