Workbench

Local-first AI task runner. Build automations by chatting.

No cloud. No subscription. Your tools, your data, your machine.

Why Workbench?

I built this because Goose was too hard to extend and Claude Desktop needed a Mac.

Workbench is the cross-platform, open, easy-to-extend alternative. Create new tools by asking AI to write them. Chain tools together. Run everything locally.

Quickstart

git clone https://github.com/YakStacks/Workbench.git
cd Workbench
npm install
npm run dev

Add your API key in Settings tab (supports OpenRouter, OpenAI, or Azure OpenAI).

What You Get

• 💬 Chat - Messenger-style AI conversation with tool access
• 🔧 11 Built-in Tools - Weather, clipboard, files, CSV analysis, and more
• ⛓️ Tool Chains - Connect tools with {{lastResult}} interpolation
• 🔌 Plugin System - Drop a folder in plugins/, restart, done
• 🛠️ PipeWrench - MCP server diagnostics built-in
• 📁 File Browser - Safe, sandboxed file access

Features

Chat with Tools

Ask the AI to use tools naturally:

"What's the weather in Tokyo?"

The AI calls weather.temperature, gets the result, and responds conversationally.

Tool Chains

Build multi-step automations in the Chains tab:

1. Step 1: example.echo → {"text": "Hello"} → saves to step1
2. Step 2: example.currentTime → {} → saves to step2

Reference previous results with {{step1.content}} or {{lastResult}}.

Create Plugins by Chatting

Ask the AI:

"Create a plugin that fetches the top story from Hacker News"

Copy the code to plugins/hackernews/index.js, restart, and your new tool appears.

Built-in Tools

Tool	Description
example.echo	Echo text back
example.helloWorld	Simple greeting
example.currentTime	Current date/time
weather.temperature	Weather by city
system.clipboardHistory	Clipboard access
data.csvAnalyzer	Parse and analyze CSVs
web.urlSummary	Summarize web pages
media.youtubeTranscript	Get YouTube transcripts
system.fileWatcher	Monitor file changes
workbench.convertArtifact	Convert Claude artifacts
debug.mcpDoctor	Diagnose MCP servers
debug.mcpTrace	Trace MCP protocol
debug.mcpTest	Quick MCP connection test

Plus 12 builtin.* system tools for files, shell, clipboard, and more.

Creating Plugins

Create a folder in plugins/ with an index.js:

// plugins/my-tool/index.js
module.exports.register = (api) => {
  api.registerTool({
    name: 'my.tool',
    description: 'Does something useful',
    inputSchema: {
      type: 'object',
      properties: {
        input: { type: 'string', description: 'The input' }
      },
      required: ['input']
    },
    run: async (params) => {
      return {
        content: `You said: ${params.input}`,
        metadata: { timestamp: new Date().toISOString() }
      };
    }
  });
};

Restart Workbench or click Refresh Plugins. Your tool appears in the Tools tab.

See PLUGIN_API.md for the full guide.

API Providers

Workbench supports multiple LLM providers. Configure in Settings:

Provider	What You Need
OpenRouter	API key from openrouter.ai
OpenAI	API key from platform.openai.com
Azure OpenAI	Endpoint URL, API key, deployment name

OpenRouter is recommended - it gives you access to Claude, GPT-4, Llama, and dozens of other models with one API key.

Building

# Development
npm run dev

# Production build
npm run build
npm start

# Package installer
npm run package          # Windows
npm run package:all      # All platforms

Installers output to release/ folder.

Project Structure

Workbench/
├── src/App.tsx       # React UI (single file)
├── main.ts           # Electron main process
├── plugins/          # Drop-in plugins
│   ├── echo/
│   ├── weather_temperature/
│   ├── pipewrench/
│   └── ...
├── build/            # Icons and assets
└── dist/             # Built frontend

Roadmap

v0.1.0 (Current)

• ✅ Chat with AI
• ✅ 11 plugins + builtin tools
• ✅ Tool chaining
• ✅ Plugin system
• ✅ PipeWrench diagnostics

v0.2.0 (Planned)

• 📲 MCP server integration (via PipeWrench proxy)
• 📲 Chat persistence (SQLite)
• 📲 Natural language tool dispatch
• 📲 Keyboard shortcuts

Known Issues

MCP servers don't connect - Electron has stdio pipe issues on Windows. Use PipeWrench standalone (pipewrench proxy) as a workaround, or wait for v0.2 which will include proper MCP support. See MCP_KNOWN_ISSUES.md.

License

MIT © 2025 YakStacks

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Any questions or concerns? Start a Discussion or submit an issue. I'd love to hear from you.

Local-first. Open source. Yours to extend.