AionUi: AI Agent Cowork App for Multi-CLI Automation
iOfficeAI/AionUi
AionUi is an open-source desktop app that runs Claude Code, Codex, and 13+ other CLI agents side by side in one interface, with cron scheduling and remote access through Telegram or a browser. It carries 31,544 GitHub stars and ships under the Apache-2.0 license. Reach for it if you already juggle several CLI coding agents and want them unified with scheduled automation; skip it if you run just one agent and have no need for remote access.
Understanding AionUi's AI Agent Approach
AionUi works as a cowork layer over AI agents you already run, plus a built-in agent that needs only an API key. It auto-detects CLI tools like Claude Code, Codex, Qwen Code, and OpenClaw, then gives each the same chat interface, file panel, and permission dialog. In Team Mode, a Leader agent splits a request into subtasks for Teammate agents running in parallel through a built-in Team MCP Server.
Core AI Agent Functionality
- ✓Built-in agent needs only an API key — no separate CLI install — with file read/write, web search, image generation, and MCP tool support out of the box.
- ✓Auto-detects installed CLI agents such as Claude Code, Codex, Qwen Code, Goose AI, OpenClaw, Kimi CLI, OpenCode, GitHub Copilot, and Cursor Agent, wrapping each in the same interface.
- ✓Accepts 30+ AI platforms through your own API key — Gemini, OpenAI, Anthropic, AWS Bedrock, Ollama or LM Studio for local models, plus Chinese platforms like Dashscope, Zhipu, and Moonshot.
- ✓Team Mode runs a Leader agent that splits tasks and delegates to parallel Teammate agents through a built-in Team MCP Server, sharing results via an async mailbox and a shared task board.
- ✓Cron scheduling with three modes — cron expression with timezone, fixed interval, or one-time trigger — plus a keep-awake setting that stops the system sleeping mid-task.
- ✓Remote access via WebUI (QR code or password login) and chat-platform bridges for Telegram, Lark, and DingTalk, so you can approve or monitor an agent from your phone.
- ✓21 built-in assistants for document work — PPT as editable Morph .pptx, Word as .docx, Excel as .xlsx/.xlsm/.csv — plus a three-tier skill system (builtin, custom, extension) for adding your own.
Real-World Applications for AionUi
- •Scheduling a recurring job on cron — for example a weekly data-aggregation run that posts its summary straight into a bound conversation.
- •Cleaning up a messy downloads folder by having the agent auto-classify files by content and batch-rename photos instead of doing it by hand.
- •Turning a raw Excel export into a usable report — auto-formatting, generating charts, and merging several spreadsheets in one pass.
- •Drafting a pitch deck or academic paper with the PPT or Academic Paper Writer assistant, then checking the output in the built-in preview panel before exporting it.
- •Checking on or approving a long-running job from your phone through Telegram or the WebUI instead of staying at your desk.
- •Splitting a multi-step task across agents with Team Mode — a Leader hands off subtasks to Teammates working in parallel on a shared folder.
Setting Up AionUi
The Quick Start steps aren't included in the material available here, so exact install commands are not clearly documented. What is documented: AionUi's own comparison table lists macOS, Windows, and Linux support, and the built-in agent starts working the moment you paste an API key — no separate CLI install needed. If you already have Claude Code, Codex, or another supported CLI agent installed, AionUi auto-detects it. For remote access, turn on WebUI mode and log in with a QR code or password, or wire up a chat bridge from AionUi Settings → WebUI Settings → Channel by adding the platform's bot token.
How AionUi Compares to Other Platforms
Strengths
- ✓One interface for every CLI agent you already run — Claude Code, Codex, and others get the same chat, file panel, and approval dialog instead of separate terminal sessions.
- ✓Cron scheduling with three modes plus a keep-awake setting is more automation than a plain chat client offers.
- ✓Remote access isn't an afterthought — WebUI login plus Telegram, Lark, and DingTalk bridges let you check on or approve a running agent from your phone.
- ✓Apache-2.0 licensing with 31,544 GitHub stars and 3,203 forks points to a project people are forking and building on, not just starring.
- ✓The built-in agent removes the CLI-install step entirely — paste an API key and it works, which lowers the bar for anyone who doesn't already run Claude Code or Codex.
Potential Considerations for AionUi
- △The head-to-head comparison table (macOS-only, Claude-only, $100/month) describing Claude Cowork is AionUi's own framing, not an independently sourced figure — treat those specific numbers as the vendor's claim.
- △Team Mode's shared workspace means every Teammate agent reads and writes the same folder, so a bad instruction from the Leader can touch files across the whole team's scope, not just one agent's.
- △YOLO Mode and Full-Auto Mode bypass permission prompts by design; pairing that with an unattended cron job trades the manual review step for convenience, which is a real risk if a task touches the wrong files.
- △Each remote channel (Telegram, Lark, DingTalk) needs its own bot token configured in Settings — that's real per-platform setup work, not the zero-config flow the built-in agent's API key gives you.
- △WeCom, Slack, and Discord integrations are listed as 'coming soon' in the README, so teams standardized on those platforms don't have remote access yet.
Common Questions About AionUi
Yes — AionUi is open-source under the Apache-2.0 license, so running it costs nothing beyond whatever API key or local model you connect to it.
AionUi supports 30+ AI platforms through your own API key, including Gemini, OpenAI, Anthropic, AWS Bedrock, Ollama and LM Studio for local models, and several Chinese platforms like Dashscope and Zhipu.
Yes — AionUi's scheduler supports cron expressions with timezone support, fixed intervals, or one-time triggers, and a keep-awake setting stops the system sleeping while a task runs.
AionUi's own comparison table lists macOS, Windows, and Linux support, unlike Claude Cowork, which the README describes as macOS-only.
Yes — AionUi has a WebUI with QR code or password login, plus chat bridges to Telegram, Lark, and DingTalk, so you can monitor or approve agent actions from a phone.
AionUi is licensed under Apache-2.0, a permissive open-source license that allows commercial use, modification, and self-hosting without royalties.
The problem it solves
Running several CLI coding agents side by side usually means several terminal windows, no shared file view, and no way to check on a long job except from that one machine. AionUi's specific fix is auto-detecting whatever CLI agents you already have installed — Claude Code, Codex, OpenClaw, and others — and putting them behind one chat interface with a shared file panel, cron scheduling, and phone access through Telegram or a WebUI, so a multi-agent workflow doesn't also mean multi-window babysitting.
Who should try it — and who should skip
Try AionUi if you're already running two or more CLI coding agents and want one interface with scheduling and phone access instead of juggling terminal tabs — the payoff from auto-detection and Team Mode scales with how many agents you use. Skip it if you use one agent occasionally and have no interest in remote access or cron jobs; configuring channels and permissions is more setup than a single-agent workflow needs. It's also worth a look if you want document generation — PPT, Word, Excel — driven by natural language instead of building slides or spreadsheets by hand.