Chatwalaau

ChatWalaʻau

The localhost AI Agent Runtime -- Chat UI, Tools, RAG, and MCP in one pip install

[](https://pypi.org/project/chatwalaau/) [](LICENSE.md) [](https://pypi.org/project/chatwalaau/)

ChatWalaʻau is a full-stack AI agent runtime that runs entirely on localhost. It connects a modern chat UI to AI agents via the AG-UI protocol, with built-in tools, a RAG pipeline, MCP integration, and an OpenAI-compatible API -- all from a single pip install.

> Hawaii-built, powered by Microsoft Agent Framework

📖 Full documentation & guides: chatwalaau.com

---

Quick Start

pip install chatwalaau
chatwalaau init        # writes a .env for you to edit

Configure at least one model provider in .env:

Azure OpenAI

AZURE_OPENAI_ENDPOINT=https://.openai.azure.com/
AZURE_OPENAI_MODELS=gpt-5.5          # comma-separated; the first entry is the default
AZURE_OPENAI_API_KEY=      # or authenticate with Entra ID instead (see below)

Anthropic (Claude) -- standalone or alongside Azure OpenAI

ANTHROPIC_MODELS=claude-fable-5
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...         # "direct" hosting; Microsoft Foundry hosting is also supported

OpenAI (direct) -- standalone or alongside the others

OPENAI_MODELS=gpt-5.5                # reasoning models (gpt-5.x)
OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...                # OPENAI_BASE_URL optional (OpenAI-compatible gateways)

Microsoft Foundry -- models from a Foundry project (gpt-5.x, DeepSeek, ...), Entra ID sign-in

FOUNDRY_MODELS=gpt-5.5,deepseek-v4-pro  # model deployments in the project
FOUNDRY_PROJECT_ENDPOINT=https://.services.ai.azure.com/api/projects/

Then start the server:

chatwalaau

Open: http://localhost:8000/chat

> Azure authentication options. An API key (AZURE_OPENAI_API_KEY) is the > quickest and always takes precedence -- set it and you do not need az login. > To use Microsoft Entra ID instead, leave the key unset and pick a credential lane > with AZURE_CREDENTIAL_MODE: cli (default -- az login for local dev), > managed-identity (Azure App Service / Container Apps / AKS / Functions / VM), or > default (auto-discovery). Anthropic uses ANTHROPIC_API_KEY for direct > hosting, or Entra ID for foundry hosting. Microsoft Foundry is Entra ID only > (it reuses the same credential lanes; no API key exists). See the > Authentication guide.

> Behind a corporate TLS-intercepting proxy? Install with pip install "chatwalaau[corp]" > so Python trusts your OS certificate store. See the > Installation guide.

