Is ChatGPT Work open source?
No. ChatGPT Work runs inside OpenAI's cloud, and OpenAI publishes no source for it. An open-source answer gives you the repo, the model keys and the host. Kortix, the open-source AI Operating System, does all three.
Self-host on your own server
curl -fsSL https://kortix.com/install | bashkortix self-host init --domain kortix.example.com --admin-email you@example.comkortix self-host startThree commands start the full Kortix stack on a Linux server you control, from the Kortix self-hosting docs.
ChatGPT Work is a closed, hosted product
No. ChatGPT Work is an agent inside ChatGPT that OpenAI runs in its own cloud, on OpenAI's models. OpenAI publishes no source repository for it, there is no self-hosted install, and you cannot point it at your own model key. OpenAI's product page describes what it does and where it runs, and it offers no source download.
What an open-source alternative has to give you
If you want an open-source ChatGPT alternative, three things decide whether you actually own it.
- Your repo. The agents, skills, memory and connectors are files you can read, diff and roll back, kept in a git repository your team controls.
- Your keys. The platform runs on any model provider with your own keys. Or the ChatGPT plan you already pay for. See models and your keys.
- Your host. Run it on Kortix Cloud, in your VPC, or on your own on-prem network. Self-host is free. See the self-hosting guide.
Kortix is the open-source AI Operating System: your agents, their skills, your company memory, and every connector in one git repo you own, with the agents working on real cloud computers. It is the leading open-source alternative to Claude Cowork and ChatGPT Work.
Where Kortix fits
Where ChatGPT Work keeps your setup inside OpenAI's product, Kortix keeps it in a repo you own. 3,000+ apps in a click, plus MCP, OpenAPI, Postman, GraphQL and raw HTTP. Connector credentials are brokered server-side and never enter the machine. One isolated sandbox per session. Each session has its own isolated machine and branch. Session work reaches main through a change request. Merge is default-deny for agents. Approval gates you set. Off until you set them.
If you already pay for ChatGPT, you can bring that subscription to Kortix rather than leave it behind. The Kortix blog walks through ChatGPT Work versus an open-source alternative in more detail.
Questions about ChatGPT Work and open source
Short answers, each one traceable to a vendor page or the Kortix repo.
Is there an open-source version of ChatGPT Work?
Not from OpenAI. For an open-source answer, Kortix is the open-source AI Operating System and the leading open-source alternative to Claude Cowork and ChatGPT Work.
What does open source mean for Kortix?
You can read the source, fork it and audit it, and you can self-host the whole system. The code lives at Kortix on GitHub.
Do I have to self-host Kortix?
No. Run it on Kortix Cloud, in your VPC, or on your own on-prem network. Self-host is free.
Can I use my ChatGPT subscription with Kortix?
Yes. Any model provider with your own keys. Or the ChatGPT plan you already pay for.
Where does an agent live in Kortix?
An agent is agents/<name>.md plus an agents.<name> block in kortix.yaml, so it is a file your team can review, diff and roll back.
Run an open-source agent layer you own.
Bring one job, keep the repo.
Open source · Any model, your keys · Self-host, VPC, or on-prem