The configuration surface was undiscoverable. .env.example has three active
lines, and of the ODYSSEUS_* variables the code actually reads, most appear
nowhere in .env.example, docs/, website/ or README.md - including several that
change security-relevant behaviour (ODYSSEUS_BROWSER_NO_SANDBOX,
ODYSSEUS_ALLOW_PRIVATE_CALDAV, ODYSSEUS_ENABLE_HOST_DOCKER,
ODYSSEUS_MCP_ALLOWED_COMMANDS). Every question about one of them lands in the
issue tracker.
A hand-written page would drift within a month, so the page is generated:
- scripts/generate_env_reference.py walks the Python sources, collects each read
with the default it falls back to and the file it is read in, groups by area,
and marks the internal variables rather than omitting them.
- website/configuration-reference.md is the generated output, wired into the
Pages layout and linked from setup.md and .env.example. .env.example stays a
short deployment-level example and links onward rather than growing.
- tests/test_env_reference.py regenerates and compares, so adding a variable
without documenting it fails the suite. That is the point: the current state
happened because nothing objected.
Finding the reads needs more than one pattern. Two families - the upload caps in
src/upload_limits.py and the media-ingress overrides in src/media_ingress.py -
are read through helper functions, so the generator detects env-reader helpers
rather than hardcoding a list. Others span two lines, hold the variable name in
a module constant, or read through a mapping passed in as an argument. One lives
inside a string literal, in the Ollama probe script routes/cookbook_helpers.py
builds line by line. A line-based grep for os.environ.get("ODYSSEUS_ finds 70 of
the 98 the generator finds; the page reports that gap and recomputes it on every
run so the claim cannot go stale.
No application behaviour changes.
A self-hosted AI workspace for chat, agents, research, documents, email, notes, calendar, and local model workflows.
Quick Start · Setup Guide · Contributing · Roadmap
Quick Start
devis the default branch and gets the newest changes first. Usemainif you want the more curated branch.
git clone https://github.com/odysseus-dev/odysseus.git
cd odysseus
cp .env.example .env
docker compose up -d --build
Open http://localhost:7011 when the containers are healthy. The first admin password is printed in docker compose logs odysseus.
Native installs, GPU notes, Windows/macOS instructions, HTTPS, and configuration live in the setup guide.
Features
- Chat + Agents — local/API models, tools, MCP, files, shell, skills, and memory.
- Cookbook — hardware-aware model recommendations, downloads, and serving.
- Deep Research — multi-step web research with source reading and report generation.
- Compare — blind side-by-side model testing and synthesis.
- Documents — writing-first editor with AI edits, suggestions, Markdown, HTML, CSV, and syntax highlighting.
- Email — IMAP/SMTP inbox with triage, tags, summaries, reminders, and reply drafts.
- Notes, Tasks + Calendar — reminders, todos, scheduled agent tasks, and CalDAV sync.
- Extras — gallery/image editor, themes, uploads, web search, presets, sessions, and 2FA.
Demo
A full hover-to-play tour lives on the Odysseus landing page. Its source lives under website/.
Contributing
Help is welcome. The best entry points are fresh-install testing, provider setup bugs, mobile/editor polish, docs, and small focused refactors. See CONTRIBUTING.md and ROADMAP.md.
Security
Odysseus is a self-hosted workspace with powerful local tools. Keep auth enabled, keep private data out of Git, and do not expose raw model/service ports publicly.
- Keep
AUTH_ENABLED=truefor any network-accessible deployment. - Keep
LOCALHOST_BYPASS=falseoutside local development.
Deployment details are in the setup guide.
Star History
License
AGPL-3.0-or-later -- see LICENSE and ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.md.

