Odysseus

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 ⊹ ࣪ ˖ ૮( ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ )っ  Odysseus vers. 1.0
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A self-hosted AI workspace -- meant to be the self-hosted version of the UI experience you get from ChatGPT and Claude. But with more jank and fun. Running on your own hardware, with your own data -- local-first, privacy-first, and no trojan.

Features

• Chat -- chat with any local model or API; adding them is super simple.
  　_{vLLM · llama.cpp · Ollama · OpenRouter · OpenAI}
• Agent -- hand it tools and let it run the whole task itself.
  　_{built on opencode · MCP · web · files · shell · skills · memory}
• Cookbook -- Scans your hardware, recommends models, click to download and serve.. easy!
  　_{built on llmfit · VRAM-aware · GGUF / FP8 / AWQ · fit scoring · vLLM / llama.cpp serving}
• Deep Research -- multi-step runs that gather, read, and synthesize sources into a nice visual report.
  　_{adapted from Tongyi DeepResearch}
• Compare -- a fun tool to compare models side by side. Test completely blind, no bias!
  　_{multi-model · blind test · synthesis}
• Documents -- YOU write the text, AI is there to assist, not the opposite.
  　_{multi-tab editor · markdown · HTML · CSV · syntax highlighting · AI edits · suggestions}
• Memory / Skills -- Persistent memory and skills, your agent evolves over time as it better understands you and your tasks!
  　_{ChromaDB · fastembed (ONNX) · vector + keyword retrieval · import/export}
• Email -- IMAP/SMTP inbox with AI triage built in: urgency reminders, auto-tag, auto-summary, auto-reply drafts, auto-spam.
  　_{IMAP · SMTP · per-account routing · CalDAV-aware}
• Notes & Tasks -- Quick notes with reminders, a todo list, and scheduled tasks the agent can act on.
  　_{note pings · checklist · cron-style tasks · ntfy / browser / email channels}
• Calendar -- Local-first calendar with CalDAV sync to Radicale / Nextcloud / Apple / Fastmail.
  　_{CalDAV pull · .ics import/export · per-calendar colors · agent-aware}
• Works on mobile -- looks and runs great on your phone, not just desktop.
  　_{responsive · installable (PWA) · touch gestures}
• Extras -- more to explore, happy if you give it a go!
  　_{image editor · theme editor · file uploads (vision + PDF) · web search · presets · sessions · 2FA}

Demo

A full, hover-to-play tour lives on the landing page (docs/index.html).

Screenshots / clips

Chat & Agents

Deep Research

Compare

Documents

Notes & Tasks

Quick Start

Defaults work out of the box: clone, run, then configure models/search/email inside Settings. Only edit .env for deployment-level overrides like APP_BIND, APP_PORT, AUTH_ENABLED, DATABASE_URL, or a pre-seeded admin password.

On first setup, Odysseus creates an admin account (admin unless ODYSSEUS_ADMIN_USER is set) and prints a temporary password in the terminal. For Docker installs, the same line is in docker compose logs odysseus. Use that for the first login, then change it in Settings.

Contributing? See CONTRIBUTING.md for setup, testing, and pull request guidelines.

Docker (recommended)

git clone https://github.com/pewdiepie-archdaemon/odysseus.git
cd odysseus
cp .env.example .env       # optional, but recommended for explicit defaults
docker compose up -d --build

Open http://localhost:7000 when the containers are healthy. Docker Compose binds the web UI to 127.0.0.1 by default. If the port is taken, set APP_PORT=7001 in .env and recreate the container. Set APP_BIND=0.0.0.0 only when you intentionally want LAN/reverse-proxy access.

Native Linux / macOS

git clone https://github.com/pewdiepie-archdaemon/odysseus.git
cd odysseus
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
python setup.py
python -m uvicorn app:app --host 127.0.0.1 --port 7000

Requirements: Python 3.11+. Cookbook also needs tmux for background model downloads and serves. The app itself is lightweight; local model serving is the heavy part and depends on the model, runtime, GPU, and VRAM, so small hosts can connect to API or remote model servers instead. Use --host 0.0.0.0 only when you intentionally want LAN/reverse-proxy access.

Apple Silicon

Docker on macOS cannot use the Metal GPU. For GPU-accelerated Cookbook on an M-series Mac, run Odysseus natively:

git clone https://github.com/pewdiepie-archdaemon/odysseus.git
cd odysseus
./start-macos.sh

It launches at http://127.0.0.1:7860. To expose it to your phone over a trusted LAN/VPN such as Tailscale, bind all interfaces:

ODYSSEUS_HOST=0.0.0.0 ./start-macos.sh
# then open http://<tailscale-ip>:7860

The script also reads .env at startup, so APP_BIND=0.0.0.0 and APP_PORT set there are picked up automatically without a command-line override each run.

