Repolode
Submit
openkursar

openkursar/hello-halo

Open-source desktop AI workstation with chat, a canvas for documents and code, remote access from phone and IM, and teams of always-on Digital Humans.

Open-source alternative to:Claude Desktop

View on GitHubWebsite
Stars
1,912
Forks
224
Open issues
173
Last commit
yesterday

What is it?

Halo is an open-source desktop AI workstation for macOS, Windows and Linux. Its everyday mode resembles other AI workbenches: chat with side-by-side canvas for reports, code, web pages, terminals and Word, Excel and PDF files, plus a knowledge base, persistent memory per space, and MCP server and Skills support. Coding work can run on Claude Code, Codex or the Halo SDK, with a changes view that shows what the AI modified.

The distinctive part is Digital Humans: AI members that run on a schedule or on events, can be installed from a store, or be created from a sentence. They can be grouped into teams whose members run on different computers, exchanging tasks and results through the team workspace while each computer keeps its own data. Browser Actions let scripts carry out fixed operations on websites while the AI decides when to run them.

You can reach a Halo instance remotely from a phone or web client, and hand off tasks or receive results through Feishu, WeChat or WeCom. The app runs on your own machine without a backend service of its own.

Key features

  • 01Chat with a side canvas for documents, code, web pages and terminals
  • 02Claude Code, Codex and Halo SDK as selectable coding engines, with a changes view
  • 03Digital Humans that run on schedules or events, with a store and one-sentence creation
  • 04Teams of Digital Humans across computers with a shared team workspace
  • 05Remote access from phone or web, plus Feishu, WeChat and WeCom integration
  • 06Support for MCP servers and Skills, plus any Anthropic or OpenAI-compatible API

Use cases

  • Running recurring research or daily news digests that push to team chat
  • Handing off document or spreadsheet drafts from a phone while away from the desk
  • Reviewing AI-made code changes in a desktop app before committing
  • Automating routine operations on websites through scripted browser actions

Quick start

  1. 1

    Clone the repository

    git clone https://github.com/openkursar/hello-halo.git
  2. 2

    Enter the project folder and install dependencies

    cd hello-halo && npm install
  3. 3

    Run the prepare step

    npm run prepare
  4. 4

    Start the app in development mode

    npm run dev

Things to know

  • Building from source requires Node.js and npm, while the prebuilt downloads need neither.
  • The Linux build does not include the AI terminal yet.
  • Using the AI needs a Claude or ChatGPT account or an API key from a compatible provider.
  • The license metadata is not recognized, so check the LICENSE file; the README badge says MIT.

In collections

Claude Code tools, skills & pluginsOpen-source AI agent frameworks & appsMCP serversDesktop GUI apps & toolkits

Topics

#ai-agent#desktop-app#electron#claude-code#mcp#remote-access#automation#typescript#agent#claudecode

FAQ

What is hello-halo?
Open-source desktop AI workstation with chat, a canvas for documents and code, remote access from phone and IM, and teams of always-on Digital Humans. Halo is an open-source desktop AI workstation for macOS, Windows and Linux. Its everyday mode resembles other AI workbenches: chat with side-by-side canvas for reports, code, web pages, terminals and Word, Excel and PDF files, plus a knowledge base, persistent memory per space, and MCP server and Skills support. Coding work can run on Claude Code, Codex or the Halo SDK, with a changes view that shows what the AI modified.
Is hello-halo free to use? What license does it have?
hello-halo is open source under the Other license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
Is hello-halo still maintained?
Actively maintained. The last commit to hello-halo was on Nov 5, 2026.
What can I use hello-halo for?
Running recurring research or daily news digests that push to team chat Handing off document or spreadsheet drafts from a phone while away from the desk Reviewing AI-made code changes in a desktop app before committing Automating routine operations on websites through scripted browser actions
How do I install hello-halo?
Clone the repository: git clone https://github.com/openkursar/hello-halo.git Enter the project folder and install dependencies: cd hello-halo && npm install Run the prepare step: npm run prepare Start the app in development mode: npm run dev
Where can I get hello-halo?
The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/openkursar/hello-halo

Summary generated by AI from the project's README. GitHub stats refresh daily.

Related projects