The AI Operating System for Codex & ChatGPT Agents

Q: Do I need to install anything?

No for the browser build — open /app. Optional: Docker for self-hosting, or npx vibeos-mcp to connect an external agent. Choosing a folder on disk (Settings › Workspace) is optional but recommended when you want apps and chat to persist across sessions; without it, vibeOS uses private browser storage for the session.

An AI operating system (often called an AI OS) is an environment where the agent isn't just answering in a chat box — it has a screen, files, a shell, and software it can create or change while it works. The model is not the whole product; the OS underneath is.

vibeOS is a browser-native example of that idea: it's a real Linux virtual machine in your browser tab, with a desktop, windows, a dock, and a built-in agent that can edit the system and write apps on demand. You can also drive that same desktop from Codex, ChatGPT, or Cursor through vibeos-mcp while keeping your own model.

Open vibeOS in your browser → — no install, no Docker required for the web build.

What is an AI operating system?

People use the term "AI OS" to mean a few different things. Some mean a cloud PC with Copilot in the corner. Some mean a chat app with plugins. Here's a useful definition for builders:

Persistent workspace (optional) — on Chromium you can connect a folder on disk so files and apps survive between sessions; the desktop works without it.
Agency over the environment — the agent can run commands, edit source, reload UI, and create dock apps, not just return text.
Real runtime — something actually executes what the agent writes (on vibeOS, that's WebAssembly x86 Linux plus the browser as the hardware layer).

vibeOS isn't pretending the browser is a kernel. It boots a real i686 Linux image with v86, wires networking through a WISP relay, and layers a minimal desktop shell on top. The agent's tools talk to that stack directly: vm_exec, edit_file, create_app, reload_os, and so on.

If you want the longer stack story, read Launching vibeOS 2.0. If you want the "is this satire?" history, read Is vibeOS real?.

More in this guide cluster: How to use vibeOS · Browser OS / Linux in the browser · Computer use for agents

vibeOS as an AI OS for your PC (without installing an OS)

You don't need a second partition or a VM app on your laptop. Open vibeos.sh/app in Chromium (Chrome, Edge, Arc, etc.) — no workspace folder required to start — and you get:

A Linux guest (Alpine by default; Debian with apt when you switch images).
A desktop — menu bar, windows, terminal, browser pane, settings.
A built-in agent when you connect ChatGPT (Codex) or paste an API key.
Dock apps the agent writes as plain JavaScript modules with // @title headers.

Your computer only runs the browser. The "PC" inside the tab is the emulated computer. That's why searches for "AI OS for PC" often really mean "something I can use on my PC today" — vibeOS is that, as a URL.

Free, open source, and what “download” means

The project is MIT-licensed and lives on GitHub (caffeinum/vibeOS). The landing site you're reading is vibeos-landing; the browser build is under web/ in the main repo.

Way to run	What you get
Browser	Fastest start. WASM Linux + agent. Optional folder (Chromium File System Access API) so apps and chat persist on your disk; otherwise private browser storage for the session.
Docker image	Self-contained server + disks for teams that want everything on localhost. See the repo's container docs.
Native helper	Optional local bridge for deeper machine access when you opt in - not required for the web demo.

When most visitors want to "download" vibeOS, they mean open the app, not clone an ISO. There is no vibeOS ISO to flash onto bare metal; the product is the agent plus the in-browser (or container) runtime.

Codex, ChatGPT, and Cursor — one desktop, your model

The built-in chat agent uses whatever model you connect — either a Codex login or an API key stored in the browser, sent directly to the provider (not through vibeos.sh).

For bring your own agent, pair with MCP:

claude mcp add vibeos -- npx vibeos-mcp --token <token-from-settings>

The desktop exposes the same tools the in-tab agent uses: reading and editing system files, running commands in the VM, creating apps, inspecting the screen, and more. You keep Claude Code, Cursor, or Codex as the brain; vibeOS is the hands and the monitor.

