
# RowboatX - Claude Code for Everyday Automations
RowboatX is a local-first CLI for creating background AI agents with full shell access.
**Example agents you can create:**
- Research every person before your meetings (Exa search MCP + Google Calendar MCP)
- Daily podcast summarizing your saved articles (ElevenLabs MCP + ffmpeg)
- Auto-triage Slack DMs and draft responses while you sleep (Slack MCP)
## Quick start
```bash
npx @rowboatlabs/rowboatx@latest
```
## Demo
[](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyPBinQzicY&t)
## Examples
### Add and Manage MCP servers
`$ rowboatx`
- Add MCP: 'Add this MCP server config: \ '
- Explore tools: 'What tools are there in \ '
### Create background agents
`$ rowboatx`
- 'Create agent to do X.'
- '... Attach the correct tools from \ to the agent'
- '... Allow the agent to run shell commands including ffmpeg'
### Schedule and monitor agents
`$ rowboatx`
- 'Make agent \ run every day at 10 AM'
- 'What agents do I have scheduled to run and at what times'
- 'When was \ last run'
- 'Are any agents waiting for my input or confirmation'
### Run background agents manually
``` bash
rowboatx --agent= --input="xyz" --no-interactive=true
```
```bash
rowboatx --agent= --run_id= # resume from a previous run
```
## Models support
You can configure your models using:
```bash
rowboatx model-config
```
Alternatively, you can directly edit `~/.rowboat/config/models.json`
```json
{
"providers": {
"openai": {
"flavor": "openai"
},
"lm-studio": {
"flavor": "openai-compatible",
"baseURL": "http://localhost:2000/...",
"apiKey": "...",
"headers": {
"foo": "bar"
}
},
"anthropic": {
"flavor": "anthropic"
},
"google": {
"flavor": "google"
},
"ollama": {
"flavor": "ollama"
}
},
"defaults": {
"provider": "lm-studio",
"model": "gpt-5"
}
}
```
## Contributing
We want help with:
- **Agent templates** - Pre-built agents others can use (podcast generator, meeting prep, etc.)
- **MCP server integrations** - Add support for new tools
- **Platform support** - Windows improvements, Linux edge cases
```bash
git clone git@github.com:rowboatlabs/rowboat.git
cd rowboat
npm install
npm run build
npm link
rowboatx
```
Ping us on [Discord](https://discord.com/invite/rxB8pzHxaS) if you want to discuss before building.
---
## Prefer a Web UI: Rowboat Studio
*Cursor for Multi-agent Workflows*
โก Build AI agents instantly with natural language | ๐ Connect tools with one-click integrations | ๐ Power with knowledge by adding documents for RAG | ๐ Automate workflows by setting up triggers and actions | ๐ Deploy anywhere via API or SDK
### Quick start
1. Set your OpenAI key
```bash
export OPENAI_API_KEY=your-openai-api-key
```
2. Clone the repository and start Rowboat (requires Docker)
```bash
./start.sh
```
3. Access the app at [http://localhost:3000](http://localhost:3000).
#### Create a multi-agent assistant with MCP tools by chatting with Rowboat
[](https://youtu.be/KZTP4xZM2DY)
See [Docs](https://docs.rowboatlabs.com/) for more details.
---
Made with โค๏ธ by the Rowboat team
[Discord](https://discord.gg/rxB8pzHxaS) ยท [Twitter](https://x.com/intent/user?screen_name=rowboatlabshq)