OpenMausBot's bet is that "one assistant in one box is the wrong shape for agents." Its README makes the case for a messaging app instead: a sidebar of bots you chat with like contacts, each one a real Claude or Codex agent running locally, each with its own model, its own computer and its own connected apps. The part I would study first is how it decides what those bots may do on their own.
The project describes itself as an independent, open-source alternative to Grok Bot, and also to Meta Muse, OpenAI dots and Cue by Manus. It says it is not affiliated with xAI, Meta, OpenAI or Manus. It is Apache-2.0, ships signed and notarized macOS builds, a Windows installer and Ubuntu packages, and was formerly called OpenGrokBot.
Bring your own agents
Bots run on the claude, codex and grok CLIs already installed on your machine, using your existing logins and subscriptions. The README stresses no new accounts and no proxy in the middle. You can also point an engine at a custom CLI binary, such as a versioned build or a wrapper, under Settings, Engines.
Everything is coordinated by one small harness server on 127.0.0.1 that owns every agent process. Transcripts, keys and events live in ~/.openmausbot. Credentials pasted in App Settings persist locally, and the README says secrets are write-only: the UI only ever sees "configured" flags.
Channels keep contexts apart. Work, Personal and each project can have their own transcript, shared instructions, working folder, responder rules and roster, without cloning bots. There is also an optional decision model: with a Jev or OpenRouter key, rooms set to Auto pick which bot answers an un-mentioned message, and fall back to the room's lead when the decision model is off or unsure.
Computers, apps and the approval cards
"Agents with hands" is the README's phrase. Each bot can use a cloud Linux desktop, an isolated local VM, or, where the README says the platform safety boundary is currently certified, your own computer. Host control is available on macOS and Ubuntu Xorg after explicit opt-in. Ubuntu Wayland host control stays disabled while a tracked issue is resolved. Bots can also reach 500+ apps through Composio, where you OAuth once and every bot can use the connection as a tool.
The permission broker is the part I would study. Shell commands and file edits surface as inline Allow and Deny cards, questions can be answered in chat, and the README says every risky action becomes a decision you make, for cloud and local computers alike. Its comparison table repeats the point, listing approval cards as a difference from Grok Bot and OAuth sign-in instead of stored passwords as a difference from Cue and Instinct.
I think that is the right default. One caution from reading the feature list: "every bot can use" a connected app means a Gmail or GitHub connection is shared across the roster. If you give one bot a narrow job, the README does not say whether you can limit which connections it sees, so check that before connecting accounts that matter.
Teams from a Markdown file
A whole team can be installed from one Markdown file. You browse teams on BotMRR, choose Add to OpenMausBot, or import a .md file or public GitHub URL under Teams, Import. The app shows a review screen before it creates the bots, Chief of Staff, channels, playbooks, connector checklist and routines.
Team imports come with several safeguards. Connections stay off until you approve them, routines arrive paused, and packages never carry credentials, conversations, permissions, memory or computer access. The format is YAML frontmatter plus an ordinary Markdown playbook, so the README notes that Grok, Claude, ChatGPT or a person can follow the same file.
A note on the noise
The README carries a warning that OpenMausBot has no token and that any coin using its name is not affiliated. The warning also covers coins using the Maus or SupaMaus names.
Trying it
Install the release for your platform and start with one bot on a cloud desktop or the local VM rather than your own computer. Watch which actions produce approval cards, and only then decide whether host control is worth the opt-in. The README's own description of the product is "watch them work, approve what matters", and the approval cards are how you find out what that means for your own setup.
GitHub: https://github.com/milind-soni/OpenMausBot
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