Deskmate

Control your Local Machine from anywhere using natural language.

Deskmate is a local execution agent that lets you control your personal machine using natural language and talks to you on the channels you already use. Deskmate focuses on execution, not autonomy or orchestration. Send a Telegram message from your phone, and it executes on your machine. Supports multiple agent backends — Claude Code, Codex (OpenAI), Gemini CLI, and OpenCode — with full local tool access, no sandboxed command set, no artificial limits.

A passion project developed, born from a simple goal: staying in creative and developer flow even when I'm not sitting at my desk. Inspired by gen-shell.

Getting Started · Gateway Mode · Agent Providers · Architecture · Discord

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Demo

Telegram Conversation	Installation

How it works

Telegram / Discord* / Slack* / ...
            |
            v
  +-------------------+
  |      Gateway      |    auth, sessions, approval routing
  |  (control plane)  |
  +--------+----------+
           |
           v
  +-------------------+
  |   Agent Provider  |    Claude Code | Codex | Gemini | OpenCode
  |   (pluggable)     |    full local tool access
  +-------------------+
           |
           v
     Your Machine
     (executes tasks)

*Discord and Slack adapters are planned — see Adding a new client.

The Gateway is the control plane. Each messaging platform is a thin I/O adapter. The agent has unrestricted access to your machine (approve-by-default), with optional approval gating for protected folders.

Responsibility Boundary

Deskmate's responsibility is execution.

• It turns intent into concrete system actions
• It does not coordinate other agents

Highlights

• Full local access — the agent can run any command, read/write any file, take screenshots. No artificial 6-tool sandbox.
• Multi-channel gateway — Telegram today, Discord/Slack/WhatsApp tomorrow. One Gateway, many clients.
• Conversation memory — session continuity across messages. Ask follow-up questions naturally.
• Multi-agent backends — ships with Claude Code (default), Codex (OpenAI), Gemini CLI (Google), and OpenCode. Switch with AGENT_PROVIDER=codex in .env.
• Approve-by-default — safe commands auto-approve. Protected folders (Desktop, Documents, etc.) prompt for confirmation via inline buttons.
• MCP server — expose your machine as a tool server for Claude Desktop or any MCP client.
• Skills system — define reusable multi-step workflows in skills.json. Skills can run commands, agent prompts, or other skills. Hot-reloaded on change.
• Cron scheduler — schedule recurring jobs (commands, agent queries, or skills) via crons.json. Results are delivered to your active chat channels.
• Health monitoring — built-in health checks for CPU, memory, disk, agent availability. Accessible via /health in Telegram, deskmate health on CLI, or the get_health MCP tool.
• Docker container mode — run the core in Docker with a native sidecar for host commands. Set INSTALL_MODE=container and use docker-compose up.
• Runs as service — launchd (macOS) or systemd (Linux) integration, starts on boot, restarts on crash.
• Extensible agent layer — bring your own agent via registerProvider().

Requirements

• macOS (tested on Ventura, Sonoma, Sequoia) or Linux (with systemd)
• Windows via WSL2
• Node.js 18+
• One of the supported agent CLIs installed (see Agent Providers)
• Telegram account (for Telegram mode)
• API key for your chosen provider (Anthropic, OpenAI, or Google — OpenCode manages its own auth)

Linux Prerequisites

• Screenshots: Install ImageMagick (sudo apt install imagemagick) for screenshot support
• Service: systemd with user session support (systemctl --user)

macOS Permissions

The installer guides you through these (macOS only). You can also configure them manually in System Settings > Privacy & Security.

Permission	Purpose
Screen Recording	Take screenshots when requested
Accessibility	Control system functions
Full Disk Access	Read/write files in protected locations
Automation	Control other applications via AppleScript
Background Items	Run as a background service at login
Folder Access	Access to Desktop, Documents, Downloads, etc.

Quick Start

Option A: Install from npm (recommended)

npm install -g @sarkar-ai/deskmate
deskmate init

The wizard walks you through everything: API keys, Telegram credentials, platform permissions, and background service setup. Config is stored in ~/.config/deskmate/.env.

After setup, run manually with deskmate or let the background service handle it.

