The Platform

Everything to turn your task list into a parallel AI workforce.

Task-to-Agent Pipeline

Built-in task tracker where every task becomes an agent. Break projects into sub-tasks, each with a dedicated agent. Your task list IS your delivery plan.

1 Task = 1 Agent · Sub-task hierarchy · Auto-linked context

Agent Intelligence

Equip agents with your org's knowledge, standards, and tools. Skills, playbooks, integrations — every agent follows your processes.

Custom skills · 6 capability types · Auto-sync standards

Agent Command Center

Real-time dashboard. Track every agent's progress and actions. Approve deliverables. One screen, full visibility.

Live monitoring · Task-linked status · Approval gates

Work from Anywhere

Dispatch agents from Telegram, Discord, WeChat, or Lark. Schedule recurring workflows. Get notified via webhooks.

4 IM platforms · Natural language · 7 schedule types

Everything. Built In.

No plugins. No integrations to configure. Every capability your AI workforce needs.

Task & Agent Core Task Tracker · Agent DashboardLive Monitor · Multi-Project

Intelligence Intelligence Hub · MarketplaceBuilt-in Browser · Artifacts

Automation Scheduling · WebhooksNotifications · Live Preview

Command & Control IM Command · TerminalCommand Palette · Themes

Built Different

The design decisions that define OpenCow.

| | Principle | What it means | |:---:|:----------|:-------------| | 1:1 | Task → Agent | One task, one agent. Full context. Full traceability. Zero ambiguity. | | ✅ | Local & Private | Everything runs on your machine. Zero telemetry. Zero cloud. Your data never leaves. | | 15+ | Parallel Agents | Deliver 15+ tasks simultaneously. Suspend and resume any agent without losing context. | | 4-Layer | Deep Context Engine | Every agent inherits organizational knowledge, project context, team standards, and task-specific instructions. |

Quick Start

From source (for contributors)

Prerequisites: Node.js >= 18 and pnpm >= 9

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/OpenCowAI/opencow.git
cd opencow

# Install dependencies
pnpm install

# Launch in development mode (HMR enabled)
pnpm dev

Download the app

Grab the latest release from opencow.ai/download — free, open source, ready in 60 seconds.

Tech Stack

| Layer | Choice | Why | |-------|--------|-----| | Desktop | Electron 40 | Cross-platform, native-grade experience | | UI | React 19 + Tailwind CSS 4 | Concurrent rendering, utility-first styling | | Language | TypeScript (strict, zero any) | End-to-end type safety | | State | Zustand | Lightweight reactive stores with row-level subscriptions | | Build | electron-vite (Vite) | Sub-second HMR, triple-target build | | Database | SQLite via Kysely | Local-first, type-safe schema with 35+ migrations | | Terminal | xterm.js + WebGL | Hardware-accelerated terminal rendering | | Editor | Monaco Editor | VS Code-grade editing experience | | Testing | Vitest + React Testing Library | Fast, modern test runner | | AI | Claude Agent SDK + Codex SDK + MCP | Multi-engine — choose Claude or Codex as your AI engine, with Model Context Protocol |

Architecture

OpenCow follows a hardened Electron architecture with strict process isolation:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                   Renderer Process                   │
│  ┌───────────┐  ┌──────────┐  ┌──────────────────┐  │
│  │  React 19  │  │  Zustand  │  │  271 Components  │  │
│  │ Components │  │  Stores   │  │  68 Hooks        │  │
│  └─────┬─────┘  └────┬─────┘  └────────┬─────────┘  │
│        └──────────────┴─────────────────┘            │
│                        │ IPC (contextBridge)         │
├────────────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤
│                    Main Process                      │
│  ┌──────────┐  ┌──────────┐  ┌───────────────────┐  │
│  │  DataBus  │  │ Services │  │  Native Modules   │  │
│  │  Events   │  │  (47+)   │  │  SQLite · PTY     │  │
│  └──────────┘  └──────────┘  └───────────────────┘  │
│  ┌──────────┐  ┌──────────┐  ┌───────────────────┐  │
│  │  Claude   │  │  Bot     │  │  Capability       │  │
│  │  Agent SDK│  │  Gateway  │  │  Center           │  │
│  └──────────┘  └──────────┘  └───────────────────┘  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Security model:

• contextIsolation: true — renderer cannot access Node.js
• nodeIntegration: false — no direct module loading
• Type-safe IPC bridge via contextBridge.exposeInMainWorld
• Sandboxed file access with explicit path allowlists
• Separate data directories for dev (~/.opencow-dev) and production (~/.opencow)

Project Structure

opencow/
├── electron/                  # Main process
│   ├── main.ts               # App entry point
│   ├── preload.ts            # Secure IPC bridge
│   ├── services/             # 47+ backend service modules
│   │   ├── capabilityCenter/ # AI capability management
│   │   ├── schedule/         # Cron automation engine
│   │   ├── messaging/        # Multi-channel messaging
│   │   ├── git/              # Git integration layer
│   │   └── ...
│   ├── database/             # SQLite schema & migrations
│   ├── sources/              # Hook, task, and stats data sources
│   └── ipc/                  # IPC channel handlers
├── src/
│   ├── renderer/             # React application
│   │   ├── components/       # 32 feature modules, 271 components
│   │   ├── hooks/            # 68 custom React hooks
│   │   ├── stores/           # 18 Zustand domain stores
│   │   ├── lib/              # Utilities & helpers
│   │   └── locales/          # i18n (en-US, zh-CN)
│   └── shared/               # Cross-process types & utilities
├── tests/                    # Vitest test suite
├── docs/                     # 520+ design docs & proposals
└── resources/                # App icons & tray assets

Development

Scripts

| Command | What it does | |---------|-------------| | pnpm dev | Start with HMR | | pnpm build | Compile all targets | | pnpm preview | Build + launch in production mode | | pnpm package | Build + package .app (fast, for testing) | | pnpm package:dmg | Build + package .dmg installer | | pnpm typecheck | TypeScript strict check | | pnpm lint | ESLint | | pnpm format | Prettier | | pnpm test | Run all tests | | pnpm test:watch | Watch mode |

Build Targets

electron-vite compiles three independent TypeScript targets:

| Target | Entry | Output | |--------|-------|--------| | Main | electron/main.ts | out/main/ | | Preload | electron/preload.ts | out/preload/ | | Renderer | src/renderer/index.html | out/renderer/ |

Path Aliases

• @ → src/renderer (renderer only)
• @shared → src/shared (all targets)

Code Standards

• TypeScript strict mode, zero any usage
• Prettier — no semicolons, single quotes, 100 char width, 2-space indent
• ESLint — strict rules with React Hooks plugin
• Conventional Commits — feat:, fix:, perf:, refactor:, etc.

Packaging

# macOS .app (for local testing, fast)
pnpm package
# Output: dist/mac-arm64/OpenCow.app

# macOS .dmg (for distribution)
pnpm package:dmg
# Output: dist/OpenCow-{version}.dmg

Cross-platform builds for Windows and Linux are supported via electron-builder configuration in package.json.

Contributing

We wel