Local mode

In Local mode, a project’s code lives in a folder on your own computer, and the assistant’s tools run there. A small app, the Local Runtime, connects your computer to my.studio. “Only tool names and arguments reach the platform — your files never leave your machine.”

Cloud, Local or Auto

Each project has a Workspace mode, set on its Code tab:

Mode	What it means
Auto	“Use Local when the companion is connected, else Cloud”.
Cloud	“Code lives in the platform / linked repo”. Tools run on work.studio.
Local	“Code lives on this machine (needs the companion)”. Tools run on your computer.

“The companion” is the Local Runtime.

Before you start

• A computer running Windows (x64), macOS (Apple Silicon or Intel) or Linux (x64 or arm64).
• Chrome or Edge. These browsers block a website from reaching apps on your computer until you allow it, and step 2 below does that.

Set up Local mode

The project’s Code tab shows a Set up Local mode card with two one-time steps.

1. Install & start the Local Runtime. Select Download for your system. The link opens work.studio/download with the Local Runtime and your system already picked. Install it. It starts by itself after install.
2. Allow local access in your browser. Select the site icon to the left of the address bar, then turn on Local network and Apps on device.
3. Select Start & connect. If the Local Runtime was already installed, turn on step 2, then connect.
4. On the Code tab, select Link local folder… and pick the folder you want to work in.
5. Set Workspace mode to Local, or leave it on Auto.

You can also download the Local Runtime from Settings › Connect an agent › Run work on your own machine (Download the Local Runtime). Install it, then switch a project’s workspace to Local, and it’s found automatically.

Check that it’s connected

A status line at the bottom of the sidebar shows the Local Runtime once you’ve used it:

Status	Meaning
Local Runtime ready	Connected. Claude Code is available too.
Claude Code unavailable	Connected, but the Claude Code command-line tool isn’t installed or isn’t on your PATH.
Local Runtime not running	It was connected before and now isn’t. Steps that need your computer are skipped.

If you’ve never run the Local Runtime, the status line doesn’t appear.

Troubleshooting

• “Local selected, but the Local Runtime is offline — start it to activate Local”: start it with Start Local Runtime on the Code tab. If that doesn’t work, check that Local network and Apps on device are on for my.work.studio in your browser, then select Retry.
• “Local selected, but no local folder is linked — link one to activate Local”: select Link local folder….
• It won’t start: the card shows where the log is. On Windows it’s %LOCALAPPDATA%\WorkStudio\LocalRuntime\logs\runtime.log. On Linux, run journalctl --user -u workstudio-local-runtime -e.

My Claude

If Claude Code is installed on your computer, the My Claude chip under the chat box can hand each turn to it. The turn then runs on your own Claude subscription instead of work.studio credits. The chip appears in Chat and in a project’s chat.

Chip	Meaning
My Claude: off	Available. Select it to hand turns to Claude Code.
My Claude: on	“Turns are being handed to Claude Code on your machine, on your own subscription.” Select it to go back to work.studio.
My machine: files only	Your files and terminal are reachable, but turns still run on work.studio.
My Claude (dimmed)	The Local Runtime isn’t connected. Select it to connect.
Waking your machine	Connecting to your computer.

Note

My Claude needs both the Local Runtime and the Claude Code command-line tool. When the chip can’t hand over a whole turn, it says so rather than showing “on”.

Next steps

ProjectsThe Code tab, where you pick the workspace mode.

Chat with the assistantWhere the My Claude chip lives.