How dashsquad works
An overview of the parts of dashsquad and how they work together.
Early release
Expect some problems and changes. dashsquad is new and changes frequently.
The big picture
You create squad members in Desktop. The HQ runs them on your computer. You chat with them from Desktop, the web app, the iOS app, the Android app, Telegram or WhatsApp.
Squad members work without your help. They think, use tools and reply to messages. The HQ and the files of your squad members stay on your computer.
Squad
A squad member is an AI model with a system prompt, tools and skills. It gets a message, thinks about it, uses tools to do work and replies. Each squad member has its own model, tools and instructions.
The HQ keeps each conversation, so a squad member knows what you said before in that conversation. A squad member can also keep memories across conversations.
HQ
The HQ is the background process that runs your squad members. Desktop starts the HQ for you on your computer. Desktop can also connect to an HQ on a different computer.
The HQ keeps your conversations, your squad member settings and your encrypted provider keys.
Desktop
Desktop is the app that you use to manage dashsquad. Use it to deploy squad members, chat with them, connect AI providers and connect Telegram or WhatsApp.
Web app and mobile apps
The web app, the iOS app and the Android app connect to your HQ through the hosted dashsquad relay. They do not connect over your local network.
To use them, sign in to dashsquad in Desktop and turn on remote access. The iOS app and the web app use your dashsquad account. The Android app pairs with a QR code from Desktop.
Learn more about remote access
AI providers
A squad member needs an AI model to think. dashsquad supports Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Moonshot (Kimi) and OpenRouter. Use an API key, or sign in with a Claude or ChatGPT subscription.
Each squad member can use a different provider. You can also set fallback models. If the first model fails, dashsquad tries the next one.
Deploy a squad member
When you deploy a squad member in Desktop, the HQ creates it with its own workspace folder. You can disable, enable and remove a squad member at any time. You can also change its model, tools and system prompt after you deploy it.
Deploy your first squad member
Telegram and WhatsApp
You can connect your squad members to Telegram and WhatsApp. The HQ gets the messages and sends each one to the correct squad member. One squad member can reply on more than one app.
Learn more about Telegram and WhatsApp
Skills
A skill is a set of instructions that teaches a squad member how to do a type of task. A squad member loads a skill when it needs it.
You can install skills from a git repository, a URL or a folder on your computer. A squad member can also create its own skills and learn from its work.
Tools
Tools let squad members do work. Tools can run shell commands, read and change files, search the web and control a browser.
File and shell tools start in the workspace folder of the squad member. You select the tools for each squad member when you deploy it.
Secrets and security
The HQ encrypts your API keys with AES-256-GCM in a file on your computer. Desktop keeps the HQ access tokens in the macOS Keychain.
Phones and the web app never get the administrator token of the HQ. Each device gets its own credential, and you can revoke it.
Chat
Talk to your squad members in Desktop, the web app, the iOS app or the Android app. You can also use Telegram, WhatsApp or the WebSocket API.
Replies stream in real time. You see the squad member think, use tools and write its reply. The HQ keeps each conversation, so you can continue it later.