Keep AUTH_ENABLED=true (the default) before binding outside loopback. Do not expose this port directly to the public internet. To build a clickable app wrapper:

./build-macos-app.sh

Cookbook, GPU, Ollama, and troubleshooting notes

Docker bundled services. Compose starts Odysseus, ChromaDB, SearXNG, and ntfy. Odysseus and the bundled service ports bind to 127.0.0.1 by default, so they are reachable from the host but not exposed to your LAN/public internet unless you opt in.

Cookbook storage in Docker. Downloads live in ./data/huggingface (~/.cache/huggingface in the container). Cookbook-installed Python CLIs and serve engines live in ./data/local (~/.local in the container), so they survive container recreation.

Remote servers. In Cookbook -> Settings -> Servers, generate the Odysseus SSH key and add the public key to the remote server's ~/.ssh/authorized_keys. From the host you can also run:

ssh-copy-id -i data/ssh/id_ed25519.pub user@server

Docker GPU overlays. CPU-only users can skip this section. Cookbook can only detect GPUs that Docker exposes to the container — if the host runtime or device passthrough is not configured, Cookbook sees the iGPU, another card, or CPU instead of your intended GPU.

For NVIDIA, scripts/check-docker-gpu.sh diagnoses GPU passthrough and can optionally install the host runtime or update .env.

# Read-only diagnostic (default — installs nothing, never edits .env):
scripts/check-docker-gpu.sh

# Print OS-specific install commands without running them:
scripts/check-docker-gpu.sh --print-install-commands

# Install NVIDIA Container Toolkit on Ubuntu/Debian (requires sudo):
scripts/check-docker-gpu.sh --install-nvidia-toolkit

# Write COMPOSE_FILE to .env (only when GPU passthrough is confirmed working):
scripts/check-docker-gpu.sh --enable-nvidia-overlay

# Full assisted setup — install toolkit, then enable overlay if passthrough works:
scripts/check-docker-gpu.sh --install-nvidia-toolkit --enable-nvidia-overlay

Safety notes:

• The app never installs host GPU runtime automatically.
• The app never edits .env automatically.
• .env is only modified when --enable-nvidia-overlay is explicitly passed, and only after GPU passthrough succeeds. --yes skips prompts but does not bypass the passthrough gate.
• .env.bak.* backups created by --enable-nvidia-overlay are ignored by Git and the Docker build context.

To enable manually without the script, add this to .env:

COMPOSE_FILE=docker-compose.yml:docker/gpu.nvidia.yml

AMD / ROCm. AMD setup is read-only diagnostic plus manual .env edit. Run:

scripts/check-docker-amd-gpu.sh

Then add the reported values to .env, replacing RENDER_GID with your host's numeric render group id:

COMPOSE_FILE=docker-compose.yml:docker/gpu.amd.yml
RENDER_GID=989

For NVIDIA/AMD GPU support, also read the comments in the selected overlay file: docker/gpu.nvidia.yml or docker/gpu.amd.yml.

Stack-management UIs (Portainer, Coolify, Dockhand, etc.). These tools often accept only a single Compose file and do not reliably honor COMPOSE_FILE or multiple -f overlays. CLI users should keep using the COMPOSE_FILE overlay workflow above. For stack UIs, point the stack at one of the standalone files instead, which bundle the base stack plus the GPU settings:

• docker-compose.gpu-nvidia.yml — still requires the NVIDIA Container Toolkit on the host.
• docker-compose.gpu-amd.yml — still requires host ROCm/kfd/DRI setup, the video/render group membership, and RENDER_GID when needed.

The base docker-compose.yml plus the docker/gpu.*.yml overlays remain the source of truth; the standalone files mirror them for single-file deployments.

Verify after enabling either overlay:

docker compose exec odysseus nvidia-smi -L   # NVIDIA
docker compose exec odysseus sh -lc 'test -e /dev/kfd && test -d /dev/dri && ls -l /dev/kfd /dev/dri/renderD*'  # AMD

GPU passthrough ≠ llama.cpp CUDA. nvidia-smi passing inside the container confirms Docker GPU access, but llama.cpp also needs cudart and the CUDA Toolkit at runtime. If Cookbook logs show Unable to find cudart library, Could NOT find CUDAToolkit, CUDA Toolkit not found, or tensors/layers assigned to CPU, that is a Cookbook/llama.cpp build issue — not a Docker passthrough failure. Re-install the serve engine via Cookbook → Dependencies to get a CUDA-enabled build.

The same split applies to AMD/ROCm: seeing /dev/kfd and /dev/dri inside the container confirms device passthrough, not ROCm userspace or a ROCm-enabled vLLM/llama.cpp build. rocm-smi and rocminfo are not expected inside the slim Odysseus image.

