OpenScience is an open-source workbench for scientific research. Work through literature, data, code, experiments, and writing in the desktop app, browser workspace, or terminal.
Choose Ace for managed models and research search, connect your own API keys or supported provider sign-in, or use local models. An OpenScience account is optional for your own provider access and local models.
Get started
Download the desktop app for macOS, Windows, or Linux. For the CLI and browser workspace:
npm install -g @synsci/openscience
openscience
Or use the one-step launcher:
npx synsci
Open Customize → Models to choose access. For an existing project:
openscience ~/research/my-project
Follow the quickstart for your first task, or the installation guide for platform details and updates.
Choose model access
| Option |
Setup |
Usage |
| Ace |
Sign in, choose a funding workspace, and fund its Wallet. |
Pay as you go; no monthly subscription. |
| Your provider |
Connect an API key or supported sign-in. |
Your provider's access and billing terms. |
| Local model |
Connect Ollama, LM Studio, or another compatible endpoint. |
Your hardware; no Ace model charge. |
Ace activation is a $0 authorization. Usage is settled from the provider's reported cost plus a 5.5% funding fee, applied once per request, with no other markup; the card processing fee is shown separately at checkout. While automatic reloads are enabled, a purchased Wallet balance below $5 triggers a $20 reload. Changing to your own provider does not turn off automatic reloads. See Pricing and usage.
Connect from the terminal:
openscience keys add
openscience models
For a local endpoint:
openscience local add
See Models and Local models.
Give it a research task
Inspect data/samples.csv for missing values and inconsistent labels.
Keep the original data unchanged. Save a quality report and a plot
in results/, with the code needed to reproduce them.
Use Research for execution, or start with /plan to agree on the method. Review sources, assumptions, code, and outputs before relying on a scientific conclusion.
For a single terminal turn:
openscience run "Review the analysis plan in this project"
openscience run --continue "Suggest checks for the assumptions you identified"
What you can do
- Review literature: search scientific sources, compare findings, and save cited evidence.
- Analyze data: inspect inputs, write and run analysis code, and produce figures and reports.
- Reproduce experiments: agree on a claim, prerequisites, and budget, then compare measured results.
- Use scientific capabilities: inspect available tools and connect your own resources where needed.
- Reuse procedures: browse hundreds of bundled skills or add a project-specific workflow.
- Extend the workbench: add MCP connections, custom agents and commands, plugins, or an SDK integration.
A skill describes a procedure; it does not mean every referenced tool or service is installed. Check availability in Customize before a substantial task.
Documentation
Browse the capability map, Explore tools, and Skills directory. Each catalog explains what an entry does and links to setup or usage instructions. The workflow cookbook provides complete requests with expected deliverables.
| Topic |
Guide |
| First use |
Quickstart, Workspace |
| Models and billing |
Models, Ace, Pricing |
| Research |
Literature reviews, Data analysis, Reproduction, Writing |
| Capabilities |
Skills, Databases, Connectors |
| Customize |
Project instructions, Configuration |
| Automate |
CLI reference, JSON output, SDK and editors |
| Help |
Troubleshooting, FAQ |
Plain-text documentation is available at llms.txt and llms-full.txt.
Releases and updates
GitHub Releases contains desktop installers, CLI archives, checksums, and release notes. The changelog records notable behavior changes.
Use the app's update controls or openscience upgrade for the CLI. An npm installation can be updated with npm install -g @synsci/openscience@latest. Back up important project files independently of application updates.
Development
Use the pinned Bun version from package.json:
bun run setup
bun dev
bun run check
CONTRIBUTING.md covers the development loop and required checks. ARCHITECTURE.md maps the codebase, and AGENTS.md describes repository conventions.
For docs changes, see the docs contributor guide and documentation source map.
Control and support
Use the approval controls to decide when OpenScience should ask before acting. Keep original inputs, review consequential actions, and use account controls for spending limits.
Report reproducible product bugs in GitHub Issues. Use account support for private billing questions. Follow SECURITY.md to report a vulnerability.
License
Apache License 2.0. See LICENSE and NOTICE.
OpenScience is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Anthropic. "Claude" is a trademark of Anthropic, PBC, used here only to describe compatibility.
OpenScience 是一个面向科研的开源 AI 工作台：给它一个目标，它就会阅读文献、编写并运行代码、执行实验，并撰写研究发现。