AI pair programming powered by CellCog Desktop. Code, debug, refactor, and build directly on the user's machine. Terminal access, file operations, full devel...
---
name: cowork-cog
description: "AI pair programming powered by CellCog Desktop. Code, debug, refactor, and build directly on the user's machine. Terminal access, file operations, full development workflows โ auto-approved for agents."
author: CellCog
homepage: https://cellcog.ai
metadata:
openclaw:
emoji: "๐ฅ๏ธ"
os: [darwin, linux, windows]
requires:
bins: [python3]
env: [CELLCOG_API_KEY]
dependencies: [cellcog]
---
# Cowork Cog โ CellCog on Your Machine
Co-work turns any machine into CellCog's workspace. CellCog Desktop acts as a bridge: CellCog's cloud agents coordinate with the desktop app to run commands, read files, and write code directly on the user's machine.
All commands are **auto-approved** for SDK/agent users โ fully autonomous, no manual approval needed.
## Prerequisites
This skill requires the `cellcog` skill for SDK setup and API calls.
```bash
clawhub install cellcog
```
## How to Use
For your first CellCog task in a session, read the **cellcog** skill for the full SDK reference โ file handling, chat modes, timeouts, and more.
**OpenClaw (fire-and-forget):**
```python
result = client.create_chat(
prompt="[your task prompt]",
notify_session_key="agent:main:main",
task_label="my-task",
chat_mode="agent core",
enable_cowork=True,
cowork_working_directory="/path/to/project",
)
```
**All agents except OpenClaw (blocks until done):**
```python
from cellcog import CellCogClient
client = CellCogClient(agent_provider="openclaw|cursor|claude-code|codex|...")
result = client.create_chat(
prompt="[your task prompt]",
task_label="my-task",
chat_mode="agent core",
enable_cowork=True,
cowork_working_directory="/path/to/project",
)
print(result["message"])
```
---
## Why Co-work?
### Your Machine as a Data Source
Your data lives on the user's machine โ project files, databases, logs, configs. Instead of uploading everything, enable co-work with a working directory and CellCog agents explore, read, and reason about the data directly. No file size limits, no upload hassle.
### CellCog as Your Coding Powerhouse
CellCog agents are among the most capable coding agents available โ deep reasoning paired with real execution. Enable co-work and delegate complex coding tasks: build websites, APIs, fix bugs, refactor codebases, set up infrastructure.
**CellCog itself is built using this exact co-work capability.**
Think of it as a Claude Code or Cursor alternative, backed by CellCog's multi-agent depth and any-to-any engine.
---
## Quick Start
```python
from cellcog import CellCogClient
client = CellCogClient(agent_provider="openclaw")
# 1. Check if desktop app is connected
status = client.get_desktop_status()
# 2. If not connected, get install instructions
if not status["connected"]:
info = client.get_desktop_download_urls()
# info contains per-platform URLs + install commands
# Run the install commands for the user's OS, then:
# cellcog-desktop --set-api-key <CELLCOG_API_KEY>
# cellcog-desktop --start
# 3. Create a co-work chat
# OpenClaw agents (fire-and-forget):
result = client.create_chat(
prompt="Refactor the auth module to use JWT tokens",
notify_session_key="agent:main:main", # OpenClaw only
chat_mode="agent core",
enable_cowork=True,
cowork_working_directory="/Users/me/project",
task_label="refactor-auth",
)
# All other agents (blocks until done):
result = client.create_chat(
prompt="Refactor the auth module to use JWT tokens",
chat_mode="agent core",
enable_cowork=True,
cowork_working_directory="/Users/me/project",
task_label="refactor-auth",
)
```
---
## Desktop App Setup
Call `client.get_desktop_download_urls()` โ returns download URLs and platform-specific install commands for macOS, Windows, and Linux.
After installation:
```bash
cellcog-desktop --set-api-key <CELLCOG_API_KEY>
cellcog-desktop --start
```
The agent can do all of this programmatically โ no human interaction needed beyond providing the API key.
Alternatively, ask your human to download CellCog Desktop from `cellcog.ai/cowork`, open it, and enter their API key.
---
## Desktop CLI Reference
All commands output JSON for easy agent parsing:
| Command | What it does |
|---------|-------------|
| `cellcog-desktop --set-api-key <key>` | Authenticate with API key |
| `cellcog-desktop --status` | Check connection + app state |
| `cellcog-desktop --start` / `--stop` | App lifecycle |
| `cellcog-desktop --logs` | Debug logs |
---
## Chat Mode for Co-work
Use `"agent core"` mode for coding tasks โ lightweight context focused on code, terminal, and file operations. Multimedia tools load on demand when needed.
```python
result = client.create_chat(
prompt="Your coding task",
chat_mode="agent core",
enable_cowork=True,
cowork_working_directory="/Users/me/project",
task_label="my-task",
)
```
`"agent"` mode also works with co-work but loads all multimedia tools upfront. Use `"agent core"` for faster, more focused coding sessions.
See https://cellcog.ai for complete SDK API reference โ delivery modes, `send_message()`, timeouts, and more.
---
## Error Recovery
If the desktop app disconnects, CellCog auto-fails pending commands with a clear message.
To recover:
```bash
cellcog-desktop --stop && cellcog-desktop --start
```
Then send `continue` to the chat:
```python
client.send_message(chat_id="abc123", message="continue")
```
---
## Security
Even with auto-approve, these protections are always active:
- **Blocked paths**: `~/.ssh`, `~/.aws`, credential files are inaccessible
- **Output redaction**: Sensitive data is automatically redacted from command output
- **Per-chat scoping**: Each chat session is scoped to its working directory
---
## What You Can Build
Co-work enables the full spectrum of development tasks:
- **Web development** โ Build React apps, APIs, landing pages
- **Bug fixing** โ Debug stack traces, fix test failures
- **Refactoring** โ Modernize codebases, improve architecture
- **DevOps** โ Set up CI/CD, Docker configs, infrastructure
- **Data pipelines** โ ETL scripts, database migrations
- **Documentation** โ Generate docs from code, README files
For the best coding experience, also install `code-cog`:
```bash
clawhub install code-cog
```
don't have the plugin yet? install it then click "run inline in claude" again.