Option B: Install from source (for contributors)

git clone https://github.com/sarkar-ai-taken/deskmate.git
cd deskmate
npm install --legacy-peer-deps
npm run build
./install.sh          # interactive: configures .env, service, permissions

Or use the TypeScript wizard instead of the shell installer:

cp .env.example .env  # edit with your credentials
npx deskmate init     # or: npm link && deskmate init

To reconfigure later: deskmate init

Running Modes

Mode	Command	Description
Gateway	deskmate	Multi-client gateway (default)
MCP	deskmate mcp	MCP server for Claude Desktop
Both	deskmate both	Gateway + MCP simultaneously
Sidecar	deskmate sidecar	Host sidecar for container mode

Note: deskmate telegram still works but is a deprecated alias that starts the gateway.

Gateway Mode

The gateway is the default way to run Deskmate. It separates platform I/O from agent logic, so adding a new messaging client doesn't require touching auth, sessions, or the agent layer.

# Configure multi-client auth
ALLOWED_USERS=telegram:123456,discord:987654321

# Start
deskmate

The gateway auto-registers clients based on available env vars. If TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN is set, Telegram is active. Future clients (Discord, Slack) follow the same pattern.

Bot Commands

Command	Description
/start	Show welcome message
/screenshot	Take a screenshot and send it
/status	Show system info and session status
/health	Show system health and resource metrics
/skill	List or run a registered skill
/cron	Show cron job status
/reset	Clear conversation memory

Usage Examples

System management — "Show disk usage", "What processes are using the most CPU?", "List all running Docker containers"

File operations — "Show me the contents of package.json", "Find all TypeScript files in src/", "Create a new file called notes.txt with today's date"

Development — "Run the tests", "What's the git status?", "Show me recent commits"

Troubleshooting — "What's using port 8080?", "Show me the last 50 lines of the error log", "Check if nginx is running"

Visual — "Take a screenshot", "Show me what's on the screen"

Taking a Screenshot	Opening Google Meet

MCP Server

The MCP server exposes your machine as a tool server for Claude Desktop or any MCP client.

Setup with Claude Desktop

Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "deskmate": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/deskmate/dist/index.js", "mcp"],
      "env": {
        "WORKING_DIR": "/Users/yourname"
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop. You can now ask Claude to interact with your local machine.

Combined Mode (Gateway + MCP)

Run both with deskmate both. MCP handles Claude Desktop requests; the gateway handles Telegram (and future clients), sending approval notifications to your phone so you can approve sensitive operations from anywhere.

Observability

Deskmate focuses on executing actions safely.

For monitoring agent behavior, resource usage, and failures across multiple local agents, see Riva (local-first agent observability).

Skills

Skills are reusable multi-step workflows defined in JSON. Place a skills.json in your project root or ~/.config/deskmate/skills.json for global skills. Skills hot-reload when the file changes.

{
  "version": 1,
  "skills": [
    {
      "name": "deploy",
      "description": "Build and deploy the project",
      "parameters": [{ "name": "env", "required": true }],
      "steps": [
        { "type": "command", "command": "npm run build" },
        { "type": "command", "command": "./deploy.sh {{env}}" }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Each step can be a command (shell), prompt (agent query), or skill (nested skill). Run via /skill deploy env=staging in Telegram or the run_skill MCP tool.

Cron Jobs

Schedule recurring jobs via crons.json (project-local or ~/.config/deskmate/crons.json).

{
  "version": 1,
  "jobs": [
    {
      "name": "daily-backup",
      "schedule": "0 2 * * *",
      "action": { "type": "command", "command": "tar czf ~/backup.tar.gz ~/Documents" },
      "notify": true
    }
  ]
}

Actions can be command, agent_query (natural language prompt), or skill. Set notify: true to receive results in your active chat channels. Check status with /cron in Telegram or list_cron_jobs MCP tool.

Security

Important: The agent can execute arbitrary commands on your machine. This is by design — the strategy is approve-by-default for read-only operations, with approval gating for protected folders and write operations.

Built-in protections

Layer	What it does
User authentication	Allowlist-based access control via SecurityManager. Only users in ALLOWED_USERS can interact. Supports per-client auth (telegram:123, discord:456) and wildcards (*:*).
Action approval	ApprovalManager gates sensitive operations. Write commands, file writes, and folder access require explicit human approval with configurable timeouts (default 5 min).
Protected folders	OS-aware folder protection. Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Pictures, Movies/Videos, Music, and iCloud (macOS) require approval. Session-based caching avoids repeated prompts.
Safe command auto-approval	Read-only commands (ls, cat, git status, docker ps, node -v, etc.) auto-approve. Full list in src/core/approval.ts.
Command execution limits	2-minute timeout and 10 MB output buffer per command. Prevents runaway processes and memory exhaustion.
Session isolation	Sessions keyed by clientType:channelId. 30-minute idle timeout with automatic pruning. Optional disk persistence survives restarts.
Input validation	MCP tools use Zod schema validation. Telegram callbacks validated via regex patterns.
No open ports	The bot polls Telegram's servers — no inbound ports exposed.
No sudo by default	The agent won't use sudo unless you explicitly ask.
Structured logging	All actions logged with timestamps, context hierarchy, and configurable log levels for audit trails.
Stale message protection	Telegram client drops pending updates on startup (drop_pending_updates: true), preventing replay of messages received while offline.

