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Introduction

Headmaster is a free, open-source desktop application with built-in AI specialists — a workspace where agents work alongside you on your computer. The agent engine is part of the app itself, so there’s nothing else to download or configure. No terminal tools. No external setup. Drop in an API key and you’re running.

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Why Headmaster stands out

Free & open source

Apache 2.0. Fully open platform — inspect, extend, and self-host.

Built-in agent engine

Works immediately after installation. No separate CLI download, no terminal setup.

Automated task execution

Agents run multi-step tasks, scripts, and tools. You stay in control with approval gates.

Full file system access

Agents read and write files end-to-end. No copy-paste gymnastics.

Cross-platform

macOS, Windows, and Linux — all supported.

Local-first

All data lives on your machine. No cloud SaaS, no data leaving without your approval.

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What Headmaster does

Headmaster is not a chatbot. It’s a workspace where one or more AI agents do real work on your machine:
  • 💻 Write and edit code — the agent reads your repo, writes code, runs tests, and commits.
  • 📄 Generate documents — decks, spreadsheets, reports, PDFs. Native file formats, not screenshots.
  • 🌐 Browse the web — the agent opens pages, reads content, fills forms, and screenshots results.
  • 🖼️ Generate images — text-to-image and image editing inside the chat.
  • ⏰ Automate tasks — scheduled recurring work, file organization, batch operations.
  • 💬 Connect to messaging platforms — reach your agent from Telegram, WeChat Work, DingTalk, Lark, WeCom, iMessage, or WhatsApp.
  • 👥 Run multiple agents in parallel — the Council mode lets several specialists deliberate on a problem at once.

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Who Headmaster is for

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What Headmaster is not

Not a cloud SaaS. Your data lives on your machine. The runtime is a local process.
Not a model provider. Headmaster connects to providers you already have keys for — Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, OpenRouter, and 300+ others.
Not a thin chat wrapper. The agent engine is built in — file operations, tool calls, MCP connections, scheduling, and multi-agent orchestration are all part of the app.

Get started in 5 minutes

Download, install, and run your first conversation.

Explore Core Concepts

Conversations, memory, modes, specialists, and more.