My Virtual Office

🌐 myvirtualoffice.ai

A self-hosted 2D AI workspace for AI Agents. Turn invisible agent work into a living, breathing office.

What Is It?

Virtual Office gives your AI agents a physical presence. Instead of watching logs scroll by, you see agents walking between desks, grabbing coffee, sitting in meetings, and chatting in a charming 2D style office that runs in your browser.

It connects to supported agent harnesses and visualizes what your agents are doing in real time.

Supported Agent Harnesses

OpenClaw

Virtual Office connects to OpenClaw through the OpenClaw gateway and the mounted OpenClaw home directory. The gateway provides live chat and activity events, while the home directory lets Virtual Office discover agents, read safe profile metadata, load model settings, and surface workspace tools in the UI.

For Docker deployments, mount your OpenClaw home directory into the container and set VO_OPENCLAW_PATH, VO_GATEWAY_URL, and VO_GATEWAY_HTTP when the defaults do not match your setup.

Hermes Agents

Virtual Office can connect Hermes as a first-class office agent through the Hermes API Server, a reachable Hermes Desktop Backend, or the Hermes CLI/home directory as an optional fallback for profile discovery and profile management. Native API chat uses Hermes' /v1/runs and SSE event stream when the API server is available. Desktop Backend chat uses the documented hermes serve TUI-gateway JSON-RPC/WebSocket surface. Local Virtual Office history is stored under VO_STATUS_DIR.

For Docker deployments, point VO_HERMES_API_URL at the host gateway, usually http://host.docker.internal:8642, and set VO_HERMES_API_KEY to the Hermes API_SERVER_KEY. If using Desktop Backend mode with an already-open Desktop app, set VO_HERMES_DESKTOP_URL to the loopback URL that Desktop's hermes serve backend is bound to, such as http://127.0.0.1:62353. Docker-hosted Virtual Office routes loopback Desktop URLs through host.docker.internal while preserving Hermes' expected 127.0.0.1:<port> Host identity. The setup/settings Auto Discover button can use an exposed Desktop readiness log path, a previously entered URL, or visible loopback listeners; Docker still cannot reliably discover a private host Desktop port unless that port or log is exposed to the container. Mount or otherwise expose the Hermes home directory and CLI path only when you want CLI fallback/profile management. Hermes secrets, private memory files, and config internals are not read or exposed.

Virtual Office also ships a Hermes Messaging Gateway platform plugin under integrations/hermes-platform/my_virtual_office/. This is a different mode: Hermes gateway connects to Virtual Office as a messaging platform, so the Hermes Gateway office agent can receive queued Virtual Office messages and post replies back into visible office chat. Configure VO_HERMES_PLATFORM_TOKEN on Virtual Office, copy the plugin into ~/.hermes/plugins/my_virtual_office/, set MY_VIRTUAL_OFFICE_URL and MY_VIRTUAL_OFFICE_TOKEN for Hermes, then run hermes gateway.

Codex

Virtual Office can create Codex-backed office agents when the Codex CLI is available to the app. Chat uses Codex's native codex app-server JSON-RPC protocol for thread start/resume, live progress, approval requests, and interrupt support. codex exec is retained only as an explicit compatibility fallback.

Discovery includes Virtual Office-created Codex agents, Codex's standard $CODEX_HOME/agents/*.toml custom agents, and a synthesized Main entry for the default Codex root agent. Newly created Virtual Office Codex agents can use the default Codex agents directory or a custom parent directory. Default-directory creation registers a native custom-agent TOML file under $CODEX_HOME/agents when VO_CODEX_REGISTER_NATIVE_AGENTS=1; custom-directory creation writes a project-local .codex/agents/<profile>.toml and keeps a small Virtual Office registry so the agent remains discoverable.

