Agent Gateway
A production-oriented local agent gateway that gives ChatGPT Web(GPT-5.6 Sol) deterministic access to your local machine through theModel Context Protocol (MCP) over Streamable HTTP.
Direct mode is the default architecture. The gateway exposes precise,deterministic MCP tools (filesystem, search, process, git) that run insideoperator-authorized directories. GPT-5.6 Sol is the only reasoning agent:it owns the planning and decision loop, and the gateway executes its toolcalls — no second LLM is ever invoked by the gateway. The gateway works withno OpenCode server and no model/provider configured.
Optional OpenCode agent mode (disabled by default) additionally delegateswhole tasks to a local OpenCode agent for longer,autonomous work.
ChatGPT Web (GPT-5.6 Sol) <-- the reasoning agent
│
│ MCP over HTTPS (Streamable HTTP)
▼
Cloudflare Quick Tunnel
│
▼
Agent Gateway http://127.0.0.1:8000/mcp
│
├── Direct mode (default): deterministic tools
│ workspace_open / file_* / code_search / process_run / git_*
│ (filesystem, search, process, git — no OpenCode, no LLM)
│
└── OpenCode agent mode (optional, ENABLE_OPENCODE_AGENT=true)
agent_start_task / agent_status / agent_messages / agent_diff
→ OpenCode http://127.0.0.1:4096 (localhost only)
│
▼
Local system / repositories / tools
This project replaces the earlier chatgpt-local-repo-mcp prototype with aclean, tested, extensible foundation. It is not a copy of that prototype.
Why a gateway
- ChatGPT cannot reach your localhost. A tunneled MCP endpoint is theverified bridge.
- Direct deterministic tools beat a second agent. For most file, search,process, and git work, the gateway's primitives are exact, fast, and need noextra model. GPT-5.6 Sol keeps the reasoning; the gateway keeps the machine.
- You can grow. OpenCode (or a future Codex/Claude Code adapter) can beenabled behind the same stable MCP interface for autonomous task delegation.
Trust boundaries
| Boundary | Trust |
|---|---|
| ChatGPT ⇄ Cloudflare tunnel | Public; HTTPS |
| Cloudflare tunnel ⇄ gateway | Local tunnel; MCP transport security + optional bearer token |
| Gateway ⇄ OpenCode (when enabled) | Localhost only (127.0.0.1:4096), optional Basic Auth |
| Gateway ⇄ filesystem | Only directories explicitly listed in AGENT_ALLOWED_ROOTS |
The gateway's /mcp endpoint is the only public surface. Remote callerscannot:
- access directories outside the configured allowed roots,
- run unrestricted shell commands (commands are opt-in via
AGENT_ENABLE_COMMANDSand time-bounded), - delegate tasks to OpenCode unless the operator enabled that mode,
- auto-approve their own permission requests (never implemented),
- reach the gateway without the bearer token when
AGENT_GATEWAY_TOKENis set.
Architecture
tools/ (MCP tools) thin, callable by GPT-5.6 Sol
│
├── tools/direct.py deterministic primitives (default mode)
│ workspace_open → workspace_tree / file_read / file_stat /
│ file_find / code_search / file_write / file_replace /
│ file_apply_patch / process_run / git_status / git_diff /
│ git_log / git_show
│
├── workspaces/ WorkspaceManager: opaque ws_ IDs bound to
│ allowed roots; every path re-validated
│
└── services/delegation.py OpenCode mode: session lifecycle + registry
│
▼
executors/base.py Executor interface (health, sessions, prompts,
│ status, messages, diffs, abort, permissions)
▼
executors/opencode/ OpenCodeExecutor → OpenCodeClient → HTTP API
Every module depends on the layer below it; the MCP tools never touch httpxdirectly.
MCP tools — Direct mode (default, no OpenCode, no model)
The direct tools are available whenever the gateway runs. They only operateinside workspaces opened via workspace_open (which requires the directory tobe inside AGENT_ALLOWED_ROOTS).
| Tool | Read-only | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
workspace_open |
no | Validate a directory and bind it to an opaque ws_... ID |
workspace_tree |
yes | Directory tree listing (depth/entry caps) |
file_read |
yes | Read a file (with size cap and offset/limit) |
file_stat |
yes | Metadata for a file or directory |
file_find |
yes | Find files by name/glob under a directory |
code_search |
yes | Case-insensitive content search with line hits |
file_write |
no | Create/replace a file |
file_replace |
no | Exact old-string → new-string replacement (all or Nth occurrence) |
file_apply_patch |
no | Unified-diff patch with context verification |
process_run |
no | Run a command inside the workspace (opt-in, bounded) |
git_status |
yes | Working-tree status |
git_diff |
yes | Working-tree diff |
git_log |
yes | Commit history |
git_show |
yes | Commit/file content at a revision |
All direct tools: validated paths (no absolute paths, no .., no symlinkescapes), size caps on reads, entry caps on listings, strict relative-patharguments inside the bound workspace.
