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Desktop Coworker for ChatGPT

Self-hosted MCP coding server and unified local Control Center for ChatGPT web.

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Independent community project; not affiliated with or endorsed by OpenAI.

Desktop Coworker for ChatGPT can read and change files, run commands, use Git, restore edit checkpoints, and proxy optional upstream MCP tools. This is high-impact access: read SECURITY.md before connecting it to a remote service.

Windows quick start

For end users, download the latest DesktopCoworker-Setup-*.exe from GitHub Releases, run it, and launch Desktop Coworker for ChatGPT from the Start menu. The per-user installer includes Electron, the built application, and a verified OpenAI Secure MCP Tunnel client; Node.js and npm are not required.

For source development, use Windows 10/11 and Git:

git clone https://github.com/colin-dmme/desktop-coworker-for-chatgpt.git
cd desktop-coworker-for-chatgpt
.\run.bat

run.bat is the source checkout entrypoint. It installs or updates Node.js, installs the locked npm dependencies, builds the TypeScript sources, downloads the official OpenAI Secure MCP Tunnel client when missing, and opens the Electron Control Center. The first launch requires network access; later launches reuse installed files.

Connect an account

1. In ChatGPT, enable Developer mode under Settings → Security and login. Availability may depend on your account and workspace policy.
2. In OpenAI Platform tunnel settings, create a Secure MCP Tunnel, associate it with the ChatGPT workspace that will use it, and create a Runtime API key. Running and selecting the tunnel requires Tunnels Read + Use permission.
3. Open the installed app, or run run.bat from a source checkout.
4. Choose Add account and enter a workspace, tunnel ID, Runtime API key, and ports.
5. Start the account and wait until MCP, Admin, Tunnel, and Ready are green.
6. Open ChatGPT Plugins, select the plus button, choose Tunnel under Connection, and select the tunnel or paste its tunnel_id.
7. Review the discovered tools, create the connection, and add it to a new conversation from the tools menu. Refresh the connection after server metadata changes.

See the official OpenAI documentation for Secure MCP Tunnel and connecting an MCP server from ChatGPT.

Profiles created by the former PySide dashboard are migrated automatically. Profiles, telemetry, logs, runtime configuration, and upstream MCP settings live outside the repository at %LOCALAPPDATA%\DesktopCoworkerForChatGPT.

The Control Center never returns a Runtime API key to browser JavaScript. The generated tunnel YAML also contains no key; it is passed only to the tunnel child process. The desktop build encrypts Runtime API keys with operating-system-backed Electron safe storage; all application data must still be treated as sensitive.

Conversation access control

Conversation access protection is off by default, preserving the original one-click experience: ChatGPT can use tools as soon as the connector is ready. Owners of shared accounts can opt in per account on the Chat access page. When enabled, a new ChatGPT conversation cannot call computer tools until the local owner approves its pending request or generates a short-lived one-time code. Grants are scoped to one account and workspace, have a read, edit, or execute tier, expire automatically, and can be revoked immediately.

The Chat access history keeps a local audit trail of pending requests, approvals, denials, revocations, protection changes, and one-time-code outcomes. It can be filtered by event, permission, date, fingerprint, label, or tool, and entries can be deleted individually or in filtered batches.

ChatGPT conversation, subject, and organization identifiers are stored only as keyed fingerprints. One-time codes are stored only as keyed hashes, are single-use, expire after two minutes by default, and trigger a temporary lockout after repeated failed attempts. Tool activity recursively redacts password, code, token, authorization, credential, and cookie fields before persistence or streaming.

One interface, three local services

Electron window -> localhost Control Center :2999
  ├─ manages accounts, ports, logs, activity, settings and upstream MCP
  └─ starts one isolated pair per account
       ├─ MCP server :3000 (default)
       │    ├─ filesystem / patches / checkpoints
       │    ├─ shell / processes / Git
       │    ├─ project context / memory
       │    └─ optional upstream MCP servers
       ├─ Admin API :3001 (internal data source; /ui redirects to :2999)
       └─ OpenAI Secure MCP Tunnel health :8080

Electron supplies the native window, tray, lifecycle, encrypted secret storage, installer, and updater. The existing web Control Center remains localhost-only and is reused inside that desktop shell instead of being rewritten.

Repository layout

public/control/               Unified Control Center frontend
public/control/locales/       Extensible English/Vietnamese UI catalogs
public/ui/                    Legacy per-server fallback UI
src/control/                  Account supervisor, telemetry and Control API
src/desktop/                  Electron window, tray, secrets and updater
src/admin/                    Per-server localhost Admin API
src/lib/                      MCP services and infrastructure
src/tools/                    MCP tool registration
scripts/windows/              Bootstrap and lifecycle scripts
scripts/release/              Release validation scripts
scripts/development/          Maintainer utilities
config/examples/              Safe example configurations
docs/                         User and architecture documentation
third_party/                  Bundled dependency licenses and notices
tests/control/                Control Center tests
tests/server/                 MCP server tests
run.bat                       One-click Windows entrypoint

public/ui remains only as a standalone-server compatibility fallback. Normal launches redirect its /ui route to the unified Control Center.

Development

Node.js 22.5 or newer is required because local telemetry uses the built-in SQLite module.

npm ci
npm run build
npm test
npm run test:all
npm run desktop:dev

Useful entrypoints:

• npm start — Electron Control Center and account supervisor.
• npm run start:web — browser-only compatibility and diagnostics entrypoint.
• npm run start:server — one standalone MCP server without the supervisor.
• npm run desktop:dev — build and launch the Electron app from source.
• npm run desktop:dist — build a local Windows NSIS installer.
• npm run dev — browser Control Center in TypeScript watch mode.
• npm run dev:server — standalone MCP server in watch mode.
• .\run.bat -SkipLaunch — complete Windows bootstrap smoke test.

See Desktop build and release guide for source ownership, versioning, signing, packaging, and GitHub release automation.

The Control Center defaults to English and remembers a language selected in the UI. To add another language, copy a catalog under public/control/locales, keep the same message keys as en.js, and register it in public/control/i18n.js. The i18n test fails when catalogs or referenced keys fall out of sync.

Configuration

The Control Center writes per-account environment files under local app data. For standalone server development, copy .env.example to .env.

Variable	Default	Purpose
CONTROL_CENTER_PORT	2999	Unified local UI and Control API
HOST	127.0.0.1	MCP bind address; keep loopback for tunnel use
PORT	3000	MCP HTTP port
ADMIN_PORT	3001	Per-server localhost Admin API
WORKSPACE_PATH	current directory	Default project directory
CHATGPT_TOOL_PROFILE	slim	slim or full exposed tool set
SHELL_TIMEOUT	120	Foreground command timeout in seconds
CHECKPOINT_ENABLED	true	Enable edit checkpoints and rewind
MCP_UPSTREAM_CONFIG	local app data	Shared upstream MCP configuration
CHATGPT_ACCESS_CONTROL	off	off, observe, or enforce conversation gate; Control Center sets it per account
CHATGPT_ACCESS_DB	local app data	Local SQLite access requests, grants, and hashed codes

The workspace is a default working directory, not a sandbox. Absolute paths and commands run with the current Windows user's permissions.

Documentation

• Control Center guide
• Vietnamese Control Center guide / Hướng dẫn tiếng Việt
• Contributing
• Support
• Code of Conduct
• Changelog
• Security
• Agent onboarding

License

MIT