For Docker deployments, install Codex inside the container image or set VO_CODEX_BIN to a Codex executable path available inside the container. Set VO_CODEX_HOME to a deployment-specific Codex home so auth and config stay out of the repo and are not tied to any developer's machine. Useful variables: VO_CODEX_BIN, VO_CODEX_HOME, VO_CODEX_WORKSPACE_ROOT, VO_CODEX_MAIN_WORKSPACE, VO_CODEX_INCLUDE_MAIN, VO_CODEX_INCLUDE_NATIVE_AGENTS, VO_CODEX_REGISTER_NATIVE_AGENTS, VO_CODEX_PREFER_APP_SERVER, VO_CODEX_SANDBOX, and VO_CODEX_APPROVAL_POLICY. The Docker example defaults VO_CODEX_SANDBOX to danger-full-access because Codex's bubblewrap sandbox usually needs extra container privileges; set it to a stricter Codex sandbox mode when your deployment supports it.

Claude Code

Virtual Office can create Claude Code-backed office agents when the Claude Code CLI is available to the app. Chat uses Claude Code's native non-interactive stream protocol, claude -p --output-format stream-json --include-partial-messages, so text deltas, tool calls, tool results, usage, session IDs, interrupts, and local Virtual Office chat history work like the other native harness providers.

Discovery includes Virtual Office-created Claude Code agents, Claude Code's native $CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR/agents/*.md subagents, and a synthesized Main entry for Claude Code's default workspace agent. Newly created Virtual Office Claude Code agents can use the default managed workspace root or a custom parent directory. Standard creation writes AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, project .claude/agents/<profile>.md, and, when VO_CLAUDE_CODE_REGISTER_NATIVE_AGENTS=1, a native $CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR/agents/<profile>.md subagent file. Custom creation writes the project-local subagent file and a small Virtual Office registry entry so the agent remains discoverable.

For Docker deployments, install Claude Code inside the container image or set VO_CLAUDE_CODE_BIN to a Claude executable path available inside the container. Set VO_CLAUDE_CODE_HOME to a deployment-specific Claude config directory so auth and config stay out of the repo and are not tied to any developer's machine. Useful variables: VO_CLAUDE_CODE_BIN, VO_CLAUDE_CODE_HOME, VO_CLAUDE_CODE_WORKSPACE_ROOT, VO_CLAUDE_CODE_MAIN_WORKSPACE, VO_CLAUDE_CODE_MODEL, VO_CLAUDE_CODE_PERMISSION_MODE, VO_CLAUDE_CODE_INCLUDE_MAIN, VO_CLAUDE_CODE_INCLUDE_NATIVE_AGENTS, and VO_CLAUDE_CODE_REGISTER_NATIVE_AGENTS.

Features

🏢 Live Office Canvas

• Real-time 2D style office with agents that walk, sit, work, and interact
• Agents move to their desks when working, wander when idle, visit the kitchen, lounge on the couch
• Smooth A* pathfinding with collision avoidance
• Wall occlusion: agents behind walls get naturally shadowed
• 100 FPS rendering with configurable canvas size

🎨 Full Office Editor

• Drag-and-drop furniture placement with snap-to-grid
• 25+ furniture items: desks, boss desk, meeting table, couches, bookshelves, whiteboards, filing cabinets, plants, vending machines, kitchen appliances, ping pong table, dart board, TV, and more
• Interior wall builder: create rooms, hallways, and departments with doors
• Wall color picker per section with accent and trim colors
• Floor tile color customization
• Rotation support for select furniture (couch)
• Text labels for naming rooms and areas

👤 Agent Customization

• Full character appearance editor: skin tone, hair style/color, eye color, eyebrows
• Facial hair, glasses, headwear options
• Costumes (lobster suit, capes, etc.)
• Held items and desk accessories (coffee mug, envelope, clipboard, plant, etc.)
• Gender-aware sprite rendering
• Each agent gets a unique color tag and emoji

