PawWork
A free, open-source desktop AI agent for macOS and Windows, built on DeepSeek Harness (DSH) and packaged as a finished product — no terminal, no subscription. Bring your own model key.
PawWork turns a DSH agent runtime into a desktop application you could hand to someone who has never opened a terminal. Built-in web search and Office document skills are already wired up, so once you have added a model key the first run is: open the app, choose a folder, describe the work in plain language.
It is an open alternative to Codex App and Claude Cowork — for everyday document, spreadsheet, research, and file work, not only browser chat or IDE coding.
What Makes PawWork Different
There are many DeepSeek Harness desktop apps. Most of them solve one problem well: giving a developer who already uses DSH a one-click way to launch it, usually by bundling Node and loading the official DSH web UI in a window.
PawWork aims one step further out — at the person who does not know what DSH is and should not have to learn.
| PawWork | Common DSH desktop wrapper | |
|---|---|---|
| Intended user | Non-technical knowledge worker | Developer who already runs DSH |
| First launch | Guided setup: pick a provider, paste a key | Bring your own API key |
| Interface | Native Electron shell — OS menus, native folder and file pickers, native updater | Official DSH web UI in a window |
| Office files | Bundled .docx / .xlsx / .pptx / PDF skills with a bundled Python toolchain |
Not included |
| Scheduled work | Automations — run a saved task on a cron schedule | Not included |
| Packaging | macOS signed and notarized, Windows x64 installer | Often single-platform, often unsigned |
The right-hand column is a generalization; individual projects differ, and several are excellent at what they set out to do. The point is the position PawWork occupies, not a ranking.
Because the runtime underneath is real DSH, this is not a trade-off against the ecosystem: DSH plugins from the wider community install and run inside PawWork.
How PawWork Compares
| PawWork | Codex App | Claude Desktop (Cowork) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open-source | Yes (Apache-2.0) | No | No |
| Free without subscription | App is free; you pay your model provider | Limited (ChatGPT Free) | No (Pro $20/mo required) |
| Desktop app | macOS + Windows | macOS + Windows | macOS + Windows |
| Local file access | Full workspace access | Sandboxed by default | User-selected folders |
| Office files (Word/Excel/PPT) | Yes | No | Yes |
| Scheduled automations | Yes | No | No |
| Plugin ecosystem | DSH plugins | No | MCP |
What You Can Ask PawWork To Do
Documents and Data
- extract key fields from invoices into a reviewable spreadsheet
- summarize a CSV and write a short report
- merge PDFs and organize the output files
- turn messy notes and attachments into a weekly update
Research and Writing
- compare product pages and prepare a decision memo
- search the web and collect sources for a topic
- turn meeting notes into a draft announcement
- rewrite rough material into a clearer document
Code and Technical Work
- inspect a code project and explain what to change
- review a pull request and summarize the risks
- debug an API error with logs and source files
- build a small internal tool from a plain-language request
On a Schedule
Automations run a saved task on a cron schedule — a Monday morning digest of a folder, a nightly export, a recurring check — and leave the results in your workspace.
How It Works
- Choose a workspace folder.
- Describe what you want in everyday language.
- PawWork works with the files, tools, models, and search it needs.
- Review the steps, outputs, and files before you use the result.
Models and Search
PawWork ships no model credential. On first launch it asks you to choose a provider and paste an API key, which is stored locally and can be changed in settings at any time. Any provider the DSH model adapter supports will work.
Web search is built in and answers through a shared anonymous allowance when you have not configured a search key, so search works without a second credential.
Download
Download the latest macOS and Windows builds from GitHub Releases.
- macOS: download the
.dmg. Release builds are signed and notarized by Apple. - Windows: download the Windows x64
.exe. Windows builds are currently unsigned, so SmartScreen may appear on first launch — choose "More info", then "Run anyway".
PawWork is early and moving fast. Release notes describe what changed in each build.
What's Inside
PawWork is a DSH runtime, a native desktop shell, and a product layer on top.
- Runtime — a pinned set of first-party
@deepseek-ai/dsh-*packages (sessions, tools, sandbox, compaction, web search, subagents), assembled in a sidecar process rather than shelling out to adshCLI. - Native shell —
packages/desktop-electron/src/main: window chrome, application menus, native directory and file pickers, Windows installer hardening, and the auto-updater. - Product layer —
packages/desktop-electron/resources/dsh: the DSH plugins PawWork owns, including built-in web search, Automations, v1 settings migration, and the desktop host bridge. - Skills — DSH's Word, PowerPoint and Excel skills run on a bundled Python 3.12 with the Office libraries preinstalled, and render pages with a bundled LibreOffice engine for visual checks, so they work offline and without a system Python. The PDF skill in
skills/runs through a bundleduv.
Build From Source
Requires Node.js 24 and pnpm 11.
git clone https://github.com/Astro-Han/pawwork.git
cd pawwork
pnpm install --frozen-lockfile
pnpm dev:desktop
See CONTRIBUTING.md for verification steps, packaging, and the contribution workflow.
FAQ
Is PawWork free? The app is free and Apache-2.0 licensed, and built-in web search costs nothing. Model usage is billed by whichever provider you bring a key for.
What is the relationship between PawWork and DeepSeek Harness? PawWork uses DSH as its agent runtime. It is an independent open-source product that assembles DSH packages, adds a native desktop shell, and adds its own plugins for web search, Automations, and Office work. It is not affiliated with DeepSeek.
How is PawWork different from other DSH desktop apps? Most are launchers aimed at developers who already use DSH. PawWork is aimed at non-technical users: setting up a model key is guided rather than assumed, Office document skills and a Python toolchain are bundled, the shell is native rather than the DSH web UI in a window, and builds are signed for macOS and shipped for Windows.
Can I use DSH plugins in PawWork? Yes. The runtime is real DSH, so community plugins install and run.
Does PawWork work with local files? Yes. PawWork runs as a native desktop app with access to the workspace folder you choose. It reads and writes documents, spreadsheets, PDFs, code projects, and generated output files on your machine.
What file formats does PawWork handle?
PDF, Word (.docx), Excel (.xlsx), PowerPoint (.pptx), CSV, Markdown, plain text, images, and code files. Office files are read and written locally.
Can PawWork run tasks on a schedule? Yes. Automations run a saved task on a cron schedule and write results into your workspace.
Which model provider should I use? Any provider the DSH model adapter supports. PawWork does not resell model access or take a cut — you hold the key and pay the provider directly.
What platforms does PawWork support? macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel, signed and notarized) and Windows x64.
Runtime and Acknowledgements
PawWork is built on DeepSeek Harness. Thanks also to Astral for uv.
Third-party notices are in THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md.