> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.gcaplabs.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Introduction

> Headmaster is a free, open-source desktop workspace where AI specialists do real work on your machine — no external CLI required.

# 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.

***

## Why Headmaster stands out

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Free & open source" icon="lock-open">
    Apache 2.0. Fully open platform — inspect, extend, and self-host.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Built-in agent engine" icon="bolt">
    Works immediately after installation. No separate CLI download, no terminal setup.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Automated task execution" icon="gears">
    Agents run multi-step tasks, scripts, and tools. You stay in control with approval gates.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Full file system access" icon="folder-open">
    Agents read and write files end-to-end. No copy-paste gymnastics.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Cross-platform" icon="computer">
    macOS, Windows, and Linux — all supported.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Local-first" icon="shield">
    All data lives on your machine. No cloud SaaS, no data leaving without your approval.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

***

## 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.

***

## Who Headmaster is for

| Profile         | What they use it for                                                                                        |
| --------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Developers**  | An agent that reads their codebase, writes patches, and runs tests — without leaving the desktop.           |
| **Operators**   | Automating recurring work — email triage, report generation, data pipelines — on a schedule.                |
| **Teams**       | A shared AI workspace with persistent memory, approval gates, and audit trails.                             |
| **Power users** | Already live in a CLI agent (Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI) and want a unified desktop UI for all of them. |

***

## What Headmaster is not

<Note>
  **Not a cloud SaaS.** Your data lives on your machine. The runtime is a local process.
</Note>

<Note>
  **Not a model provider.** Headmaster connects to providers you already have keys for — Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, OpenRouter, and 300+ others.
</Note>

<Note>
  **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.
</Note>

***

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Get started in 5 minutes" icon="rocket" href="/getting-started">
    Download, install, and run your first conversation.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Explore Core Concepts" icon="book" href="/conversations">
    Conversations, memory, modes, specialists, and more.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>