devspace

Give ChatGPT a secure connection to your own machine and Turn ChatGPT into Codex

DevSpace is a self-hosted MCP server that lets ChatGPT read, edit, search, and run code in your real local projects — your files, your tools, your terminal — without uploading anything to a third party. You run it on your machine, expose it through a tunnel you control, and approve the connection with a password only you have.

The same /mcp endpoint serves the 2026-07-28 per-request protocol and automatically supports older 2025-era clients through stateless compatibility handling. There is no protocol mode to configure.

Sponsors and Special Thanks

Related MCP server: codex-mcp-server

Installation

DevSpace requires Node >=22.19 <27.

Install the DevSpace CLI:

npm install -g @waishnav/devspace

Then initialize DevSpace:

devspace init

Or run it without a global install:

npx @waishnav/devspace init

During setup, DevSpace asks for:

• where you will use it: ChatGPT, Coding Agents, or both

• which agents DevSpace may use as subagents

The first choice is where you invoke DevSpace from. The subagent choice is separate: ChatGPT or another coding agent can delegate work through DevSpace to the agents you select there.

If you select ChatGPT, setup also asks which local project folders it may open and for your public HTTPS base URL from Cloudflare Tunnel, ngrok, Pinggy, Tailscale Funnel, or another reverse proxy. A Coding Agents-only setup asks neither question: local commands use the current Git project, or the current directory outside a repository.

Use the public origin without /mcp during setup:

https://your-tunnel-host.example.com

You will configure your MCP client with the public /mcp URL after setup. Run devspace serve when using ChatGPT. For Coding Agents, setup prints a skills command and lets the Skills CLI handle installation.

When the client connects, DevSpace opens an Owner password approval page. Enter the Owner password printed by devspace init. It is also stored in:

~/.devspace/auth.json

Keep that password private.

Connect Your MCP Client

The default local endpoint is:

http://127.0.0.1:7676/mcp

Most users should connect through a public HTTPS tunnel:

https://your-tunnel-host.example.com/mcp

What ChatGPT Can Do

Once connected, ChatGPT can open one of your approved project folders as a workspace. From there, it can inspect the repo, make scoped edits, run commands, and show you what changed.

DevSpace gives ChatGPT tools to:

• read, write, and edit files inside the opened workspace

• search code and inspect directories

• run shell commands for tests, builds, git, and package scripts

• use isolated Git worktrees for parallel coding sessions

• follow project instructions from AGENTS.md and CLAUDE.md

• discover local agent skills from your skill folders

• show tool cards and optional change summaries in ChatGPT Apps-compatible hosts

Mental Model

DevSpace is remote access to selected local folders.

You decide which roots are allowed. The MCP client still has powerful local capabilities inside an opened workspace, including shell execution. Treat a connected client like a trusted coding partner with access to your machine.

For a normal ChatGPT coding session:

1. Start your tunnel.

2. Run devspace serve.

3. Connect the MCP client to your public /mcp URL.

4. Approve the connection with the Owner password.

5. Ask ChatGPT to open a project inside one of your allowed roots.

Platform Support

DevSpace supports Linux, macOS, and Windows environments with a Bash-compatible shell.

Run this to inspect your local setup:

devspace doctor

Documentation

• Setup Guide

• ChatGPT Coding Workflow

• Configuration Reference

• Native File Download

• Security Model

• Troubleshooting Gotchas

Philosophy

Every piece of software is becoming conversational. Natural language is redefining how we interact with tools, workflows, and systems.

My bet is that ChatGPT becomes the operating system for everything. Once we reach AGI, we will simply talk to ChatGPT, and it will prompt, coordinate, and orchestrate sub-agents that set up the right loops for us.

We are not there yet.

DevSpace is one attempt to fast-forward that future: a way for MCP-capable hosts like ChatGPT and Claude to work directly with local project files through explicit, inspectable tools.

Built by Waishnav

I'm Waishnav. I like building opinionated products and tools, and Artifacts is one example.

This year, I began my journey to build a one-person, multi-agent company capable of generating millions in revenue. If you want to follow the failures, wins, lessons, and everything in between, come hang out with me on X.

More from me

Local Development

For working on DevSpace itself:

Install pnpm 11.25.0, the version pinned in package.json, with npm install --global pnpm@11.25.0, then:

pnpm install --frozen-lockfile
pnpm dev:seed
pnpm dev
pnpm typecheck
pnpm test
pnpm build
pnpm start

dev:seed forks your normal DevSpace config and SQLite state into an ignored checkout-local .devspace-dev/ directory so source builds and migrations do not modify your normal installation. Use pnpm dev:reset to discard that QA state and fork it again. See Development and Manual QA for worktree switching, ChatGPT, and database-migration workflows.