ellmos BACH - Text-Based Operating System for LLMs

The stream that unites everything.

Version: v3.8.0-sugar-of-babel

Overview

BACH is a text-based operating system that empowers Large Language Models (LLMs) to work autonomously, learn, and self-organize. Part of the ellmos family (Extra Large Language Model Operating Systems), BACH provides comprehensive infrastructure for task management, knowledge management, automation, and LLM orchestration.

Key Features

• 109+ Handlers - Full CLI and API coverage of all system functions
• 373+ Tools - Extensive tool library for file processing, analysis, and automation
• 932+ Skills - Reusable workflows and templates
• 54 Protocol Workflows - Pre-built process workflows
• Knowledge Store - Lessons, Facts, and Multi-Level Memory System
• Agent CLI - bach agent start/stop/list for direct agent control
• Prompt System - Central prompt management with board system and versioning
• SharedMemory Bus - Multi-agent coordination with conflict detection and decay
• USMC Bridge - United Shared Memory Communication for cross-agent communication
• llmauto Chains - Claude prompts as chain steps with bach:// URL resolution

Installation

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/ellmos-ai/bach.git
cd bach

# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Initialize BACH
python system/setup.py

MCP Servers (Claude Code Integration)

BACH provides two MCP servers for integration with Claude Code, Cursor, and other IDEs:

# Install and configure MCP servers (recommended)
python system/bach.py setup mcp

# Or manually via npm:
npm install -g ellmos-codecommander-mcp ellmos-filecommander-mcp

• ellmos-codecommander-mcp - Code analysis and refactoring tools
• ellmos-filecommander-mcp - File management and batch operations

Quick Start

# Start BACH
python bach.py --startup

# Create a task
python bach.py task add "Analyze project structure"

# Manage agents
python bach.py agent list
python bach.py agent start bueroassistent

# Manage prompts
python bach.py prompt list
python bach.py prompt add "My Prompt" --content "..."

# Check scheduler status
python bach.py scheduler status

# Shut down BACH
python bach.py --shutdown

Core Components

1. Task Management

Full GTD system with prioritization, deadlines, tags, and context tracking.

2. Knowledge System

Structured memory system with Facts, Lessons, and automatic consolidation (5 memory types).

3. Agent Framework

Boss agents orchestrate experts for complex tasks. The Agent CLI allows direct starting, stopping, and listing of agents via bach agent.

The 5 Boss Agents: ati, officeassistant, finance-assistant, health-assistant, personal-assistant

4. Prompt System

Central management of prompt templates with board collections and full versioning (bach prompt).

5. Bridge System

Connector framework for external services (Telegram, Email, WhatsApp, etc.) and USMC Bridge for cross-agent communication.

6. Automation

SchedulerService for time-based jobs (chains, tasks, scripts) and event-driven workflows via the hook framework.

7. SharedMemory

Multi-agent coordination with context generation, conflict detection, decay, and delta queries.

8. llmauto Integration

Chain steps as LLM prompts with bach:// URL resolution for dynamic context embedding.

The ellmos Family

All ellmos projects follow a water metaphor -- from a spring to a full stream:

Tier	Project	Description	Repository
1	USMC	United Shared Memory Client -- the spring (shared memory only)	github.com/ellmos-ai/usmc
2	Rinnsal	The trickle -- USMC + llmauto (LLM orchestration), extremely compact	github.com/ellmos-ai/rinnsal
3	BACH	The stream that unites everything -- 109+ handlers, 932+ skills, agents, GUI, bridge	github.com/ellmos-ai/bach

Documentation

• Quickstart Guide - Get your first workflow running in 5 minutes
• User Manual - Complete handbook
• Skills Catalog - All available skills
• Agents Catalog - All available agents and experts
• Workflows - 54 protocol workflows
• SKILL.md - LLM operating instructions (for Claude, Gemini, Ollama)

See Also: OpenClaw

How does BACH compare to OpenClaw, the popular open-source AI assistant (274K+ stars)?

	BACH	OpenClaw
Focus	LLM Operating System -- deep autonomy, structured memory, multi-agent orchestration	Personal AI Assistant -- broad messaging gateway, voice, companion apps
Tools/Skills	373+ tools, 932+ skills, 54 workflows (local, curated)	Community-driven skill marketplace (ClawhHub, 2.2K+ skills)
Memory	5 memory types with decay, conflict detection, consolidation (145+ DB tables)	Session-based with /compact, workspace files
Agents	Boss-Expert orchestration (5 boss agents), SharedMemory Bus	Single-agent with multi-session management
Messaging	Telegram, Email, WhatsApp (Bridge System)	20+ platforms (WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord, Signal, Teams, Matrix...)
Interfaces	CLI, Python API, PySide6 GUI, Web GUI	CLI, WebChat, macOS/iOS/Android apps, Voice
MCP	Own MCP servers (FileCommander, CodeCommander)	Native MCP Registry
Stack	Python 3.10+, SQLite	TypeScript, Node.js 22+
License	MIT	MIT

In short: BACH goes deep (structured memory, autonomous agents, scheduler, 145+ DB tables). OpenClaw goes wide (20+ messengers, native apps, voice, massive community). Different philosophies, complementary strengths.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE for details.

Support

• Issues: GitHub Issues
• Discussions: GitHub Discussions

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Deutsche Version

BACH ist ein textbasiertes Betriebssystem, das Large Language Models (LLMs) befaehigt, eigenstaendig zu arbeiten, zu lernen und sich zu organisieren.

Die vollstaendige deutsche Dokumentation findest du hier: README.de.md

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ellmos BACH v3.7.0-waterfall - Text-Based Operating System for LLMs