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OpenHands Agent Canvas

OpenHands Agent Canvas is a developer control center for running coding agents and automations, including OpenHands, Claude Code, Codex, Gemini, and other ACP-compatible agents.

The same interface can connect to agents running on a laptop, in Docker, on a VM, in OpenHands Cloud, or inside company infrastructure. It also brings conversations, plugins, agent profiles, and scheduled or event-driven automations into that shared workspace. Use this as a first read, not a recommendation. Open the original project before trusting details like terms, limits, privacy, cost, setup, or safety.

What it is

A control center for coding agents

Agent Canvas gives coding-agent work a shared interface: start conversations, choose an agent backend, connect credentials, and manage automations from one browser-based workspace.

Why it stands out

The agent choice is not fixed

Agent Canvas supports the built-in OpenHands agent plus Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, and custom ACP servers. That makes it useful for testing how different coding agents behave around the same project work.

Availability

Public source with active releases

Agent Canvas now lives in the flagship OpenHands repository after its original repository was archived. The June transition FAQ described it as beta; the current flagship release line has since reached v1.12.0, with recent work around automation views, activity exports, conversation labels, desktop packaging, and update handling.

Why it matters

What makes it useful

OpenHands Agent Canvas lets a developer keep one visible workspace while changing both the coding agent and the machine that runs it. That makes it easier to separate personal work on a laptop from longer-running or shared work on a VM or team backend, without losing the conversation and automation layer around it.

Notable points

What stands out

The original Agent Canvas repository was archived after the code moved into OpenHands/OpenHands in July 2026. The flagship repository now carries the Canvas UI and the current release line. The June transition FAQ described Agent Canvas as beta and kept the older Local GUI in maintenance while isolated, temporary sandboxes remained a gap.

Before using

What to review

Which backend will run the agent: local machine, Docker, VM, OpenHands Cloud, enterprise infrastructure, or another remote setup.

What project folders, shell commands, network access, secrets, conversation data, and working copies the agent server can touch.

The self-hosting security checklist, especially API keys, HTTPS, firewall or VPN controls, SSH access, filesystem protection, and key rotation.

Whether the selected agent is OpenHands, Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, or a custom ACP server, and where that agent stores credentials.

The current release notes and open issues before relying on the desktop app, plugins, agent profiles, automations, or other fast-moving features.

Reader fit

Who may find it relevant

Developers comparing coding agents without wanting each agent trapped in a separate workflow.

Teams that want agents to run on a VM, server, or shared backend instead of only in one laptop session.

People building recurring coding-agent automations for pull requests, repository events, Slack messages, or scheduled work.

Less relevant for someone looking only for a simple chatbot, a model checkpoint, or a no-setup consumer coding assistant.

Editorial note

Why LifeHubber lists it

LifeHubber lists OpenHands Agent Canvas because it makes two choices visible in the same workspace: which coding agent should do the work, and which machine or backend should run it. Readers can compare that flexibility against the setup cost and the access each backend has to files, credentials, commands, and automation triggers.

Source links

Source materials

Reader note

Before relying on this entry

LifeHubber lists entries to help readers inspect AI projects, not to endorse them or prove they are safe, suitable, accurate, maintained, or right for a specific use. We do not verify every entry in depth. Before relying on anything listed, review the original materials, terms, privacy practices, limits, and risks that matter for your situation.

What to explore next

Keep the coding workflow portable across agents.

Once one canvas can switch agents and backends, the next questions are what should stay outside the app, which instructions can travel with the project, and which machine actions an agent should be allowed to take.

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