The outcome

Get into the official OpenHands experience with the right account and a setup you understand.

OpenHands is a open-source AI software development agent with cloud, terminal, IDE, and local interfaces. Delegating bounded repository tasks to an agent that can inspect code, edit files, run commands, and test changes inside a controlled execution environment. This guide narrows that broad capability into one repeatable outcome, with checkpoints that keep the source material and your judgment in the loop.

Before you begin

Set the boundary before the tool starts.

Choose one real task, identify who will use the result, and decide what evidence or test will make the result acceptable. Gather only the source material needed for that task. If the work contains confidential, personal, regulated, or client-owned information, confirm that the platform and account are approved before sharing it.

Troiana principle

AI should make the work easier to inspect. If the workflow removes the source, the owner, or the review step, redesign the workflow.

Step by step

A workflow you can repeat.

  1. 01

    Start at https://openhands.dev/ and confirm the domain before entering account or payment information.

  2. 02

    For desktop use, follow the official download link. Current availability: OpenHands is available through a managed cloud service, a terminal and IDE workflow, or a self-hosted local GUI with Docker-based sandboxes..

  3. 03

    An OpenHands account for Cloud, or a supported local environment and model credentials for self-hosting; Docker isolation is recommended for local agent execution.

  4. 04

    Sign in with the account you intend to keep using, then review plan, data, notification, and permission settings.

  5. 05

    Run one low-risk test task before connecting sensitive files, repositories, or workspace data.

Working standard

What good use looks like.

  • Use official download pages.
  • Review permissions during setup.
  • Keep installers and applications updated.

OpenHands can execute commands, access the network, use supplied credentials, and modify or delete mounted files. Prefer an isolated sandbox, mount only the intended workspace, keep secrets out of prompts and repositories, enable confirmations for risky actions, constrain network and tool access, review every diff and test result, and never let an agent merge or deploy without the authorization your workflow requires.

Official references

Check the current product documentation.

Features, plan limits, availability, and data controls change. These official pages are the starting points used for this collection.