SeventeenLabs/relay: The open-source Claude Cowork for OpenClaw · GitHub

What Is Relay ·
Why Relay ·
Features ·
Use Cases ·
Quickstart ·
Development

If OpenClaw is the runtime, Relay is your local command center.

Relay is an Electron desktop app that gives you the same experience as Claude Cowork — autonomous task execution, scheduling, sub-agents, connectors — but on your infrastructure, with your model, and with real governance.

Claude Cowork is excellent. But companies are looking for alternatives because of three structural limits:

1. Data sovereignty — Cowork runs files through a sandboxed VM on Anthropic’s servers. Regulated industries can’t send sensitive data there.
2. Model lock-in — Cowork only works with Claude. Companies want to route tasks to GPT-4, Llama, Gemini, or custom endpoints.
3. Compliance gaps — Anthropic themselves recommend against using Cowork for regulated workflows because activities aren’t yet captured in standard audit logs or compliance APIs.

Relay solves all three. Same workflow pattern — different trust model.

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                          You (Operator)                                  │
│         give goals · review deliverables · approve risky actions         │
└─────────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────────────┘
                              │
              ┌───────────────▼───────────────┐
              │     Relay (Desktop App)        │
              │     ── Control Plane ──        │
              │                                │
              │  Dispatch & Chat               │  You see everything.
              │  • Give a task in natural lang │  You approve what matters.
              │  • Agent plans steps for you   │  You stay in control.
              │  • Review polished deliverable │
              │                                │
              │  Governance                    │
              │  • Approval gates (file ops,   │
              │    shell commands, data sends) │
              │  • Exportable audit trail      │
              │  • Cost tracking per task      │
              │                                │
              │  Configure                     │
              │  • Schedule recurring tasks    │─ ─ ┐ Relay defines.
              │  • Browse & edit agent memory  │    │ OpenClaw executes.
              │  • Manage connectors (Slack,   │    │
              │    Notion, GitHub, Jira, etc.) │    │
              │  • Set project working folder  │    │
              └───────────────┬───────────────┘    │
                              │                    │
                       WebSocket / API             │
                              │                    │
              ┌───────────────▼───────────────┐    │
              │  OpenClaw Gateway (Runtime)    │◄ ─ ┘
              │  local · VPS · custom URL      │
              │  ── Execution Plane ──         │
              │                                │
              │  Agent Runtime                 │  Runs on YOUR infra.
              │  • Autonomous task execution   │  Your keys. Your data.
              │  • Multi-step planning & tools │
              │  • Sub-agent orchestration     │
              │                                │
              │  Persistence                   │
              │  • Memory storage & retrieval  │
              │  • Schedule runner (cron)      │
              │  • File read / write / search  │
              │                                │
              │  Integrations                  │
              │  • Connectors (Slack, Notion,  │
              │    GitHub, Jira, email, etc.)  │
              │  • Computer use (browser, UI)  │
              │  • Shell / script execution    │
              │                                │
              │  Model Router                  │
              │  • Routes to any LLM backend   │
              └──┬──────────┬──────────┬──────┘
                 │          │          │
           ┌─────▼──┐ ┌────▼───┐ ┌────▼─────┐
           │ Claude  │ │ GPT-4  │ │  Llama   │
           │ Gemini  │ │ Mixtral│ │  Custom  │
           └────────┘ └────────┘ └──────────┘

Relay is the control plane — you see, configure, and approve.
OpenClaw is the execution plane — agents run, remember, and act on your infrastructure.

Example: Scheduled daily briefing

  Relay (you define)                 OpenClaw (it executes)
  ──────────────────                 ──────────────────────
  Create schedule: "Daily 8am"  ────►  Stores schedule
  Set connectors: Slack + Notion     Cron fires at 8am
                                     Agent reads project files
                                     Pulls Slack threads & Notion pages
                                     Calls LLM (your model choice)
                                     Writes briefing to memory
  Briefing appears in Relay  ◄────── Returns deliverable
  You review, approve, or redirect
  Full audit trail exported

You give the goal → Agent plans the steps → You approve what matters → Agent executes → Everything is logged

• ✅ You run OpenClaw on a VPS and want a desktop control plane
• ✅ You need data sovereignty (GDPR, HIPAA, or internal policy)
• ✅ You work in regulated industries (finance, legal, healthcare, government)
• ✅ You want model-agnostic routing, not Claude-only lock-in
• ✅ You need exportable audit trails for compliance
• ✅ You want to control token costs on your own infrastructure

Not for you if:

• ❌ You’re happy with Claude-only on Anthropic’s cloud (just use Cowork)
• ❌ You want fully autonomous agents with zero human oversight

You could wire OpenClaw to Telegram, Discord, or Slack and talk to your agent there. Many people do. Here’s why that breaks down:

The bottom line: A chat app gives you a text box. Relay gives you an operator desk — dispatch, govern, track, and audit everything your agent does.

The bottom line: Claude Cowork is excellent for personal productivity on Anthropic’s cloud. Relay is for teams and companies that need data sovereignty, compliance-ready audit trails, and model freedom — all on their own infrastructure.

Note: Anthropic recommends against using Cowork for strongly regulated workflows because activities are not yet captured in standard audit logs or compliance APIs. Relay is built for exactly this gap.

Schedule a daily task → Agent synthesizes metrics, customer feedback, and team updates overnight → Results appear in Relay each morning → Operator reviews and acts on decision-ready recommendations.

Agent flags an exception in an expense report → Relay pauses for approval → Finance lead reviews context and risk level → Approves or requests clarification → Action executes with full audit receipt.

“Every Friday, scan all project changes and produce a compliance summary” → Agent runs on schedule → Results appear in Relay → Exportable audit trail ready for review.

Agent runs npm test, scans for TODO comments, and produces a summary → Shell commands require approval → Operator reviews results → Follow-up actions triggered from one thread.

Customer feedback scattered across email, Slack, and support tickets → Agent collects and synthesizes → Clusters themes with priority logic → Produces actionable roadmap recommendations.

“Every Friday, summarize trending topics in our space and draft 3 content ideas” → Results appear Monday morning → Team reviews and approves → Straight into the editorial calendar.

Requirements:

Install & run:

git clone https://github.com/SeventeenLabs/relay.git
cd relay
npm install
npm run dev

This starts Vite, compiles Electron in watch mode, and launches Relay.

Optional cloud auth setup:

Set these when needed:

• VITE_SUPABASE_URL
• VITE_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY

In Settings → Gateway:

1. Enter your OpenClaw gateway URL and token
2. Save
3. Run the health check

Typical endpoint patterns:

• Local: ws://127.0.0.1:18789
• VPS: wss://your-domain.com
• Custom: Any OpenClaw-compatible endpoint

npm run dev                 # Full desktop dev loop
npm run build               # Build renderer + electron
npm run preview             # Preview renderer build
npm run package             # Build and package app to release/
npm run lint                # ESLint
npm run typecheck           # TS type checks (renderer + electron)
npm run verify              # lint + typecheck + smoke tests
npm run test:local-actions  # Local actions smoke tests
npm run test:e2e            # Electron E2E tests (mock gateway)

• License: MIT
• Copyright © 2026 SeventeenLabs
• Built for operators who believe AI should be governed, auditable, and under human control.

Get started: Download the latest build or clone and run locally.

Questions? Open an issue or reach out to hello@seventeenlabs.io.