Direct-mode loop (as ChatGPT uses it)
workspace_open("C:\...\project")
→ ws_abc123
file_read(ws_abc123, "src/main.py") → current content
file_apply_patch(ws_abc123, "src/main.py", <<<diff>>>) → patch applied
process_run(ws_abc123, executable="pytest", args=["-q"], timeout_seconds=60) → verification
git_diff(ws_abc123) → review the change set
MCP tools — OpenCode agent mode (optional)
Enabled only with ENABLE_OPENCODE_AGENT=true. Adds the generic delegationlifecycle plus OpenCode diagnostics:
| Tool | Read-only | Backend operation |
|---|---|---|
gateway_health |
yes | health checks of gateway + each executor |
agent_executors |
yes | list configured executors and capabilities |
agent_start_task |
no | create session + async prompt_async |
agent_continue |
no | async follow-up prompt on an existing session |
agent_status |
yes | session state (busy / idle / retry) + pending permissions |
agent_session |
yes | session metadata + change summary |
agent_messages |
yes | message history with text and tool-call parts |
agent_diff |
yes | per-file diffs the agent produced |
agent_abort |
no | abort a busy session |
agent_pending_permissions |
yes | list permission requests awaiting a decision |
agent_reply_permission |
no | reply once / always / reject |
opencode_health |
yes | detailed backend health/version/url |
opencode_agents |
yes | list OpenCode agents |
opencode_providers |
yes | list model providers (no secrets) |
Delegation lifecycle
agent_start_task(executor, task, directory)
│
▼ returns session ID immediately (async dispatch)
agent_status(session_id)
│
├── busy / retry → wait and poll again
│
└── idle + completed
├── agent_messages(session_id) → read what the agent did
├── agent_diff(session_id) → review file changes
├── agent_continue(session_id, followup) → keep going
└── agent_abort(session_id) → stop runaway work
Long-running agent work uses OpenCode's async prompt API(POST /session/{id}/prompt_async). The gateway returns immediately and neverholds an MCP request open while the agent works. Completion is reported onlywhen the session is idle and the last assistant turn finished withfinish="stop".
Every operation on an existing session re-verifies that the session's realdirectory is still inside AGENT_ALLOWED_ROOTS (fail closed).
Permission workflow
The gateway never auto-approves. When the agent needs approval it raises apermission request, the supervisor sees it via agent_status /agent_pending_permissions, and a human decides viaagent_reply_permission. Allowed replies: once, always, reject.
Security model
- Transport auth: when
AGENT_GATEWAY_TOKENis set, every request to/mcpmust carryAuthorization: Bearer <token>(constant-time compare).Requests without a valid token get 401. A token is also required whenMCP_HOSTis a non-loopback address (e.g.0.0.0.0, LAN IP) to preventaccidental public exposure. - Directory security:
AGENT_ALLOWED_ROOTSis a semicolon-separated listof absolute paths. If unset, every directory is rejected (fail closed). Eachcandidate is canonicalized, must exist (for task roots), must not be afilesystem root, and must sit inside an allowed root. Traversal, symlinkescapes, and sibling-prefix spoofing (samplevssample-evil) arerejected; comparisons are case-insensitive on Windows. - No unrestricted shell by default:
process_runrequiresAGENT_ENABLE_COMMANDS=trueand enforces a timeout (default 300 s). - Bounded I/O: read size, tree entries, search results, and process outputare capped; huge payloads are truncated instead of streamed unbounded.
- OpenCode mode is opt-in (
ENABLE_OPENCODE_AGENT=true); without it theagent_*tools are not registered and no backend is contacted. - Permissions never auto-approved in OpenCode mode.
- Network: OpenCode stays localhost-only. Only
/mcpis tunneled.PUBLIC_MCP_HOSTallow-lists the tunnel host while keeping DNS-rebindingprotection enabled. - Secrets: passwords and Authorization headers are never logged; theconfig summary masks the password; provider model lists exclude keys.
Installation
Requirements: Python 3.11+ (tested on 3.14), git. OpenCode CLI is onlyneeded for the optional OpenCode mode.
