ai-automation-tools · open source · Windows 11

Your browser, terminals and projects in one window.

A Windows desktop app that puts a browser, PowerShell terminals and a sidebar over every project folder you work in into one Electron window. An MCP server and a chat panel let an agent drive the whole window: open tabs and files, read what a page or a terminal shows, and run commands you approve with a click.

Try the demo GitHub Quick start

Electron 44
xterm.js 6
node-pty 1.1
PowerShell 7
Node.js 24
GPL-3.0-or-later

The demo is fake on purpose. It is the real shell UI with made-up files, bookmarks, tabs and terminal output; nothing in it runs or calls out. Type npm test in its terminal, or wait a few seconds for the confirm bar an agent's terminal_run raises.

What works today

One window, seven panels

Everything below ships in the app now. It runs on Windows 11 only.

Browser

Tabs and an address bar that takes URLs, D:\ paths, localhost or a search. Links and pop-ups open as tabs. A ☆ adds the page to Project Hub's favorites, and Chrome Web Store installs work in a tab.

Terminal

PowerShell 7 in tabs along the bottom; the ⌄ next to ＋ opens Windows PowerShell, Command Prompt or Git Bash instead. "Terminal here" on any sidebar folder opens one there.

Files

Every workspace from Project Hub. Click a file to read it in a tab: Markdown rendered, other text as code, images inline. Right-click for VS Code, Reveal in Explorer or Copy path.

Bookmarks, recent and search

Your Chrome, Edge or Brave bookmarks (Hub reads them from disk) or Hub's favorites, the pages, files and terminals you opened, and one search box across all of them.

MCP server

A local server agents connect to. Tools that look need no click; terminal_run and cron_run wait for you to click Run. Every call shows in the sidebar's MCP tab and is logged.

list_tabsread_tabopen_tabopen_fileterminal_runterminal_read

Chat

A Chat tab with Claude, using the app's MCP server as its tools and your own Anthropic API key. + page and + terminal attach what's on screen to your next message.

Cron

Cronsole's scheduled tasks, read through Cronsole's own MCP server: next run, paused, missing or failed at a glance. Cronsole's UI opens in a pinned tab.

How it works

Reuse what's running, ask before acting

The app integrates over other tools' APIs rather than rebuilding them, and nothing an agent does to your machine happens without your click.

01 · SIDEBARProject Hub feeds it

Files and bookmarks come from Project Hub's HTTP API, so the app reuses its scan rather than rescanning disk. Without Hub the browser and terminals still work.

02 · AGENTSAn MCP server on loopback

Bound to 127.0.0.1 with a random port and a fresh token each launch. Claude Code in one of the app's terminals, or the Chat tab, drives the window through it.

03 · CONFIRMYou click Run

terminal_run shows the command over the terminal and types it in only when you click Run. Newlines, control and invisible characters are refused, so the bar shows exactly what runs.

04 · SCHEDULECronsole in the sidebar

The Cron tab lists Cronsole's tasks through its MCP server; an agent can start one with cron_run after the same click.

Browser tabs are sandboxed and get no preload from the app; pages get no permission except fullscreen, pointer lock and sanitized clipboard writes. Crashes go to a local log only: no telemetry.

Architecture

One window, one main process

The shell UI talks to the main process over IPC that refuses any other sender. The main process opens sandboxed tabs, reads Project Hub, starts Cronsole and the terminals, and runs the MCP server whose acting tools wait for your click.

Every component links to the code it describes; Route and Lens trace paths. Open full screen ↗

Quick start

Run it from source

You need Windows 11, Node.js 24, PowerShell 7 and a running Project Hub (it listens on http://127.0.0.1:4273).

pwsh · install and run

# 1. Check Project Hub answers
> Invoke-RestMethod http://127.0.0.1:4273/api/health

# 2. Install. node-pty ships prebuilt binaries, so no compiler is needed
> git clone https://github.com/ai-automation-tools/houston
> cd houston
> npm install

# 3. Run the app
> npm start

# 4. Check it: lint and unit tests, then a scripted launch that saves screenshots to .smoke/
> npm run lint; npm test; npm run smoke

Everything the app saves lives under %APPDATA%\ai-command-center. There is no installer yet; the app runs from a clone.

Drive it from Claude Code

Every terminal the app opens has ACC_MCP_URL and ACC_MCP_TOKEN set. Register the server once, using the variable names so it survives a new port and token:

pwsh · register the MCP server

> claude mcp add --scope user --transport http ai-command-center '${ACC_MCP_URL}' --header 'Authorization: Bearer ${ACC_MCP_TOKEN}'

Then run claude in one of the app's terminals and ask it to "open this repo's README in a tab" or "run npm test". Commands sent through terminal_run still wait for your click.

Resources

Docs and related tools

The README is the full guide; the roadmap lists what's next.

Live demoThe real shell UI on made-up data, in any browser.houston-demo.ai-automation-tools.dev RepositorySource, issues and pull requests.github.com/ai-automation-tools/houston READMESetup, settings, chat, Cronsole and shortcuts.README.md DocsPlanning and design documents.docs/README.md RoadmapThe release gates and what comes after.docs/ROADMAP.md ChangelogEvery change, release by release.docs/CHANGELOG.md DecisionsRequirements, architecture options and the ADRs.docs/decisions/ SecurityHow to report a vulnerability, and the model in short.SECURITY.md

Works with

Project HubThe local server that scans your workspaces and reads your bookmarks. The sidebar runs on it.project-hub.ai-automation-tools.dev CronsoleScheduled tasks, shown in the Cron tab through Cronsole's MCP server.cronsole.ai-automation-tools.dev More toolsEvery public tool in the ai-automation-tools org.ai-automation-tools.dev