Ollama with Docker. If Ollama runs on the host, add this endpoint in Settings:

http://host.docker.internal:11434/v1

Ollama must listen outside its own loopback interface:

OLLAMA_HOST=0.0.0.0:11434 ollama serve

This connects Odysseus in Docker to an Ollama server that is already running on your host machine; it does not start Ollama inside the container. host.docker.internal is Docker's hostname for the host machine from inside the container. Cookbook Serve is a separate workflow for serving downloaded models through Odysseus/llama.cpp, so Windows users with an existing Ollama install usually only need to add the endpoint in Settings.

Useful checks.

docker compose ps
docker compose logs --tail=120 odysseus
docker compose logs odysseus | grep -E 'ChromaDB|MemoryVectorStore|DEGRADED'

macOS details. start-macos.sh installs Homebrew deps, creates the venv, runs setup, and starts uvicorn on port 7860 because AirPlay often holds 7000. It uses llama.cpp/Ollama for Metal. vLLM/SGLang are CUDA/ROCm-only and do not run on macOS. MLX-only models are not served by Odysseus.

Native Windows

One-command launcher (creates the venv, installs deps, runs setup, starts the server; safe to re-run):

git clone https://github.com/pewdiepie-archdaemon/odysseus.git
cd odysseus
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\launch-windows.ps1

Or do it by hand:

git clone https://github.com/pewdiepie-archdaemon/odysseus.git
cd odysseus
py -3.11 -m venv venv
venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1
pip install -r requirements.txt
python setup.py
python -m uvicorn app:app --host 127.0.0.1 --port 7000

If python points at an older interpreter, use py -3.12 (or another installed 3.11+ version) for the venv step.

Requirements: Python 3.11+. The core app (chat, agent, memory, documents, email, calendar, deep research) runs fully native. For full Cookbook background model downloads and the agent shell tool, also install Git for Windows (provides bash.exe). Local GPU serving of vLLM/SGLang needs Linux/WSL2; for a local model on Windows, Ollama is the easiest path — point Odysseus at http://localhost:11434/v1 in Settings.

Open http://localhost:7000, log in with the generated admin password, and configure everything else inside Settings.

Troubleshooting & Advanced Setup

chromadb-client conflicts with embedded ChromaDB

If chromadb-client (the lightweight HTTP-only package) is installed alongside the full chromadb package, Odysseus starts but ChromaDB silently falls back to HTTP-only mode and fails.

Fix: uninstall chromadb-client and force-reinstall the full package:

./venv/bin/pip uninstall chromadb-client -y
./venv/bin/pip install --force-reinstall chromadb

HTTPS + LAN/Tailscale exposure

To expose Odysseus on a local network or Tailscale with HTTPS:

1. Change the bind address to 0.0.0.0 in .env (APP_BIND=0.0.0.0 or ODYSSEUS_HOST=0.0.0.0).
2. Generate a locally-trusted cert for your LAN/Tailscale IPs using mkcert:

   mkcert -install
   mkcert -cert-file cert.pem -key-file key.pem 192.168.1.100 tailscale-ip
   

3. Run uvicorn with the generated certs:

   python -m uvicorn app:app --host 0.0.0.0 --port 7000 --ssl-certfile=cert.pem --ssl-keyfile=key.pem
   

4. Install the mkcert CA on any other device you want to access Odysseus from (e.g., for iOS, email the rootCA.pem to yourself, install the profile, and trust it in Certificate Trust Settings).

Optional Dependencies

requirements-optional.txt contains packages that unlock extra features. It is not installed by default.

Package	Feature unlocked
faster-whisper	Local speech-to-text (microphone -> text) via the "local" STT provider.
duckduckgo-search	DuckDuckGo as a search provider option.
PyMuPDF	PDF page rendering in the side viewer panel and form-filling. (Note: AGPL-3.0)
markitdown	Office/EPUB document text extraction (converts .docx/.xlsx/.pptx/.xls/.epub to Markdown).

Security Notes

Odysseus is a self-hosted workspace with powerful local tools: shell access, file uploads, model downloads, web research, email/calendar integrations, and API tokens. Treat it like an admin console.