Approval workflow

1. User sends a message that triggers a sensitive operation (e.g., writing to ~/Documents)
2. ApprovalManager checks if the action matches a safe auto-approve pattern
3. If not safe, a pending approval is created with a timeout countdown
4. Approval request is broadcast to all clients with recent activity (last 30 min)
5. User taps Approve/Reject via inline buttons (Telegram) or equivalent
6. Action executes on approval, or is cancelled on rejection/timeout

Set REQUIRE_APPROVAL_FOR_ALL=true to gate every operation, including reads.

Recommendations

• Set WORKING_DIR to limit default command scope
• Use ALLOWED_USERS for multi-client allowlisting
• Use ALLOWED_FOLDERS to pre-approve specific directories
• Review logs regularly (logs/stdout.log)
• Keep .env secure and never commit it
• Use REQUIRE_APPROVAL_FOR_ALL=true if you want to approve every operation

Execution Philosophy

Deskmate follows an approve-by-default, visible-by-design model.

• Read-only operations are auto-approved
• Sensitive operations require explicit confirmation
• All actions are logged locally

The goal is speed without hidden behavior.

Non-goals

Deskmate is intentionally not:

• A multi-agent orchestration framework
• A cloud-hosted control plane
• A long-running autonomous system

These constraints are deliberate.

Agent Providers

Deskmate supports multiple agent backends. Set AGENT_PROVIDER in your .env or select one during deskmate init.

Provider	Binary	Env Var	Install
Claude Code (default)	claude	ANTHROPIC_API_KEY	docs.anthropic.com
Codex (OpenAI)	codex	OPENAI_API_KEY	github.com/openai/codex
Gemini CLI (Google)	gemini	GEMINI_API_KEY	github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli
OpenCode	opencode	(manages own auth)	github.com/opencode-ai/opencode

# Switch provider
AGENT_PROVIDER=codex
OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...

# Or use the wizard
deskmate init

Only the API key matching your selected provider is required. Keys for other providers are preserved in .env if you switch back.

Architecture

src/
├── core/
│   ├── agent/
│   │   ├── types.ts              # AgentProvider interface
│   │   ├── factory.ts            # Provider factory + registerProvider()
│   │   └── providers/
│   │       ├── claude-code.ts    # Claude Code SDK (default)
│   │       ├── base-cli.ts       # Base class for CLI-spawned providers
│   │       ├── codex.ts          # Codex (OpenAI)
│   │       ├── gemini.ts         # Gemini CLI (Google)
│   │       └── opencode.ts       # OpenCode
│   ├── approval.ts               # Approval manager (auto-approve + manual)
│   ├── executor.ts               # Command execution, file I/O, screenshots
│   ├── executor-factory.ts       # Creates local or remote executor
│   ├── executor-interface.ts     # IExecutor interface
│   ├── remote-executor.ts        # Executor that delegates to sidecar
│   ├── health.ts                 # Health monitoring (CPU, memory, disk, agent)
│   ├── skills/                   # Skills system
│   │   ├── types.ts              # Skill definition schema (Zod)
│   │   ├── registry.ts           # Loads skills.json, hot-reloads on change
│   │   └── executor.ts           # Runs multi-step skill workflows
│   ├── cron/                     # Cron scheduler
│   │   ├── types.ts              # Cron job definition schema (Zod)
│   │   └── scheduler.ts          # node-cron based job runner
│   └── logger.ts                 # Structured logging
├── gateway/
│   ├── types.ts                  # MessagingClient, MessageHandler interfaces
│   ├── gateway.ts                # Central coordinator
│   ├── security.ts               # Multi-client allowlist auth
│   └── session.ts                # Session manager (composite keys, idle pruning)
├── clients/
│   └── telegram.ts               # Telegram adapter (grammY)
├── sidecar/                      # Host sidecar for container mode
│   ├── server.ts                 # Express server exposing executor over HTTP
│   └── cli.ts                    # Sidecar CLI entry point
└── mcp/
    └── server.ts                 # MCP server

Agent layer — ships with four providers: Claude Code (via @anthropic-ai/claude-agent-sdk), Codex, Gemini CLI, and OpenCode. The three non-Claude providers extend BaseCliProvider, which handles subprocess spawning and stdout streaming. Custom agent providers can be registered via registerProvider().

