synthetic-sciences/openscience

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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. While automatic reloads are enabled, a purchased Wallet balance below $5 triggers a $20 reload; payment-processing fees are disclosed separately before payment. 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.