• Keep AUTH_ENABLED=true for any network-accessible deployment.
• Keep LOCALHOST_BYPASS=false outside local development.
• Use SECURE_COOKIES=true when Odysseus is served through HTTPS by a trusted reverse proxy or private access gateway.
• Do not expose it directly to the public internet without HTTPS and a trusted reverse proxy or private access layer.
• Keep .env, data/, logs/, databases, uploads, generated media, backups, auth/session files, API keys, and model/provider tokens out of Git and private shares. They are ignored by default.
• Review data/auth.json after first boot: disable open signup unless you intentionally want it, make only your own account admin, and keep demo/test accounts non-admin.
• Non-admin users do not get shell/Python/file read/write by default, and admin-only routes/tools such as MCP management, API tokens, webhooks, model/cookbook serving, backup/vault, and app settings are admin-gated. Other features are controlled by per-user privileges, so review each user's privileges before exposing a deployment.
• Rotate any API keys or tokens that were ever pasted into a shared chat, demo, screenshot, or log.
• If you enable API tokens or webhooks, create separate tokens per integration and delete unused ones.
• Prefer binding manual development runs to 127.0.0.1; bind to 0.0.0.0 only when you intentionally want LAN/reverse-proxy access.
• Keep ChromaDB, SearXNG, ntfy, Ollama, vLLM, llama.cpp, databases, and raw model/provider APIs internal-only. Expose only the authenticated Odysseus web/API entrypoint through your trusted proxy or private access layer.
• Before publishing a fork, run git status --short and confirm no private files from .env, data/, logs/, uploads, backups, or local databases are staged.

Private or proxied deployments

Odysseus serves plain HTTP on its app port. Docker Compose binds Odysseus and the bundled services to 127.0.0.1 by default, so a typical production/private setup is:

1. Keep Odysseus on localhost, for example 127.0.0.1:7000.
2. Terminate HTTPS at a trusted reverse proxy or private access gateway.
3. Put the authenticated Odysseus web/API entrypoint behind that layer.
4. Keep raw service and model ports internal-only.

Cloudflare Access, Tailscale, Caddy, nginx, and Traefik can all fit this pattern; none are required by Odysseus. If your access layer reaches Odysseus on the same host, proxy to http://127.0.0.1:7000 and keep AUTH_ENABLED=true, LOCALHOST_BYPASS=false, and SECURE_COOKIES=true.

Common internal-only ports from the default docs/compose setup:

Port	Service
7000	Odysseus raw app port
8080	SearXNG
8091	ntfy
8100	ChromaDB host port for manual/compose access
11434	Ollama
8000-8020	Common local model/provider APIs

Contributing

Help is welcome. The best entry points are fresh-install testing, provider setup bugs, mobile/editor polish, docs, and small focused refactors. See ROADMAP.md for the current help-wanted list.

Configuration

Most setup is done inside the app with /setup or Settings. Use .env for deployment-level defaults and secrets you want present before first boot. Key settings:

Variable	Default	Description
LLM_HOST	localhost	Your LLM server (e.g. llm-host.local:8000)
LLM_HOSTS	--	Comma-separated list for model discovery
OPENAI_API_KEY	--	Optional OpenAI key. Prefer adding providers in the app unless pre-seeding.
SEARXNG_INSTANCE	http://localhost:8080	SearXNG URL. Docker overrides this to http://searxng:8080.
SEARXNG_SECRET	generated on first Docker boot	Optional SearXNG cookie/CSRF secret. Leave blank unless you need to pin it.
APP_BIND	127.0.0.1	Docker Compose host bind address for the web UI. Use 0.0.0.0 only for intentional LAN/reverse-proxy access.
APP_PORT	7000	Docker Compose host port for the web UI.
AUTH_ENABLED	true	Enable/disable login
LOCALHOST_BYPASS	false	Development-only auth bypass for loopback requests. Keep false for shared/network deployments.
SECURE_COOKIES	false	Set true when serving Odysseus through HTTPS at a trusted proxy or private access gateway.
DATABASE_URL	sqlite:///./data/app.db	Database connection string
CHROMADB_HOST	localhost	ChromaDB host for vector memory. Docker overrides this to chromadb.
CHROMADB_PORT	8100	ChromaDB port for manual host runs. Docker overrides this to 8000.
EMBEDDING_URL	--	OpenAI-compatible embeddings endpoint

Built-in MCP servers (optional setup)

Odysseus auto-registers a few built-in MCP servers at startup. The npx-based ones (currently the browser server, @playwright/mcp) only start when their npm package is already in the local npx cache. If a package isn't cached, that server is skipped with a startup log message explaining what to do, so a fresh install does not block on a multi-minute npm download or hang if Playwright system deps are missing.

To enable the browser MCP (page navigation, screenshots, vision), run once:

npx -y @playwright/mcp@latest --version

That installs @playwright/mcp plus Playwright (~300MB total). Restart Odysseus and the server will register at startup.

Architecture

app.py                   # FastAPI entry point
core/      auth, database, middleware, constants
src/       llm_core, agent_loop, agent_tools, chat_processor, search/
routes/    chat, session, document, memory, model … endpoints
services/  docs, memory, search, hwfit (Cookbook) …
static/    index.html + app.js + style.css + js/ (modular front-end)
docs/      landing page (index.html) + preview clips

Data

All user data lives in data/ (gitignored): app.db (sessions, messages, documents), memory.json, presets.json, uploads/, personal_docs/, chroma/, settings.json.

Star History

License

MIT -- see LICENSE and ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.md.

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