Gateway layer — central coordinator handling auth (SecurityManager), sessions (SessionManager), agent orchestration, approval routing, and screenshot delivery. Platform adapters implement the MessagingClient interface and do only I/O.

Adding a new client

1. Create src/clients/discord.ts implementing MessagingClient (see src/gateway/types.ts)
2. Add DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN to .env
3. Add discord:userId to ALLOWED_USERS
4. Register in the gateway startup: gateway.registerClient(new DiscordClient(token))

No changes to Gateway, SecurityManager, SessionManager, or the agent layer.

Bringing your own agent

import { AgentProvider, registerProvider } from "./core/agent";

class MyAgent implements AgentProvider {
  readonly name = "my-agent";
  readonly version = "1.0.0";
  // implement query(), queryStream(), isAvailable()
}

registerProvider("my-agent", MyAgent);
// then set AGENT_PROVIDER=my-agent in .env

CLI Commands

Command	Description
deskmate	Start the gateway (default mode)
deskmate init	Interactive setup wizard
deskmate status	Show service status and config validation
deskmate health	Show system health and resource metrics
deskmate logs	Tail stdout.log (--stderr for error log)
deskmate restart	Restart the background service
deskmate doctor	Run diagnostic checks
deskmate sidecar	Start the host sidecar (container mode)

Docker / Container Mode

Run Deskmate in a Docker container with a native sidecar handling host-level commands (screenshots, file access).

# Set install mode
INSTALL_MODE=container

# Start the sidecar on the host
deskmate sidecar

# Start the container
docker-compose up -d

The Dockerfile and docker-compose.yml are included in the package. The sidecar exposes a local HTTP API that the containerized core uses to execute commands on the host.

Service Management

macOS (launchd)

# View logs
tail -f logs/stdout.log
tail -f logs/stderr.log

# Stop the service
launchctl unload ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.deskmate.service.plist

# Start the service
launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.deskmate.service.plist

# Check status
launchctl list | grep deskmate

Linux (systemd)

# View logs
tail -f logs/stdout.log
journalctl --user -u deskmate.service -f

# Stop / start / restart
systemctl --user stop deskmate.service
systemctl --user start deskmate.service
systemctl --user restart deskmate.service

# Check status
systemctl --user status deskmate.service

Uninstall

./uninstall.sh

Troubleshooting

Bot not responding?

1. Check logs: tail -f logs/stderr.log
2. Verify your ALLOWED_USERS includes your Telegram ID (e.g. telegram:123456)
3. Ensure your agent CLI is installed (e.g. which claude, which codex, which gemini, which opencode)
4. Run deskmate doctor to diagnose configuration issues

Commands timing out?

• Default timeout is 2 minutes
• Long-running commands may need adjustment

Machine going to sleep?

• macOS: Run ./install.sh to configure sleep prevention, or manually: sudo pmset -c sleep 0
• Linux: The systemd service uses idle inhibitor. Check your desktop environment's power settings.

Permission denied errors? (macOS)

• Re-run ./install.sh and go through the permissions setup
• Or manually grant permissions in System Settings > Privacy & Security

Screenshots not working?

• macOS: Grant Screen Recording permission in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen Recording
• Linux: Install ImageMagick (sudo apt install imagemagick)
• Restart the service after making changes

Future Work / Help Wanted

Additional messaging clients — the gateway architecture is ready. We'd welcome:

• discord — Discord bot via discord.js
• slack — Slack app via Bolt SDK
• whatsapp — WhatsApp via the Business API

Background job handling — the current launchd (macOS) + systemd (Linux) approach works but could be improved for different device types (always-on Mac Mini vs MacBook, headless Linux servers).

Open an issue to discuss your approach.

Contributing

We welcome contributions! See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

See DEVELOPMENT.md for architecture details and local setup.

License

MIT License — see LICENSE for details.

Acknowledgments

• Claude Agent SDK — default agent runtime
• Codex — OpenAI agent backend
• Gemini CLI — Google agent backend
• OpenCode — OpenCode agent backend
• grammY — Telegram bot framework
• @modelcontextprotocol/sdk — MCP support

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Community

• Discord — join the community, ask questions, share your setup

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