CoWork-OS: Operating System for Personal AI Agents

CoWork-OS is a self-hosted operating system for running personal AI agents across multiple messaging platforms. Security-first architecture. Multi-provider support. Full control over your data.

Core Philosophy

Most AI agent platforms optimize for convenience. CoWork-OS optimizes for control.

You run it on your infrastructure. You choose which models to use. You own the conversation history. You set the security policies.

Features

Multi-channel support:

• WhatsApp
• Telegram
• Discord
• Slack
• iMessage

One agent, accessible from all your communication channels. Conversations sync across platforms.

Multi-provider:

• Claude (Anthropic)
• GPT (OpenAI)
• Gemini (Google)
• Ollama (local models)

Switch providers per-task or per-channel. Use local models for sensitive data, cloud models for complex tasks.

Security-first:

• End-to-end encryption for stored conversations
• No external logging or telemetry
• Sandboxed execution environment
• Granular permission controls

Architecture

CoWork-OS runs as a containerized service. You deploy it on your server (or run it locally). It connects to your messaging platforms via official APIs.

The core components:

• Router: handles incoming messages from all channels
• Agent Runtime: executes tasks using your chosen model
• Memory Layer: stores context and conversation history
• Scheduler: runs background tasks (cron-style)

Everything runs in Docker containers. Configuration is code (YAML files). Updates are git pull + restart.

Use Cases

Personal assistant:
Manage your calendar, tasks, and reminders from any messaging app.

Knowledge base:
Query your notes, documents, and research from Telegram or WhatsApp.

Automation:
Schedule recurring tasks. The agent checks your email, summarizes updates, posts to your social accounts.

Private AI:
Run entirely local models. No data leaves your machine.

Comparison to Alternatives

vs OpenClaw:
OpenClaw has more features and a larger ecosystem. CoWork-OS is simpler, more opinionated, and security-focused.

vs Gaia:
Gaia is proactive (Jarvis-style). CoWork-OS is reactive (you initiate, it responds).

vs Custom setup:
CoWork-OS gives you the infrastructure. You don’t build the message router, the scheduler, the memory layer. You configure and deploy.

Deployment

Requirements:

• Docker and Docker Compose
• 2GB RAM minimum (more for local models)
• API keys for messaging platforms
• API keys for AI providers (or Ollama for local)

Setup is ~15 minutes. The repo includes a deployment guide and example configs.

The Bigger Picture

The personal AI OS space is fragmenting. Every framework makes different trade-offs:

• OpenClaw: feature-rich, complex
• Gaia: proactive, resource-heavy
• CoWork-OS: security-first, multi-channel
• zeroclaw: minimal, local-only

No dominant platform yet. Pick based on your threat model and workflow.

CoWork-OS is for people who want control > convenience. If you’re comfortable running Docker and managing your own infrastructure, it’s a solid foundation.

GitHub

CoWork-OS is open source and actively maintained.

Repository: https://github.com/CoWork-OS/CoWork-OS
Stars: 102 (as of 2026-02-23)