cd C:\Users\dev\Desktop\chatgpt-like\chatgpt-agent-gateway
python -m venv .venv
.\.venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1
pip install -e ".[dev]"
Configuration
Copy .env.example to .env and edit, or set environment variables directly:
$env:MCP_PORT = "8000"
$env:PUBLIC_MCP_HOST = "your-tunnel.trycloudflare.com" # optional
$env:AGENT_ALLOWED_ROOTS = "C:\Users\dev\Desktop\sample-repo;C:\Users\dev\Desktop\projects"
$env:AGENT_GATEWAY_TOKEN = "generate-a-long-random-token" # recommended
$env:AGENT_ENABLE_COMMANDS = "true" # allow process_run
$env:LOG_LEVEL = "INFO"
| Variable | Default | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
MCP_HOST |
127.0.0.1 |
Gateway bind address (keep localhost) |
MCP_PORT |
8000 |
Gateway port |
PUBLIC_MCP_HOST |
(none) | Public hostname (e.g. Cloudflare tunnel) added to MCP transport security |
AGENT_ALLOWED_ROOTS |
(empty) | Semicolon-separated allowed directories; empty ⇒ fail closed |
AGENT_GATEWAY_TOKEN |
(empty) | Bearer token for /mcp; empty ⇒ no token required (localhost only) |
AGENT_INSECURE_NO_TOKEN_OPT_OUT |
false |
Required to run without a token when PUBLIC_MCP_HOST is set (dangerous) |
AGENT_ENABLE_COMMANDS |
false |
Enable process_run |
AGENT_PROCESS_TIMEOUT_MAX |
300 |
Max seconds a process_run may take |
AGENT_MAX_READ_BYTES |
200_000 |
Cap for file_read output |
AGENT_MAX_TREE_ENTRIES |
1000 |
Cap for workspace_tree entries |
AGENT_MAX_SEARCH_RESULTS |
200 |
Cap for code_search results |
AGENT_MAX_PROCESS_OUTPUT_BYTES |
100_000 |
Cap for process_run output |
ENABLE_OPENCODE_AGENT |
false |
Enable optional OpenCode agent mode |
OPENCODE_URL |
http://127.0.0.1:4096 |
Local OpenCode headless server |
OPENCODE_USERNAME / OPENCODE_PASSWORD |
(empty) | Optional Basic Auth for OpenCode |
LOG_LEVEL |
INFO |
Logging verbosity |
Running the gateway
agent-gateway
# or
python -m agent_gateway.server
Local MCP endpoint: http://127.0.0.1:8000/mcp
Exposing via Cloudflare
The gateway's transport security keeps DNS-rebinding protection enabled andallows localhost plus the hostname you set in PUBLIC_MCP_HOST. Start a QuickTunnel pointing at http://127.0.0.1:8000:
cloudflared tunnel --url http://127.0.0.1:8000
Take the printed https://<id>.trycloudflare.com, set it as PUBLIC_MCP_HOST,then restart the gateway. Set AGENT_GATEWAY_TOKEN — the gateway refusesto expose a tokenless /mcp publicly unless you explicitly setAGENT_INSECURE_NO_TOKEN_OPT_OUT=true. Security checks are never disabled tomake the tunnel work; the public host is explicitly allow-listed instead.
Running OpenCode (optional agent mode)
opencode serve --port 4096 --hostname 127.0.0.1
Verify: Invoke-RestMethod http://127.0.0.1:4096/global/health
Testing
pytest # default suite: direct mode only (150 passed, 9 skipped)
pytest tests/unit # unit tests — no services needed
$env:ENABLE_OPENCODE_AGENT = "true"
pytest # full suite incl. OpenCode mode (158 passed, 1 skipped)
The e2e suite starts a real gateway process on a temporary port and drives itover MCP-over-HTTP with the exact protocol ChatGPT uses. Two flavors:
tests/e2e/test_direct_e2e.py— direct mode with no OpenCode and nomodel: 401 without token, tool list, workspace → read → patch → write →process → git diff, and rejection of unauthorized directories. Runs in thedefault suite.tests/e2e/test_opencode_e2e.py— OpenCode mode (gated onENABLE_OPENCODE_AGENT=trueand a live server): read-only delegated task(repository verified byte-for-byte unmodified) plus the full MCP protocolflow including error cases.
Repository layout
src/agent_gateway/
├── config.py typed configuration (env-driven, validated)
├── errors.py gateway error taxonomy
├── logging.py redacted logging
├── security/
│ ├── paths.py allowed-roots enforcement
│ └── auth.py bearer-token middleware (constant-time compare)
├── workspaces/ WorkspaceManager: ws_ IDs, per-workspace validation
├── direct/ deterministic primitives (filesystem, search,
│ │ process, git) shared by the direct tools
├── executors/
│ ├── base.py Executor interface
│ └── opencode/ OpenCode client, models, errors, executor
├── services/delegation.py OpenCode orchestration + session registry
├── tools/ MCP tool registration (direct, gateway, delegation,
│ │ permissions, opencode)
└── server.py MCP server assembly + entry point
Future executor architecture
Add a new backend by implementing executors/base.py, registering it inexecutors/__init__.py, and adding any backend-specific diagnostic tools intools/. The generic agent_* tools and the delegation service require nochanges. No fake Codex/Claude adapters are shipped.
Limitations
- The OpenCode session registry is in-memory; a gateway restart forgets whichdirectories sessions came from (OpenCode itself persists sessions by ID).
- Direct-mode workspaces (
ws_...) also expire on gateway restart; reopenthem withworkspace_open. file_apply_patchrequires exact context matches; no fuzzy application.- OpenCode API is consumed as a superset of the v1 OpenAPI paths; futurebackend versions should be re-verified against their own
/doc. - The
alwayspermission reply is supported at the protocol level; operatorsmay want to disable it globally to enforce per-run approvals.