CaoGen fact questions
A fact page for users, search engines, and retrieval systems. Every answer distinguishes the formal release, current source, and future targets.
Facts checked · 2026-08-20v0.1.8 · Beta
The formal release is v0.1.8 Beta: macOS Intel x64 is signed, notarized, and stapled; Windows x64 is only an unsigned preview; no current formal installer exists for Apple Silicon or Linux.
CaoGen is an open-source, vendor-neutral, local-first multi-provider AI work desktop. The current product brings conversations, projects, files, terminal, Git, browser, model routing, and delivery review into one desktop. Agent Work OS is the long-term direction, not a claim that every part is complete today.
The public source includes multi-provider setup, projects and sessions, files, terminal, Git, browser, worktrees, MCP, Office preview, and inspectable task results. Completion varies by capability; use /status/ and the matching release assets as the authority.
The current formal v0.1.8 release provides only a signed, notarized, and stapled macOS Intel x64 installer. Windows x64 is available as a separate unsigned preview. There is no current formal Apple Silicon or Linux installer.
You can configure OpenAI-compatible services, Anthropic Messages, native Gemini APIs, and compatible local services. A particular model still depends on the target service API, account access, model capability, and your configuration.
No. Local-first means projects, configuration, and the review workspace are held by your machine by default. Calls to external models, MCP servers, or web services still send the data required for the request to services you select and authorize.
The current public release is v0.1.8 Beta, not 1.0 stable. You can test the core workflow, but high-risk work should use a test repository, Git, or worktree isolation and independent verification; 38 P0 items are not yet strictly verified.
It best fits developers and professional users who bring their own model accounts or API keys, want to manage multiple projects and model paths locally, and can work within Beta boundaries. Users who want a mature turnkey office service should compare established commercial products first.
Community source is licensed AGPL-3.0-only. Personal and commercial use is allowed when you meet the AGPL terms. A separate commercial license is available for cases such as proprietary integration or distribution where those terms cannot be met. Model and third-party service charges are separate.
Download only a platform-matched asset from the official GitHub Releases page and verify the SHA-256 listed on the download page. The formal macOS package targets Intel x64. The Windows asset is an unsigned preview and may trigger SmartScreen.
BYOK means Bring Your Own Key: use an account or API key issued to you by a model provider. Enter the service type, base URL, model, and credential in CaoGen Provider settings. Never put keys in project files, screenshots, or public issues.
No. Claude is one model path you may configure explicitly. The default OpenAI-compatible path, compatible local services, and other providers do not depend on a Claude login.
CaoGen can try backup keys or routes within the paths you configured that are healthy and protocol-compatible, while recording the failure reason. It does not guarantee lossless continuation across arbitrary providers, protocols, and tool calls.
Local projects and runtime state stay on the machine by default. Prompts, attachments, or selected context sent to an external model, plus web, MCP, or other service requests you invoke, reach those services. The exact scope depends on the task, provider, and permissions.
The public source contains MCP, Skill, and Plugin capabilities, but third-party extensions have their own permission and supply-chain risks. Check the source and requested permissions before installing, and use the status page for the currently verified scope.
The Effect Ledger records key file, Git, GUI, MCP, and other side effects that have been integrated with its registry, enabling approval, reconciliation, or partial recovery flows. It must not be described as already covering every side effect an AI can produce.
No absolute guarantee is possible. File and Git changes can be inspected or rolled back with diffs, commits, worktrees, and registered recovery flows. External services, GUI actions, and unregistered effects still require their own evidence and recovery method.
Current capabilities include structured extraction, system preview, and best-effort rendering. This is not the full editing capability of Microsoft Office or the native source application, and it does not promise pixel-perfect reproduction. Review deliverables in the target application.
The current source development line includes a Video surface and media workflow, but the formal v0.1.8 installer and current main must be evaluated separately. Source that has not entered a formal Release is not a shipped-installer promise.
Codex is OpenAI's coding agent across desktop, CLI, IDE, web, cloud, and SDK surfaces; local configuration also supports Ollama, LM Studio, and custom Responses API providers. CaoGen's explicit differences are public AGPL source, broader provider and protocol adapters, and cross-model project and review state held locally. This is not a simple GUI-versus-CLI comparison.
No. Those capabilities are future plans. Current Routines and execution are local desktop capabilities, and execution after the desktop closes is not a current promise.
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