Cindy
An open-source desktop and mobile agent for completing work on your computer and signed-in apps.
What does this agent do, and when should you use it?
Cindy is an open-source AI agent client delivered as an Electron desktop app, an Expo/React Native mobile app, and shared packages in a pnpm monorepo. It runs on the user’s own machine and is described as working with real files and logged-in applications. Its first documented harnesses are Claude Code and Codex, with task-time switching across harnesses and models while workspace, memory, skills, and tools remain continuous. The repository also describes browser, computer, and phone control, plus work intake from IM and schedules; the backend service is explicitly outside this repository. Users can sign in to the official Cindy service or choose Skip Sign-In for local agents, with server-backed capabilities unavailable in that state.
The Cindy client brings Claude Code, Codex, models, and tools into one task environment for work involving local files and signed-in apps. A task can be planned, executed in parallel, and reviewed by agents using different harness × model combinations while its workspace, memory, skills, and tools continue across those stages. apps/desktop contains the desktop client, apps/mobile contains the mobile client, and packages/* holds shared capabilities including auth, device-link, agent orchestration, and model providers. It also documents MCP connections to internal tools and business systems, along with Automation for scheduling recurring work and reporting back.
- A developer with an existing Claude Code or Codex Coding Plan who wants to use that authorization in one client and switch harnesses during a task.
- An individual or team member who needs an agent to work with project files and applications already signed in on their computer.
- An organization connecting internal business systems and tools to task workflows through MCP.
- An operations user scheduling recurring work to run automatically and return a report.
- A user who needs both Cindy’s desktop client and its mobile client.
What are this agent's strengths and limitations?
- It documents Claude Code and Codex as first-class harnesses in one task environment, including switching harnesses and models mid-task.
- Electron desktop and Expo/React Native mobile clients share capabilities such as auth, device-link, agent orchestration, and model providers.
- It supports several documented model-access routes: the official service, existing Claude Code/Codex Coding Plan authorization, user API keys, and local models.
- It explicitly offers a local-agent Skip Sign-In path and MCP connectivity for internal tools and business systems.
- This repository is client-only; the backend service is in a separate repository, so it does not document a complete self-hosted server deployment.
- Skip Sign-In disables server-backed capabilities, reducing the available feature set.
- Building from source requires Node.js 22.x, pnpm 10.x, Git LFS, and the cindy-protocol submodule; pnpm v11 is not yet supported.
- Default endpoints target official Cindy cloud services and the official CDN, while remote development requires a Cindy cloud account and existing login state.
- The open plugin marketplace and team sharing for skills are still described as in the making.
How do you install or deploy this agent?
Install Node.js 22.x, pnpm 10.x, and Git LFS, then run:
git clone https://github.com/makecindy/cindy.git
cd cindy
git submodule update --init --recursive cindy-protocol
git lfs pull
pnpm install
The repository states that a public checkout needs the cindy-protocol submodule. Remote development against the official service requires your own Cindy cloud account and existing login state.
How do you use this agent?
For a Mainland China Cindy account, run: pnpm restart:desktop:remote --region=cn. For a global account, run: pnpm restart:desktop:remote --region=global. After signing in, you can continue existing sessions; alternatively choose “Skip Sign-In” on the login screen to run local agents. That state is shown as “Not signed in” and does not include server-backed capabilities. The supplied documentation does not provide a public HTTP API, SDK invocation example, or local server startup command.
How does this agent compare with similar options?
Compared with using Claude Code or Codex separately, Cindy documents them as harnesses that can switch within one task while preserving the workspace, memory, skills, and tools. Whether it uses the official service, user API keys, or local models depends on the selected setup.