How this differs from ChatGPT desktop, cloud PCs, and “fake OS” demos

ChatGPT desktop / Copilot PC — excellent for conversation and file pickers tied to one vendor app. They are not a forkable Linux userland your agent can rewrite live, and they are not designed for you to own the source of every generated app as files in git.

Cloud PC / DaaS — a remote Windows or Linux session streamed to you. vibeOS is the opposite weight class for the web build: it boots in your tab with no install, and if you opt into a workspace folder your apps can live on your disk; the guest is open source you can inspect.

UI-only "vibe coded OS" demos — HTML that looks like Windows but runs nothing. vibeOS measures itself differently: uname in the terminal is the real kernel; apt-get install on Debian is the real package manager (with the caveats in the 2.0 launch post).

A Docker box with Claude in root — vibeOS also ships that shape for people who want a container on their LAN. The browser build is the front door; the container is the heavy-duty workshop.

What you can build on an AI OS

Concrete things people already use vibeOS for:

Personal tools — calculators, trackers, dashboards written as dock apps.
Dev in the guest — shell, curl, git, packages on Debian.
Agent-driven refactors — edit system/ui/*.js or os.css, reload_ui or reload_os, see changes immediately.
Computer-use style workflows — terminal, browser, and screen read tools for an external agent via MCP.

The ceiling is still the browser sandbox: no arbitrary access to your host processes unless you choose a native or container setup that explicitly grants it.

Try it

Go to vibeos.sh/app.
Wait for the machine to reach ready in the menu bar.
Ask the agent for an app, a theme change, or a package install — or pair MCP and drive from your IDE.
Optional: Settings › Workspace → Save to a folder… when you want apps and chat to survive reloads on your disk (Chromium).

Questions about legitimacy and naming collisions are answered in Is vibeOS real?. The technical deep dive is Launching vibeOS 2.0.

Open vibeOS →

Frequently asked questions

What is an AI operating system?

An AI operating system is a computing environment where an AI agent can observe and change state: files, running programs, UI, and network actions, not only produce chat messages. vibeOS implements that with a real Linux guest, a desktop shell, and tool APIs the agent (built-in or via MCP) can call.

Is vibeOS an AI OS I can use on my PC?

Yes. On a modern Chromium browser, visit vibeos.sh/app. Your PC runs the browser; vibeOS runs the emulated Linux desktop inside it. No separate OS install and no folder picker are required to try it.

Do I need to install anything?

No for the browser build — open /app. Optional: Docker for self-hosting, or npx vibeos-mcp to connect an external agent. Choosing a folder on disk (Settings › Workspace) is optional but recommended when you want apps and chat to persist across sessions; without it, vibeOS uses private browser storage for the session.

How is vibeOS different from the ChatGPT desktop app?

ChatGPT desktop is a client for OpenAI's chat product. vibeOS is an open, hackable desktop with a Linux VM, generated apps, and MCP tools. You can use ChatGPT/Codex with vibeOS, but vibeOS is not a replacement chat window — it is the environment the agent operates.

Is vibeOS free and open source?

Yes. MIT license, source on GitHub. The hosted demo at vibeos.sh is free to try; you bring your own API key or Codex login for model calls.

Can I download vibeOS?

There is no traditional OS image to download. Use the web app or pull the Docker image from the GitHub repo if you want a self-hosted server. Source code is cloned from GitHub like any other open-source project.

Does vibeOS work with Codex and Cursor?

Yes. Log in with ChatGPT for Codex in the built-in agent, or pair vibeos-mcp from Claude Code, Cursor, or other MCP clients. Settings → Capabilities in the desktop shows pairing instructions.

Is the Linux inside vibeOS “real”?

It is a full x86 Linux kernel running under v86 in WebAssembly, not a fake terminal skin. Images include BusyBox, Alpine, and Debian variants; networking goes through a relay so the guest can reach the public internet with safety restrictions on the hosted relay.