🐾 Office Pet

• Choose from Cat, Pug, or Lobster
• Realistic behavior: sleeping, sitting, grooming, wandering, greeting agents, investigating furniture
• Agents interact with the pet: petting (♥) and playful chasing
• Full pathfinding and collision avoidance, same as agents
• Directional walking sprites (front, back, side views) for cat and pug
• Custom naming: default pet is a lobster named Clawy

💬 Chat with Agents

• Click any agent to open a chat window
• Full markdown rendering with syntax highlighting
• Inline image support: send images and see thumbnails in the chat
• Click images for full-size lightbox view
• Voice input via Whisper STT (premium)
• File attachments with drag-and-drop or paste
• Audio file auto-transcription
• Streaming responses with live typing indicator
• Tool activity feed showing what the agent is doing (exec, read, write, search, etc.)
• Movable/snappable chat window with float mode
• Agent selector dropdown to switch between agents

📊 Dashboard Panel

• PC Performance: live CPU and RAM monitoring
• API Usage: track agent API calls and costs
• Branch Management: organize agents into departments/teams with color-coded borders
• Agent Directory: see all agents with live status (working, idle, meeting, break)
• Activity Log: real-time feed of office events

🌦️ Dynamic Environment

• Interactive windows with live weather pulled from your location
• Day/night cycle: ambient lighting shifts throughout the day
• Animated furniture: TV with 5 channels (sports, news, cooking, cartoon, movie) that agents walk over to watch
• Clock showing real time

📋 Meeting System

• 1-on-1 meetings: agents walk to each other's desks
• Group meetings: agents gather around the meeting table (10 seats, 5 per side)
• Meetings triggered by agent activity or manual scheduling
• Meeting status visible in dashboard

🏗️ Branch System

• Create departments (Engineering, Sales, Support, etc.)
• Color-coded wall sections per branch
• Agents assigned to branches with visual grouping
• Branch themes and emoji customization

🔧 Additional Tools (Premium)

• Agent Browser: embedded browser with live view, URL bar, and remote control
• SMS Panel: Twilio integration for SMS/phone from the office
• Cron Manager: schedule recurring agent tasks visually
• Models Panel: per-agent model switching from the UI
• Whisper STT: voice-to-text input in chat

Quick Start

Docker Compose (recommended)

git clone https://github.com/eliautobot/my-virtual-office.git
cd my-virtual-office
docker compose up -d

Then open http://localhost:8090/setup to run the setup wizard.

Docker Image / Platform Support

The published Docker image is available at:

• ghcr.io/eliautobot/my-virtual-office:latest

Multi-arch images are published for:

• linux/amd64
• linux/arm64

That means the same image tag works on standard x86_64 machines and ARM64 devices like a Raspberry Pi 5.

First Run

1. Open http://localhost:8090/setup
2. Follow the setup wizard to connect your OpenClaw instance, Hermes Agents, or both
3. Enter a license key or skip for demo mode
4. Customize your office, add agents, and watch them come to life

Remote Access and Security

Recommended remote access: use Tailscale.

Virtual Office is a control surface for your local agent harnesses. If you want to reach it away from home, the safest default is to keep it on your private machine or LAN and access it over a private tailnet such as Tailscale.

Recommended setup

• Keep Virtual Office bound to your local machine, LAN, or private tailnet
• Use Tailscale to reach the host remotely instead of opening router ports
• Keep your agent harnesses and Virtual Office behind trusted access controls
• Use strong device/account security on the machines that can reach your tailnet

Warning

• Do not expose Virtual Office directly to the public internet unless you fully understand and accept the security risk
• Avoid simple port forwarding for ports 8090, 8091, or your agent harness gateways
• If someone can reach your Virtual Office deployment, they may be able to interact with a live control surface for your agents

This project is designed first for self-hosted local/private-network use. You are responsible for securing any remote deployment.

Modes

Free Demo

Works without a license key:

• Up to 3 agents
• Branch management
• Weather and day/night cycle
• Chat with any agent
• API usage monitoring
• Setup wizard

Demo mode shows a watermark and demo banner.

