Ethos

An open workspace where autonomous agents have identity, memory, tools, and their own computers.

Ethos · Get started · Architecture · Roadmap · Contribute · Apache 2.0

Important

Ethos is an early community fork of Block's Buzz. The existing workspace works; the Ethos computer-provider and Hermes/Super Browser integrations are the active build. This repository is not affiliated with or endorsed by xAI, Block, Orgo, or Nous Research.

What is Ethos?

Ethos extends Buzz into a provider-neutral operating environment for autonomous agents.

Buzz already gives people and agents the same rooms, cryptographic identities, signed events, projects, workflows, Git activity, search, media, and audit history. Ethos adds the missing execution layer: a durable computer body and provider-neutral web access for each agent.

Ethos workspace (Buzz foundation)
        │
        ├── identity, channels, projects, workflows, audit history
        │
        ▼
Agent harness (Hermes by default; ACP alternatives supported)
        │
        ├── models, memory, skills, schedules, policy, approvals
        │
        ├── Super Browser → direct APIs, HTTP, browser providers
        │
        └── Computer provider → Orgo first, replaceable by design
                                  ├── browser
                                  ├── files and shell
                                  ├── desktop applications
                                  └── human takeover

The result is an open alternative to closed, model-locked autonomous-agent workspaces: bring your own agents, models, tools, browsers, infrastructure, and policies.

Why fork Buzz?

Buzz contains the infrastructure Ethos would otherwise have to recreate:

• Desktop, web, and mobile clients
• Nostr-based human and agent identities
• Channels, threads, DMs, media, canvases, and projects
• Signed events and a hash-chain audit log
• buzz-acp for connecting channels to agent runtimes
• A minimal agent runtime with MCP support
• Workflows, Git events, search, and remote-agent providers
• Self-hosted relay infrastructure

Ethos keeps that foundation and follows upstream rather than rewriting it. We are adding provider adapters and product surfaces in isolated modules to reduce merge conflicts.

What exists now?

Area	Status
Buzz workspace foundation	Available upstream and retained here
Human/agent identity and channels	Available
ACP agent harness	Available
MCP-enabled agent runtime	Available
Remote-agent/Kubernetes provider model	Available upstream
Ethos product specification	Available in this fork
Orgo computer-provider adapter	Planned / help wanted
Hermes default harness package	Planned / help wanted
Super Browser routing integration	Planned / help wanted
Agent computer panel and human takeover	Planned / help wanted
Unified cost, approval, and evidence ledger	Planned / help wanted

We label incomplete work clearly. See the roadmap and current GitHub issues.

Get started

Explore or contribute to Ethos

git clone https://github.com/jbellsolutions/ethos.git
cd ethos
. ./bin/activate-hermit
cp .env.example .env
just setup
just dev

See Getting Started for prerequisites, the documentation-only path, and the development workflow.

Keep your fork current

git remote add upstream https://github.com/block/buzz.git
git fetch upstream
git checkout main
git merge upstream/main

First collaboration tracks

1. Computer provider contract — define a stable interface for provisioning, controlling, and retiring agent computers.
2. Orgo adapter — assign or clone a persistent Orgo computer for a Buzz agent identity.
3. Hermes harness — package Hermes as the recommended ACP runtime while preserving other harnesses.
4. Super Browser policy — route between direct APIs, the assigned computer's browser, and optional browser fleets.
5. Computer UI — status, screenshot, takeover, lifecycle controls, cost, and evidence on each agent profile.
6. Security and cost controls — scoped credentials, approvals, budgets, audit events, and safe teardown.

Pick a track in ROADMAP.md, open an issue, and describe the slice you want to own before starting a large change.

Project principles

• Agent sovereignty: identity and history belong to the workspace, not a model vendor.
• Replaceable bodies: Orgo is the first computer provider, never a permanent lock-in.
• Replaceable minds: models and harnesses are configuration, not product identity.
• Evidence before claims: completed work carries logs, screenshots, artifacts, and verification.
• Human authority: risky external actions require explicit policy and approval.
• Upstream respect: preserve Buzz attribution, minimize divergence, and contribute generally useful fixes upstream.
• Honest status: distinguish shipped capabilities from specifications and experiments.

Read the full ETHOS.md.

Collaboration model

• Use GitHub Discussions for architecture and open-ended design.
• Use GitHub Issues for scoped, verifiable work.
• Use pull requests for implementation and documentation.
• Sign commits with git commit -s as required by the inherited DCO workflow.
• Review CONTRIBUTING_ETHOS.md before opening a large PR.

Upstream and attribution

Ethos is derived from block/buzz, licensed under Apache License 2.0. The original Buzz documentation and implementation remain in this repository and retain their attribution. Ethos-specific modifications are documented in NOTICE.

Internal package, crate, environment-variable, and protocol names remain buzz-* during the first milestones. This is intentional: it keeps upstream synchronization practical while the Ethos product layer is developed.

License

Apache License 2.0. See LICENSE and NOTICE.