UseAgent
UseAgent is an open-source alternative to Devin under AGPL-3.0, made by UseAgent Inc. It gives Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode or Pi a shared workspace with a terminal, a browser and your repositories, inside an isolated Linux sandbox. Every step is written to a Postgres event log you can replay. One caveat: it is alpha software and the APIs can change between releases.
What does UseAgent do?
UseAgent describes itself as "the open-source Devin alternative. Run Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode or Pi in isolated cloud workspaces you can self-host." Work enters from the web app, Slack, email, a REST API, a CLI or MCP. Each thread gets a Linux sandbox with a terminal, a browser and your repositories. The agent plans, writes files, runs commands, and hands back pull requests, documents, spreadsheets or reports.
Four engines plug in through one event format: Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode and Pi. You bring your own ChatGPT plan or API keys; the keys stay on your control plane and never enter the agent's sandbox. Every tool call crosses a trusted gateway as a typed call, so the agent cannot see credentials. Runs are a Postgres event log, so they survive restarts, replay exactly, and remain inspectable after the fact.
Key facts
- Licence: AGPL-3.0 on the code, with an optional commercial licence for OEM, embedded or white-label use.
- Status: alpha. APIs and schemas can change between releases.
- Engines: Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode and Pi. One session UI and event format across engines.
- Sandboxes: Daytona (managed), CubeSandbox (your hardware) or Box as plug-in providers.
- Stack: Bun, Postgres 16 with pgvector, Docker Compose for a single machine, a Terraform reference host.
- Keys: provider accounts or API keys, stored on the control plane; the sandbox never sees them.
- Channels: web app, Slack and GitHub are native; Gmail, Linear, Notion and HubSpot are OAuth connectors; Discord, Telegram, Microsoft Teams and webhooks are listed as open contributor projects.
- Memory: optional team-memory service in
memory/, with separate personal and organisation views.
What does it replace, and where does it fall short?
UseAgent replaces Devin as the surface around a coding agent: a computer per task, your team's tools, and a full record of what happened. The README's own comparison table says: "UseAgent is not a new model, and not a proven replacement for every Devin workflow. It is the workspace around the agents you already use."
Where it falls short: it does not ship a new model, so quality depends on the engine and model you plug in. Devin's own agent is closed and tuned by Cognition; UseAgent uses Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode or Pi, each with its own strengths. Alpha status means pinning a tag is advised. Self-hosting needs Postgres with pgvector, a sandbox provider key and a model key, so this is a server to run, not a desktop app to install.
How does UseAgent run?
The hosted app is at app.useagent.org: sign up with email, start a thread, pick a free model or connect your own account. From source, clone the repository, start Postgres 16 with pgvector (Docker is one command), install the Bun workspaces, and run the backend on port 3201 and the frontend on 3400. Self-hosting goes on any Linux host: infra/self-host/ has a Terraform reference and a provider-agnostic deploy-app.sh script.
Sandboxes are plug-ins. Daytona is the managed option. CubeSandbox runs on your own hardware for data locality. Box is a third option. Model keys and the sandbox provider key live on the control plane; the sandbox gets a typed gateway and nothing else.
Who is UseAgent for?
A team that wants to run coding agents on its own servers, with every step on the record and credentials off the agent's machine. Someone who wants a hosted product with no infrastructure to run should pick Devin itself or try the hosted UseAgent app. Someone who wants a desktop coding agent for one developer should look at cline, kilocode or opencode on the open-source alternatives to Devin page.
What limits does the README state?
"Alpha software. UseAgent runs real daily workloads, but APIs and schemas can change between releases. Pin a tag if you need stability." The engine, login methods and tools you can use depend on which engine you connect and your configuration. Running a real agent task also needs a sandbox provider key and a model key; the quickstart walks through both. Low-effort Hacktoberfest pull requests are closed.
Questions people ask
Is UseAgent open source?
Yes. The code is AGPL-3.0, an OSI approved licence. AGPL requires that if you run a modified version as a network service, you make the source available to your users. The README states this plainly and offers an optional commercial licence for cases where AGPL obligations do not fit, such as embedding UseAgent in proprietary software or shipping an OEM product.
Can UseAgent be used commercially?
Yes under AGPL-3.0, with the AGPL network-service clause: changes you make and run as a service must be released. For a proprietary or white-label build, the project sells a commercial licence that lifts the AGPL obligation. Contributions are accepted under a CLA, and the UseAgent name and logo are covered by a separate trademark policy, not the code licence.
Does UseAgent work offline, or run on-device?
No. UseAgent is a server, not a desktop app. Self-hosting runs on any Linux host (AWS, Google Cloud, Azure or bare metal), and the sandboxes are isolated Linux workstations provided by Daytona, CubeSandbox or Box. The agent inside the sandbox needs a model, which is either your own API or a hosted provider you connect.
How does UseAgent compare with Devin?
Devin's agent is closed and runs in Cognition's cloud; enterprise plans can put the workspace in a customer VPC, but the agent itself stays in Cognition's cloud. UseAgent is AGPL and runs anywhere you choose, with the agent of your choice (Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode or Pi) and your own keys. The open-source alternatives to Devin page sets it beside OpenHands, Cline, Goose and other options.
Which agent should I pick inside UseAgent?
That is a judgement call the README does not make for you. The four engines share one event format, so you can swap and keep your threads, files and memory. The engine guide at useagent.org lists what each one needs for sign-in and which tools it exposes.
Sources
- UseAgent README and LICENSE: github.com/useagenthq/useagent, read 2026-10-26. The README is the source for every feature, engine, sandbox and self-hosting note above, and for the comparison with Devin.
- Project website: useagent.org, read 2026-10-26.
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Added October 26, 2026. Every claim above comes from the project's README, LICENSE or model card, read on October 26, 2026, or from the GitHub API on the date shown in the panel. Found an error? Write to reveneau@licheo.com and it is fixed in the next weekly pass. Repository: github.com/useagenthq/useagent.
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