Full License

Unlocks everything:

• Unlimited agents
• Full office editor and furniture
• Agent customization and appearance editor
• Office pet
• Agent Browser panel
• SMS / Twilio panel
• Cron Job Manager
• Whisper STT voice input
• No watermark or demo banner

How to Activate

Activate during the setup wizard or later from ☰ Menu → Settings.

License keys are provided after purchase and look like this:

xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx

Enter your key during setup or in ☰ Menu → Settings. The key is validated once online with Lemon Squeezy, then works offline forever. Premium features unlock immediately and persist across restarts and updates.

Configuration

All settings live in vo-config.json. Environment variables override config values.

Variable	Default	Description
VO_OFFICE_NAME	Virtual Office	Office display name
VO_PORT	8090	HTTP server port
VO_WS_PORT	8091	WebSocket proxy port
VO_GATEWAY_URL	ws://127.0.0.1:18789	OpenClaw gateway WebSocket URL
VO_GATEWAY_HTTP	http://127.0.0.1:18789	OpenClaw gateway HTTP URL
VO_OPENCLAW_PATH	~/.openclaw	Path to OpenClaw home directory
VO_HERMES_ENABLED	true	Enable Hermes API Server, Desktop Backend, and optional CLI discovery
VO_HERMES_API_URL	http://127.0.0.1:8642, or http://host.docker.internal:8642 in Docker	Hermes API Server URL
VO_HERMES_API_KEY	(none)	Hermes API_SERVER_KEY for /v1/* requests
VO_HERMES_DESKTOP_URL	(none)	Optional reachable Hermes Desktop Backend / hermes serve URL
VO_HERMES_DESKTOP_TCP_HOST	(auto for loopback Docker URLs)	Optional physical TCP host used when Docker must reach a loopback-bound Desktop backend
VO_HERMES_DESKTOP_TCP_PORT	(auto from Desktop URL)	Optional physical TCP port when it differs from the Desktop URL port
VO_HERMES_DESKTOP_HOST_HEADER	(auto for TCP overrides)	Optional logical Host header expected by a loopback-bound Desktop backend
VO_HERMES_DESKTOP_LOG_PATH	(none)	Optional mounted/exposed Desktop log path used only for the readiness port marker
VO_HERMES_HOME	~/.hermes	Optional Hermes home/profile root directory for CLI fallback
VO_HERMES_BIN	~/.local/bin/hermes	Optional Hermes CLI binary for profile discovery/management and fallback chat
VO_HERMES_TIMEOUT_SEC	600	Timeout for Hermes API/CLI chat calls
VO_HERMES_PLATFORM_ENABLED	false unless token is set	Enable Hermes Messaging Gateway platform bridge
VO_HERMES_PLATFORM_TOKEN	(none)	Shared token required by the Hermes my_virtual_office platform plugin
VO_HERMES_PLATFORM_AGENT_ID	hermes-gateway	Office agent ID for the Hermes Messaging Gateway platform
VO_STATUS_DIR	/data	Directory for presence/status data inside the container. By default this is backed by the vo-data Docker volume.
VO_WEATHER_LOCATION	(none)	Weather location for window display

Updating

docker compose down
docker compose pull
docker compose up -d

Or pull the image directly:

docker pull ghcr.io/eliautobot/my-virtual-office:latest

Your license key, office layout, and all settings persist across updates. They're stored in the vo-data volume.

Roadmap

• More office themes and skins
• Premium character packs and costumes
• More pet species and behaviors
• Agent-to-agent visible interactions
• Deeper IDE integrations
• More idle activities and office events

License

GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 or later (AGPL-3.0-or-later).

Virtual Office remains open source. You may use, modify, host, and redistribute it under the AGPL. If you modify the app and make it available to users over a network, you must offer those users the corresponding source code for your modified version.

Paid license keys unlock the hosted/product feature set and support the official distribution. Commercial licensing is available separately for organizations that need terms outside the AGPL.