Agent Canvas Overview - OpenHands Docs

Why Agent Canvas

One UI to drive any agent: run conversations with OpenHands, Claude Code, Codex, or Gemini CLI through the same browser interface.
Bring your own LLM: connect Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, or any OpenAI-compatible provider. Switch models per conversation.
Built-in automations: schedule cron jobs or wire up event-driven workflows against GitHub, Linear, Slack, and custom webhooks.
Run it anywhere: a single agent-canvas command starts the full stack locally. Self-host on a VM, or connect to OpenHands Cloud.

Concept	What It Means
Agent Canvas	A UI and backend server for running agents and automations. The `agent-canvas` command starts both together.
Backend	Any Canvas UI can securely connect to any Canvas backend: running locally, on a remote machine, or on OpenHands Cloud. Register multiple and switch between them.
Conversation	A single agent session tied to a backend. Each conversation has its own message history, tool calls, and file changes.
Automation	A workflow that runs on a cron schedule or in response to events from GitHub, Linear, Slack, or custom webhooks. Automations may start agent conversations as needed.

Agent Canvas: the recommended browser-based UI for running OpenHands locally or self-hosted.
Local GUI (Legacy): legacy UI requiring Docker.
OpenHands Cloud: a fully managed version of OpenHands.
OpenHands SDK: the Python framework behind the agent system.

Install — Use the published npm package to run Agent Canvas from your terminal.
Connect and Manage Backends — Switch between local and remote backends.
Customize and Settings — Configure skills, MCP servers, and backend-synced settings.
Setup a Pre-built Automation — Get started with a ready-made automation workflow.
VM / Self-Hosted Installation — Run backend-only or full Canvas on a VM and connect remotely.