FounderOS

Your AI-powered command center for a one-person company

FounderOS brings the moving parts of a small business into one place: clients, comms, social growth, finances, knowledge, and a roster of AI-assisted agents. You set the direction; your departments and team work from the same operating picture.

Tech stack

FounderOS is a single Node.js app. There is no separate backend, database server, or Docker setup to run.

Layer	What it uses
Runtime	Node.js 22 LTS (what CI runs), npm
Framework	Next.js 14 (App Router), React 18, TypeScript 5
Styling	Tailwind CSS 3, PostCSS, Geist and Geist Mono (bundled locally), lucide-react, simple-icons
Storage	SQLite through better-sqlite3, kept in local files under data/ (your workspace) and demo-data/ (the demo company)
Validation	zod
Visuals	d3-force for the knowledge graph
AI	Vercel AI Gateway (AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY) for agent chat; LLM_PROVIDER=stub runs offline
Integrations	IMAP/SMTP (imapflow, nodemailer), Slack, Notion, Stripe, iCal, plus HTTP connectors for the rest
Tests and tooling	Vitest, tsc --noEmit, tsx for scripts, GitHub Actions CI (typecheck and tests on every push)

What you need to run and build it

Required

• Node.js 22 LTS and npm (bundled with Node). CI runs on Node 22. Newer releases can crash better-sqlite3 inside the test runner (seen on Node 24.20 as Assertion failed: (env) != nullptr), so use 22 if npm test fails that way.
• Git, to clone the repo.
• A C/C++ toolchain, only if better-sqlite3 has no prebuilt binary for your platform and has to compile during npm ci:
  • macOS: xcode-select --install
  • Debian/Ubuntu: sudo apt install build-essential python3
  • Windows: Visual Studio Build Tools with the "Desktop development with C++" workload

That is all the demo needs. No API keys, accounts, or database server.

Optional

• Vercel AI Gateway key (AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY), to talk to agents.
• Credentials for the tools you connect (email, Slack, Notion, Stripe, and others). See Connect your tools and .env.example.
• Bun and the G-Brain CLI, for local knowledge search. See Optional knowledge search.

Getting started

Prerequisites

• Node.js 22 LTS
• npm

You do not need API keys or external accounts to try the demo. See What you need to run and build it for the full list.

Clone the repo

git clone https://github.com/Bennettxai/FounderOS.git
cd FounderOS

Install dependencies

npm ci

Start FounderOS

npm run dev

Open http://localhost:4100. On first start, FounderOS opens in demo mode with a fictional company, sample departments, agents, tasks, brand deals, social accounts, campaigns, and knowledge. Demo content is built under demo-data/; it never writes into your data/ directory.

What you can do

• Run your business: use the command center, client funnel, inbox, finances, and department workspaces to see what needs attention.
• Work with agents: review the agent roster, task lanes, run history, and conversations from the Agents board.
• Grow your audience: manage social accounts, campaigns, brand deals, and content workflows.
• Keep company context close: search your knowledge base and connect the tools your business already uses.

FounderOS is useful without integrations. Unconfigured connectors stay clearly marked until you add credentials; the app does not pretend they are connected.

Connect your tools

Open Integrations to configure the services you want to use, such as email, Slack, Notion, Attio, WhatsApp, Stripe, PayPal, Beehiiv, or Zernio. Keep keys in your local .env.local file; see .env.example for supported environment variables. Never commit credentials.

Use your own business

In Settings, turn Filming mode off to leave the fictional demo company and use your own workspace. Your data/ directory starts blank. To have a fresh install start in this mode, set:

GLADOS_DEFAULT_MODE=real

Keep it local or set a password

On first run, FounderOS has no login and binds to 127.0.0.1, so it is only reachable from your computer. Before accessing it from another device, open Settings → Security and set an operator password. FounderOS will then require that password for app pages and API routes.

Optional knowledge search

FounderOS can search a local markdown knowledge base with the G-Brain CLI:

bun install -g github:garrytan/gbrain
gbrain init --pglite --no-embedding
gbrain import /path/to/your/notes --no-embed

Set GBRAIN_BIN and GBRAIN_STORE in .env.local. The embedded store is single-writer: use the CLI or a long-running gbrain serve, not both at once.

Development

npm test
npm run typecheck
npm run build

Use npm run preview to build and serve a production-like review version. It uses a separate .next-preview build directory, leaving the development server's .next output alone.

License

MIT. See LICENSE.