CoWork-OS

CoWork-OS is a tool-agnostic Markdown control plane for agentic AI workflows.

It helps individuals and teams move from one-off prompting to structured AI collaboration with agents, roles, workflows, rules, memory, reviews, templates, adapters, examples, and handoffs.

CoWork-OS is not an app, not a SaaS product, and not tied to a specific AI tool. Codex, ChatGPT, Claude Code, Gemini, and other assistants are treated as adapters around a neutral workflow core.

Status

This repository is a clean-room public scaffold for agentic AI workflow documentation.

• Private project data: not included
• Real customer or operational data: not included
• License: MIT, copyright CoWork-OS Contributors
• Roadmap: see docs/roadmap-v0.1.md

Architecture

Core
-> Agents
-> Rules
-> Workflows
-> Prompts
-> Reviews
-> Templates
-> Adapters
-> Examples

Core Concepts

• Core defines the neutral operating model.
• Agents describe reusable roles and responsibilities.
• Rules define non-negotiable safety and quality boundaries.
• Workflows describe repeatable work patterns.
• Prompts provide audit-ready task starters.
• Reviews define quality gates before risky action.
• Templates provide reusable project and handoff files.
• Adapters describe tool capabilities without making them the core.
• Examples show synthetic usage patterns.

Truth-State Priority

When sources disagree, use this order:

1. Current user instruction
2. Current repository state
3. Repository-local rules and documentation
4. Verified project record
5. Handoffs and memory
6. General model knowledge

Unverified information must be labeled as unverified.

Autonomy Gates

• Default: read, analyze, plan, report.
• Task Approval: edit files, create files, run non-trivial commands.
• High-Risk Approval: commit, push, deploy, delete, publish, migrate, change infrastructure, or affect external systems.

When unsure, stop and ask for the smallest specific approval.

Quickstart

1. Read README.md, docs/architecture.md, and rules/autonomy-gates.md.
2. Start with prompts/audit-only-bootstrap.md.
3. Produce a handoff using templates/HANDOFF.md.
4. Run the relevant review gate before any high-risk action.

Example Use Cases

• Audit a sample-api repository before editing.
• Plan a demo-product feature with explicit approval gates.
• Review an example-website change before release.
• Organize research-notes into a verified handoff.

Not Included

• Private projects
• Private memory
• Private handoffs
• Local machine paths
• Secrets or credentials
• Tool-specific private configuration
• Real customer, organization, or operational data