---

Highlights

• Modern chat UI -- Markdown, code, math (KaTeX), Mermaid, reasoning blocks, web search with citations, voice in/out, image analysis, a built-in paint canvas (draw, paste, or load an image from your device or the coding workspace, attach, and re-edit), Temporary Chat, message-by-message navigation (previous/next step buttons that walk the conversation one message at a time), and slash commands (/help, /prompt, /skill, /model) with completion and dynamic arguments
• Agent tools -- image generation + mask editor, weather, coding tools with an approval workflow (a per-turn round counter, a configurable round budget, and "approve for this session" that stops counting against the budget and clears the other pending cards of that tool), prompt templates, and Agent Skills (enable/disable or hot-reload from disk at runtime)
• Models -- switch between Azure OpenAI, Anthropic (Claude), OpenAI, and Microsoft Foundry mid-conversation, with per-message generation options (reasoning effort and, on gpt-5.x, verbosity), structured output (constrain the answer to JSON / a JSON Schema), and provider-agnostic prompt caching that cuts input-token cost on long/coding turns (on by default, output-transparent)
• Knowledge -- RAG over your PDFs (ChromaDB), ingested by the built-in Pipeline Jobs engine: submit/monitor/cancel jobs from a portal, the API, or the agent, with live progress and run history (on by default)
• Ontology -- design concept models as RDF knowledge graphs on a visual node canvas: circular entities (emoji, colors, typed properties with key attributes) connect from any side with directional, cardinality-labeled relationships, and clicking a node or edge lights up its whole in/out neighborhood; search with SPARQL or natural language with on-canvas highlighting, import/export standard RDF with automatic backups, and let the agent answer from your ontologies in any chat (opt-in via ONTOLOGY_ENABLED)
• MCP native -- connect any MCP server (Claude Desktop-compatible config); enable/disable servers and individual tools at runtime to control token usage, or hot-reload the config (reconnect) without a restart; MCP Apps render interactive UI in chat
• Memory -- a configurable Agent Identity, a self-maintaining User Preference Memory (about you), and an Agent Memory (about the work -- project conventions, tool quirks, operating rules) that the agent curates inline and you can grow by giving any chat turn a thumbs-up to "remember this turn"; a built-in Memory editor lets you view and edit all three files (IDENTITY.md / USER.md / MEMORY.md) in a Markdown editor with automatic timestamped backups
• Scheduled execution -- a built-in Cron Scheduler runs workspace scripts on a cron expression, an interval, or once after a delay; manage jobs from a portal, the API, or the agent (opt-in via CRON_ENABLED)
• File Explorer -- a built-in VSCode-style file tree + monaco editor to browse and hand-edit files in your coding workspace, with tabs, create/rename/delete, drag-to-move, upload files & folders (multiple, with an overall-progress bar), file/folder download (ZIP), PDF & image preview with zoom, and a split editor (drag tabs between panes) (opt-in via FILE_EXPLORER_ENABLED)
• Microsoft Teams -- talk to the agent from a Teams personal chat, group chat, or channel (Bot Framework JWT auth, typing indicator, Adaptive Card tool approval, Entra Object-ID allow-list; opt-in via TEAMS_ENABLED)
• Declarative agents -- define an agent (persona, model selection, output policy) in a YAML file and switch the active agent at runtime from the web app; the built-in CORE agent reproduces the default behavior (opt-in custom agents via DECLARATIVE_AGENTS_DIR)
• Inbound webhooks -- drive the agent from external events via a Webhook Gateway with a management portal; the first source is Microsoft Graph, which auto-summarizes Teams meeting transcripts into the workspace (opt-in via WEBHOOK_ENABLED), or summarize a meeting you organized on demand by signing in yourself (device-code, no service principal or admin policy); the portal shows live Graph subscriptions, offers delete-and-re-subscribe when a subscription already exists, and surfaces the auto-renewal schedule
• OpenAI-compatible API -- expose the agent as /v1/responses for any OpenAI-SDK app
• Yours, local-first -- file-based sessions, vectors, and uploads stay on your machine; unified API-key auth and an optional web sign-in for LAN/cloud; an opt-in Prompt Dump (PROMPT_DUMP_ENABLED) writes the exact flowing prompt per run to a folder for debugging

See the Features documentation for the full list and configuration.

---

UI Preview

Weather Tools | Mermaid Diagrams | Image Analysis

DevUI | Search Session | Image Generation

---

About the Name

"Walaʻau" (wah-la-OW) is a Hawaiian word meaning "to chat, talk, or converse." We chose it because it captures what the agent does, in the language of the place where the project is built. Hawaiian (ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi) is an indigenous language now in active revitalization; we use this word with respect and gratitude.

---

Documentation

Everything -- installation, configuration, every feature, the API, the CLI, and deployment -- lives on the documentation site:

• Getting started: Installation · Configuration
• Features: Chat & UI · Slash Commands · Agent Tools · Models & Reasoning · Voice · Knowledge & MCP · Memory & Sessions · Declarative Agents
• API & CLI: OpenAI-compatible API · Authentication · CLI
• Deployment & Ops: Development setup · Networking & Ops

Documentation is available in English and 日本語, with full-text search (including Japanese) built into the site.

---

Development

# Backend
cd backend && cp .env.sample .env   # set AZURE_OPENAI_ENDPOINT
uv sync --prerelease=allow
uv run uvicorn app.main:app --reload --app-dir src   # http://localhost:8000

# Frontend (separate terminal)
cd frontend && pnpm install && pnpm dev               # http://localhost:5173

Full prerequisites, Azure credential lanes, and the production build are in the Development setup guide.

---

Supported Platforms

Windows 10/11 · macOS (Intel / Apple Silicon) · Linux (Ubuntu, Debian, etc.)

License

[Apache-2.0](LICENSE.md)

Source & license

This open-source MCP server is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: motojinc25
• Source: motojinc25/chatwalaau
• License: Apache-2.0
• Homepage: https://chatwalaau.com/

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.