OpenFolksDocs
Self-hosting

Run it yourself

Keep the harness and desktop on infrastructure you control.

OpenFolks is local-first by default. The harness listens on loopback, engine CLIs run on your machine, and application state lives under ~/.openfolks.

Typical setup

  1. Run OpenFolks on your personal macOS, Windows, or Ubuntu computer.
  2. Install and authenticate the engine CLIs you want.
  3. Add optional third-party keys only for services you need.
  4. Keep the harness on loopback.

What is still someone else's service

Running OpenFolks yourself does not host every optional provider:

  • Engine providers authenticate and bill through their own CLI or API.
  • Composio owns connected-app OAuth grants unless you replace that integration.
  • Box owns managed cloud computers.
  • ElevenLabs synthesizes speech when voice is on.

These are optional. Local chat through an installed CLI does not require them.

Headless during development

pnpm install --frozen-lockfile
pnpm dev:server

The harness listens on 127.0.0.1:8799 by default (OPENFOLKS_PORT overrides). Keep it private. It owns engine processes, approvals, computers, and workspace configuration.

Composio for self-hosters

Project-key access, scoped permissions, and headless development.

Networking

Harness and webhook network boundaries.

On this page

Typical setupWhat is still someone else's serviceHeadless during development