Open-source Alternative for Claude Code Desktop App

# Open-source Alternative for Claude Code Desktop App

**Works with any models, BYOK, written in Rust** 🚀

[*Demo video: Kuse Cowork in action*](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/e128e657-c1be-4134-828d-01a9a94ef055)

## ✨ Why Kuse Cowork?

### 🔐 **BYOK (Bring Your Own Key)**
Use your own API keys or even **bring your own local models** for ultimate privacy control.

### ⚡ **Pure Rust Agent**
Agent fully written in Rust with **zero external dependencies** - blazingly fast and memory-safe.

### 🌍 **Native Cross-Platform**
True native performance on macOS, Windows, and Linux.

### 🛡️ **Container Isolation & Security**
Uses Docker containers for secure command execution and complete isolation.

### 🧩 **Extensible Skills System**
Support for custom skills to extend agent capabilities.
Default skills are: docx, pdf, pptx, xlsx.

### 🔗 **MCP Protocol Support**
Full support for Model Context Protocol (MCP) for seamless tool integration.

---

## 🚀 Features

- **🔒 Local & Private**: Runs entirely on your machine, API calls go directly to your chosen provider
- **🔑 BYOK Support**: Use your own Anthropic, OpenAI, or local model APIs
- **🎯 Model Agnostic**: Works with Claude, GPT, local models, and more
- **🖥️ Cross-Platform**: macOS (ARM & Intel), Windows, and Linux
- **🪶 Lightweight**: ~10MB app size using Tauri
- **🐳 Containerized**: Docker isolation for enhanced security
- **🧩 Skills**: Extensible skill system for custom capabilities
- **🔗 MCP**: Model Context Protocol support for tool integration

## Security Note
This is still an early project and please be super careful when connecting with your local folders.

## 🚀 Quick Start

Get up and running in minutes:

### 1. Build the project and start

Will update to a clean release build soon. 

### 2. ⚙️ Configure Your AI Model
1. Open **Settings** (gear icon in sidebar)
2. **Choose your AI provider:**
   - **Anthropic Claude** - Enter your Claude API key
   - **OpenAI GPT** - Enter your OpenAI API key
   - **Local Models** - Configure Ollama/LM Studio endpoint
3. **Select your preferred model** (Claude 3.5 Sonnet, GPT-4, etc.)

### 3. 🔑 Enter API Key
- Add your API key in the settings
- Keys are stored locally and never shared

### 4. 📁 Set Workspace Folder
- Click **"Select Project Path"** when creating a new task
- Choose your project folder or workspace directory
- The agent will work within this folder context

### 5. 🎯 Start Your First Task!
1. Click **"New Task"**
2. Describe what you want to accomplish
3. Watch the AI agent work on your project
4. Review the plan and implementation steps

**Example tasks:**
- *"Organize my folders"*
- *"Read all the receipts and make an expense reports"*
- *"Summarize the meeting notes and give me all the TODOs."*


---

## 🛠️ Development

### Prerequisites

- [Node.js](https://nodejs.org/) 18+
- [Rust](https://rustup.rs/) (for Tauri)
- [Docker Desktop](https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop/) (required for container isolation)
- [Tauri Prerequisites](https://tauri.app/start/prerequisites/)

**Note**: Docker Desktop must be installed and running for container isolation features. Without Docker, the app will still work but commands will run without isolation.

### Setup

```bash
# Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/kuse-ai/kuse-cowork.git
cd kuse-cowork

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Run in development mode
npm run tauri dev

# Build for production
npm run tauri build
```

### Project Structure

```
kuse-cowork/
├── src/                    # Frontend (SolidJS + TypeScript)
│   ├── components/         # UI components
│   ├── lib/               # Utilities (API clients, MCP)
│   └── stores/            # State management
├── src-tauri/             # Backend (Rust + Tauri)
│   ├── src/               # Rust source code
│   │   ├── agent/         # Agent implementation
│   │   ├── tools/         # Built-in tools
│   │   ├── skills/        # Skills system
│   │   ├── mcp/           # MCP protocol support
│   │   └── database.rs    # Local data storage
│   ├── Cargo.toml         # Rust dependencies
│   └── tauri.conf.json    # Tauri configuration
├── .github/workflows/     # CI/CD for cross-platform builds
└── docs/                  # Documentation and assets
```

## 🔧 Configuration

### API Providers

Kuse Cowork supports multiple AI providers:

- **Anthropic Claude**: Direct API integration
- **OpenAI GPT**: Full GPT model support
- **Local Models**: Ollama, LM Studio, or any OpenAI-compatible endpoint
- **Custom APIs**: Configure any compatible endpoint

### Settings

All settings are stored locally and never shared:

- **API Configuration**: Keys and endpoints for your chosen provider
- **Model Selection**: Choose from available models
- **Agent Behavior**: Temperature, max tokens, system prompts
- **Security**: Container isolation settings
- **Skills**: Enable/disable custom skills
- **MCP Servers**: Configure external tool providers

## 🛡️ Security & Privacy

### Container

... (truncated)