devspace is a self-hosted MCP server that gives ChatGPT and other MCP hosts password-approved access to local files, shell, and Git workspaces. It lets hosted AI clients read, edit, and run code in real local projects without uploading code to a third party.
Project overview
Hosted MCP clients like ChatGPT normally cannot touch real local projects; devspace addresses this directly with a self-hosted server that exposes local file, shell, and Git tools behind an owner-password approval, so code does not need to be uploaded to a third party.
Project type
MCP · AI Coding
Use cases
Coding & Development
Deployment
Refer to project documentation
License
MIT
Best for
Developers who use ChatGPT or another MCP-capable host and want it to work directly on local files, shell, and Git in an approved workspace.
Users who want AI coding assistance on local projects without uploading code to a third party.
Key capabilities
Lets the connected MCP client read, write, and edit files inside an approved project workspace.
Runs shell commands for tests, builds, git, and package scripts in the workspace.
Searches code and inspects directories within the opened workspace.
Uses isolated Git worktrees for parallel coding sessions.
Limitations and risks
A connected MCP client has powerful local capabilities including shell execution; treat it like a trusted partner with machine access.
Not usable on Windows with only PowerShell or cmd.exe.
Getting started
Install globally with npm (npm install -g @waishnav/devspace), run devspace init (interactive), start devspace serve, connect the MCP client to http://127.0.0.1:7676/mcp, and approve the connection with the Owner password. ChatGPT usage additionally requires a public HTTPS tunnel and password approval. Overall setup difficulty is medium.
Evidence and sources
README: DevSpace is a self-hosted MCP server that lets ChatGPT read, edit, search, and run code in your real local projects — your files, your tools, your terminal — without uploading any…
README: If you select ChatGPT, setup also asks which local project folders it may open and for your public HTTPS base URL from Cloudflare Tunnel, ngrok, Pinggy, Tailscale Funnel, or anoth…
GitHub project description: Minimal Coding Agent Harness on MCP for ChatGPT, Claude, Hermes, Grok Bot, OpenClaw
README: The default local endpoint is: ```text http://127.0.0.1:7676/mcp ``` Most users should connect through a public HTTPS tunnel:
README: DevSpace gives ChatGPT tools to: - read, write, and edit files inside the opened workspace - search code and inspect directories - run shell commands for tests, builds, git, and p…