Agent Atlas / Runtimes and workbenches

andrewyng/openworker

A local-first desktop coworker that applies a coding-agent-style model and tool loop to documents, files, calendars, messages, scheduled work, and other finished deliverables.

Desktop agent Scope profile Reported + sourced Reviewed July 24, 2026
Intended operator

People delegating file and connected-service work from a desktop application.

Primary surfaces

desktop coworker / code agent / scheduled work and approval Inbox

Tracked repository

andrewyng/openworker

Teaching mechanism

Unattended work reroutes attention without raising authority

The unattended-session flag sends approvals and questions to a durable Inbox while leaving the permission mode—and therefore the autonomy ceiling—unchanged.

Evidence limitDurable approval routing does not isolate the current host-native shell or authenticate every local control path.
Inspect the source
System map status

Reporting is still in progress.

This scope profile names the project's place in the field and one useful mechanism. It does not claim that every runtime boundary has been inspected.

Learn Through This Project

9 lessons
Chapter 1 Before the First Model Request Chapter 2 The Invisible Prompt Chapter 3 Tool Calls: Contract, Authorization, Execution Chapter 4 Loops, Workflows, and Recovery Chapter 6 Memory Is a Typed Storage Contract Chapter 7 The Approval Trap Chapter 8 The Human Control Loop Chapter 9 Trust Must Make Its Case Chapter 10 The Future Has Three Branches

Compare Its Boundaries

7 labs
Comparison labTool ContractsComparison labGoverned MemoryComparison labApproval BoundariesComparison labHuman WorkbenchComparison labSessions And RecoveryComparison labEvidence And EvaluationComparison labMaturity Signals

Latest Reporting

1 article
OpenWorker takes the agent loop out of the IDE

July 25, 2026 — Andrew Ng and Rohit Prasad’s open beta applies the model loop, tools, approvals, memory, and durable resume familiar from coding agents to documents, calendars, and messages—but its local-first promise still stops short of a sandbox. andrewyng/openworker

Primary Sources

OpenWorker repository

Primary source for the desktop application, agent engine, tools, permissions, connectors, and automation.

 OpenWorker launch post

Primary public source for the finished-work, model-independent, local-first product claim and joint Ng/Prasad authorship.

Open Questions

  • Can OpenWorker preserve its approval semantics after shell execution, local control, and credential storage move behind stronger boundaries?

Evidence state describes what this Atlas profile can support today. It is not a product score and it is not evidence that uninspected capabilities are absent.