What is Open Imi

Open Imi is an open-source desktop alternative for developers, engineers, and tech teams to customize and hack Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers and agents according to their preferences.

Use cases

Use cases for Open Imi include developing custom AI applications, experimenting with different AI models, and integrating multiple AI providers into a single interface for enhanced functionality.

How to use

To use Open Imi, install the dependencies using pnpm, initialize the project to set up the environment, and start the development server. After setup, you can access the application at http://localhost:3000 and configure MCP servers through the UI or by editing the configuration file.

Key features

Key features of Open Imi include a chat interface for easy interaction with various AI providers, support for file-based MCP management, and the ability to customize server logic. It also utilizes Vercel’s open-source libraries for seamless local deployment.

Where to use

Open Imi can be used in various fields such as software development, AI research, and tech team collaborations where customization of AI tools and server management is required.

Open IMI

Open Imi is a open source claude desktop alternative for developers, engineers and tech teams to hack MCP’s and agents to their own liking.

(OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Ollama, etc.) while connecting powerful AI tools through Model Context Protocol (MCP).

This project was developed using mcp-client-chatbot from ( https://github.com/cgoinglove ) and Vercel’s open source libraries such as Next.js and AI SDKshadcn/ui, and is designed to run immediately in local environments or personal servers without complex setup. You can easily add and experiment with AI tools through file-based MCP management.

Installation

This project uses pnpm as the recommended package manager.

Quick Start

# Install dependencies
pnpm i

# Initialize the project (creates .env file from .env.example and sets up the database)
pnpm initial

# Start the development server
pnpm dev

After running these commands, you can access the application at http://localhost:3000.

Environment Setup

After running pnpm initial, make sure to edit your .env file to add the necessary API keys for the providers you want to use:

GOOGLE_GENERATIVE_AI_API_KEY=****
OPENAI_API_KEY=****

By default, the application uses SQLite for data storage. If you prefer to use PostgreSQL, you can modify the USE_FILE_SYSTEM_DB value in your .env file and set up your database connection string.

Setting Up MCP Servers

You can add MCP servers in two ways:

1. Using the UI: Navigate to http://localhost:3000/mcp in your browser and use the interface to add and configure MCP servers.
2. Editing the config file: Directly modify the .mcp-config.json file in the project root directory.
3. Custom server logic: A customizable MCP server is already included in the project at ./custom-mcp-server/index.ts.
   You can modify this file to implement your own server logic or connect external tools as needed.

Credits and Acknowledgements

Massive Shoutout To

• cgoinglove for MCP Client Chatbot - We forked parts of the MCP client connection with servers and MCP page JSON-based file system.

• Vercel AI Chatbot and its 53 contributors - The original AI chat interface that Open IMI was built on top of, including:

  • @jaredpalmer
  • @jeremyphilemon
  • @shadcn
  • @leerob
  • @shuding
  • And many more

• LibreChat - For MCP connection logic that helped shape our implementation.

• 21st.dev - For the UI components that enhance the user experience.

License

MIT license

Please refer to the respective repositories for more details on licensing.

What is next?

• chat and file search.
• multi page work flow.
• project management page.