Open WebUI’s Open Terminal gives local models a real execution environment

Reddit thread: LocalLLaMA discussion
Project: open-webui/open-terminal
Docs: Open Terminal documentation

This LocalLLaMA post captures why Open WebUI’s new Open Terminal feature is getting attention. It gives a model an actual operating system to work inside, not just a chat box with a few toy tools. In Docker mode, the agent gets a sandboxed Linux environment with a file browser and live previews. In bare metal mode, it can operate directly on the user’s machine and project directory.

What stands out

The model can install packages, run shell commands, edit files, and generate outputs that appear immediately in the browser.

The docs list a broad preinstalled stack, including Python 3.12, git, build tools, jq, sqlite3, pandas, scikit-learn, matplotlib, and more.

The Reddit post says Qwen3.5 35B A3B worked well as long as “Native” tool calling was enabled, and the default Docker setup keeps a persistent working volume between chats.

That combination matters because it reduces the gap between local open models and products such as Claude Code. Instead of wiring separate plugins, the user gets a single environment where the model can inspect files, execute steps, recover from errors, and hand back artifacts through the same interface. The post also notes that enterprise multi-user “Terminals” are in progress, which points to a team-oriented version of the same workflow.

The obvious caveat is safety. The Open WebUI docs are blunt that bare metal mode gives the AI the user’s real permissions, so Docker is the safer default. Still, the broader takeaway is clear: local models become much more useful once tool calling, filesystem access, and execution are treated as first-class features instead of afterthoughts.