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ByteBot AI Desktop Agent

Added by ByteBot AI
Deploy ByteBot, an open-source AI desktop agent, on Phala Cloud's secure TEE infrastructure. ByteBot can control a computer desktop to complete tasks for you, running in Docker containers on your own infrastructure. Simply describe what you need done in plain English, and ByteBot will figure out how to do it – clicking buttons, typing text, navigating websites, reading documents, and completing tasks just like a human would.
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ByteBot Template

Deploy ByteBot, an open-source AI desktop agent, on Phala Cloud's secure TEE infrastructure. ByteBot can control a computer desktop to complete tasks for you, running in Docker containers on your own infrastructure.

What is ByteBot?

ByteBot is an open-source AI agent that can control a computer desktop to complete tasks for you. It runs in Docker containers on your own infrastructure, giving you a virtual assistant that can:

  • Use any desktop application (browser, email, office tools, etc.)
  • Process uploaded files including PDFs, spreadsheets, and documents
  • Read entire files directly into the LLM context for rapid analysis
  • Automate repetitive tasks like data entry and form filling
  • Handle complex workflows that span multiple applications
  • Work 24/7 without human supervision

Simply describe what you need done in plain English, and ByteBot will figure out how to do it – clicking buttons, typing text, navigating websites, reading documents, and completing tasks just like a human would.

Architecture

This template deploys four main components:

  1. ByteBot Desktop (bytebot-desktop): Ubuntu 22.04 with XFCE4, VSCode, Firefox, Thunderbird email client, and automation daemon (bytebotd)
  2. PostgreSQL Database (postgres): Stores task data and configuration
  3. ByteBot Agent (bytebot-agent): NestJS service that uses LLMs to plan and execute tasks
  4. ByteBot UI (bytebot-ui): Next.js web app for creating and managing tasks

Features

  • 🤖 Natural Language Control: Just tell ByteBot what you need done. No coding or complex automation tools required.
  • 🖥️ Full Desktop Access: ByteBot can use any application you can install - browsers, office tools, custom software.
  • 🔒 Complete Privacy: Runs entirely on your infrastructure. Your data never leaves your servers.
  • 🔄 Two Operating Modes: Autonomous Mode for independent task completion and Takeover Mode for manual intervention.
  • 🖱️ Direct Desktop Access: Desktop tab for free-form access and Task View for monitoring execution.
  • 🚀 Easy Deployment: One-click deployment with Docker Compose.
  • 🔌 Developer-Friendly: REST APIs for programmatic control and extensible architecture.

Quick Start

Prerequisites

  • Docker and Docker Compose installed
  • At least one of the following API keys:
    • Anthropic Claude API key
    • OpenAI GPT API key
    • Google Gemini API key

Required Environment Variables

Create a .env file in the same directory as your docker-compose.yml with the following variables:

# Required: At least one LLM API key must be provided
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your_anthropic_api_key_here
OPENAI_API_KEY=your_openai_api_key_here
GEMINI_API_KEY=your_gemini_api_key_here

Note: You must provide at least one of the API keys above. ByteBot will use whichever keys you provide.

Optional Environment Variables

# Database connection string (defaults to internal PostgreSQL)
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://postgres:postgres@postgres:5432/bytebotdb

# Service URLs (usually don't need to be changed)
BYTEBOT_DESKTOP_BASE_URL=http://bytebot-desktop:9990
BYTEBOT_AGENT_BASE_URL=http://bytebot-agent:9991
BYTEBOT_DESKTOP_VNC_URL=http://bytebot-desktop:9990/websockify

Deployment

  1. Clone or download this template
  2. Set up environment variables (see above)
  3. Deploy with Docker Compose:
docker-compose up -d
  1. Access ByteBot:

Usage

Creating Tasks

  1. Open the ByteBot web interface at http://localhost:9992
  2. Click "Create New Task"
  3. Describe what you want ByteBot to do in natural language
  4. Submit the task and watch ByteBot execute it

Task Examples

  • "Download my bank statement from the online banking portal and save it to the desktop"
  • "Open Excel, create a new spreadsheet with columns for Name, Email, and Phone, and enter the data from the PDF I uploaded"
  • "Navigate to the company website, fill out the contact form with the information from the CSV file, and submit it"
  • "Open the email client, compose a new message with the quarterly report attached, and send it to the management team"

Monitoring and Control

  • Task View: Watch ByteBot execute tasks in real-time
  • Desktop Tab: Take manual control when needed
  • Task History: Review completed tasks and their outputs
  • Screenshots: View screenshots taken during task execution

Ports

  • 9990: ByteBot Desktop (VNC and automation daemon)
  • 9991: ByteBot Agent API
  • 9992: ByteBot Web UI
  • 5432: PostgreSQL Database (localhost only)

Security Features

  • Container Isolation: Each service runs in its own Docker container
  • Network Isolation: Services communicate only through the internal bytebot-network
  • Local Database: PostgreSQL only accessible from localhost
  • TEE Integration: Leverage Phala Cloud's secure computation framework

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

  1. VNC Connection Issues: Ensure port 9990 is accessible and not blocked by firewall
  2. API Key Errors: Verify at least one LLM API key is set in your environment variables
  3. Database Connection: Check that PostgreSQL is running and accessible on port 5432
  4. Memory Issues: ByteBot Desktop requires at least 2GB of shared memory (shm_size: "2g")

Logs

View logs for specific services:

# View all services
docker-compose logs

# View specific service
docker-compose logs bytebot-agent
docker-compose logs bytebot-desktop
docker-compose logs bytebot-ui

Restart Services

# Restart all services
docker-compose restart

# Restart specific service
docker-compose restart bytebot-agent

Advanced Configuration

Custom Desktop Environment

You can customize the desktop environment by modifying the bytebot-desktop service in the docker-compose file. The desktop runs Ubuntu 22.04 with XFCE4 by default.

API Integration

ByteBot provides REST APIs for programmatic control:

  • Task Management: Create, monitor, and manage tasks
  • Direct Desktop Control: Send commands directly to the desktop
  • File Operations: Upload, download, and process files

Scaling

For production deployments, consider:

  • Using external PostgreSQL database
  • Setting up reverse proxy (nginx/traefik)
  • Implementing health checks and monitoring
  • Adding SSL/TLS encryption

Resources

Support

Ready to give your AI its own computer? Deploy this template and start automating desktop tasks with natural language commands!