LibreAI / Dev Tools / harnessrouter
// devtools · HarnessRouter/harnessrouter

harnessrouter

One API for every agent harness — run Codex, Claude Code and more through a single self-hosted interface

★ 2.9k stars⑂ 299 forksApache-2.0updated 2026-10
▦ visual — this project's README ships no embeddable screenshot,
so here's a placeholder. The guide below is complete regardless.
// project facts

Project facts

harnessrouter is an open-source dev tools project by HarnessRouter (HarnessRouter/harnessrouter on GitHub). It has 2,929 GitHub stars and 299 forks, is released under the Apache-2.0 license, and was last updated on GitHub on 8 October 2026.

GitHub stars
2,929
Forks
299
License
Apache-2.0
Last updated on GitHub
8 October 2026
Category
Dev Tools
Listing
Full install guide
Official site
Official site
// how it works

How it works

  1. Clarify your goal

    Decide which harnesses you want behind one API and which model providers you will connect with your own keys.

  2. Get HarnessRouter

    Pull and run the official Docker image with a persistent data volume.

  3. Install and configure

    Wait for first launch to install the enabled harness CLIs, sign in to the console, and add a model provider under Bring Your Own Key.

  4. Run your first task

    Submit a task through the console or the OpenAI Responses-compatible API and watch it stream, then try switching harnesses.

// features

Why people love it

Unified Harness Protocol

Implements UHP, an open standard, so harnesses become plug-and-play agent backends behind one integration.

Many harnesses, one API

Run Codex, Claude Code, Hermes, PI, DSH and more, and switch harnesses per task to optimize cost and latency.

OpenAI Responses-compatible

Provides an OpenAI Responses-compatible API for product integration.

Sessions and streaming

Persistent sessions, streaming progress, files and artifacts are handled by the router.

Cancellation and failures

Built-in cancellation and structured failure handling across harnesses.

Self-hosted, your keys

Community Edition runs on your infrastructure with your own provider keys; data persists in a Docker volume.

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// run it

Run it yourself

  1. Clone the repo

    Clone HarnessRouter (the quickest run path is the Docker image in step 2).

    git clone https://github.com/HarnessRouter/harnessrouter.git
    cd harnessrouter
  2. Run with Docker

    Start the self-hosted Community Edition exactly as the README quickstart shows.

    docker run -d --name harnessrouter \
      -p 127.0.0.1:3000:3000 \
      -v harnessrouter:/data \
      harnessrouter/harnessrouter
  3. Open the console

    Wait for '[harnessrouter] ready on :3000' in the logs, then open http://localhost:3000 and sign in (default harnessrouter / harnessrouter).

    docker logs -f harnessrouter
// use cases

What you can build

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// faq

Questions, answered

Who maintains HarnessRouter?

HarnessRouter (the team behind harnessrouter.ai) maintains it; this repo is the open Community Edition of their unified harness interface.

Is it free?

The Community Edition is free and Apache-2.0 licensed, self-hosted on your infrastructure. Harness CLIs installed on first launch keep their own upstream licenses.

Does it need a paid API key?

Yes — you bring your own model provider keys (added in the console under Bring Your Own Key); model usage is billed by your provider. You do not need a HarnessRouter API key to run console tasks.

How does it compare to integrating each harness directly?

Direct integration means handling sessions, streaming, files and failures separately for every harness. HarnessRouter gives one API and lets you switch harnesses freely.

How do I get started?

Run the Docker command from the README, wait for the ready log line, open http://localhost:3000, add a provider key, and run a task.

// keep exploring

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// alternatives

Alternatives in Dev Tools

The most-starred other Dev Tools projects in the LibreAI catalogue — the realistic shortlist if harnessrouter is not the right fit.

Get harnessrouter

Free and open — grab the source, star the repo, and start creating.