Claude Opus with a browser, a budget, and a to-do list

What it does

dothething is a local shell-based AI agent that takes a plain-English task, plans the steps, and executes them using web search, browser automation, file editing, shell commands, and code execution. It routes reasoning through Claude Opus via OpenRouter, delegates grunt-work summaries to Sonnet, and consults GPT-5.4 when stuck. The agent persists state to disk, tracks cumulative token cost in real time, and can resume interrupted sessions. It also integrates with MCP servers and custom skills, so you can extend its toolset without touching the core code.

The interesting bit

The standout detail is the result_mode system: raw tool output can be piped through a cheaper model for summarization before it reaches the main agent’s context window, keeping long tasks from drowning in noise. An orchestrator mode can spin up as many as 16 parallel agents, splitting your prompt across them and showing a cost estimate before spending your money. It even manages its own configuration—ask it to add an API key and it edits its own env file and reloads.

Key highlights

• Local-first runtime with a private SearXNG instance and Camoufox (a fingerprint-resistant Firefox fork) for web scraping and captcha solving.
• Mid-task human intervention: press any key to inject live instructions, or queue them with Ctrl-Q.
• Built-in cost controls: set a --max-cost limit and the agent checkpoints itself before overspending.
• Extensible via Claude Code-style SKILL.md files and MCP servers, which can be added mid-session without restarting.
• Pipe mode (--pipe) emits only the final report to stdout with Unix-friendly exit codes for scripting.

Caveats

• macOS and Linux only; Windows is not supported according to the README.
• The full-screen TUI is explicitly marked experimental.
• First-run setup takes a couple of minutes to bootstrap a Python venv, SearXNG, and the Notte browser framework.

Verdict

Developers who want a persistent, scriptable research assistant that can survive interrupts and cap its own spending should look here. If you need a polished GUI, cross-platform support, or are allergic to shell scripts and API bills, this is not your tool.