Galago is a comprehensive laboratory automation platform that orchestrates and manages laboratory equipment through a unified interface. It provides protocol execution, device management, and real-time monitoring for automated laboratory workflows.

Galago consists of several distinct modules:

• Controller: A Next.js + tRPC web application that provides the user interface, manages device orchestration, protocol execution, and scheduling
• Tool Drivers: Separate repository containing gRPC-based drivers for laboratory equipment

• 🔬 Multi-device orchestration - Coordinate multiple laboratory instruments simultaneously
• 📋 Protocol management - Create, edit, and execute complex laboratory protocols
• 📊 Real-time monitoring - Live status updates and logging of all device operations
• 🗄️ Inventory tracking - Manage labware, samples, and consumables
• 📈 Run analytics - Detailed execution reports
• 🔧 Extensible architecture - Easy integration of new laboratory equipment

• Node.js 22.11
• Docker and Docker Compose (recommended for development)
• Redis (for queue management)

If you plan to contribute or customize Galago, start by forking the repository:

1. Fork on GitHub: Click the "Fork" button at the top right of the repository page, or use this direct link:

   Fork Galago →

2. Clone your fork (replace your-username with your GitHub username):

   git clone https://github.com/your-username/galago-core.git
   cd galago-core

1. Add upstream remote (to keep your fork updated):

   git remote add upstream https://github.com/your-org/galago-core.git

1. Launch development environment

docker-compose -f docker-compose.dev.yml up --build

1. Access the application
   • Web Interface: http://localhost:3010

1. Install grpcio dependencies on a local environment (for proto files, testing, linting, etc)

bin/make deps

1. Initialize and update submodules (pulls the latest proto definitions from galago-tools):

git submodule update --init --recursive

Note: Run git submodule update --remote vendor/galago-tools anytime you need to pull the latest proto updates.

1. Generate proto files

bin/make proto

For production deployment:

# Launch production stack
docker-compose up -d

#Stop containters
docker-compose -f docker-compose.dev.yml down

#remove existing images
docker-compose -f docker-compose.dev.yml down --rmi all

#Remove orphans
docker compose -f docker-compose.dev.yml down --rmi all --remove-orphans

#rebuild a specific service
docker-compose up -d --force-recreate --no-deps --build service_name

#e.g
docker-compose -f docker-compose.dev.yml up --build db

#add npm deps to dev environment
docker exec -it galago-web-dev npm install <package name>

#See all tables
sqlite3 data/app.db ".tables"

#See schema for a specific table
sqlite3 data/app.db ".schema workcells"

#See all table schemas
sqlite3 data/app.db ".schema"

#Interactive mode.
sqlite3 data/app.db

  #Query a table
  SELECT * FROM logs LIMIT 5;

We are starting to move all CRUD operations to Drizzle ORM. After updating the schemas files, run npx drizzle-kit generate to generate the migration files.

conda create -n galago
conda activate galago #mac
source activate galago #windows

bin/make deps
bin/make proto

We welcome contributions to Galago! Please follow these guidelines:

1. Fork the repository and create a feature branch
2. Set up development environment using Docker Compose
3. Make your changes following the existing code style
4. Test your changes thoroughly
5. Submit a pull request with a clear description

• TypeScript/JavaScript: Follow existing patterns, use Prettier for formatting
• Commit messages: Use conventional commit format

To integrate a new laboratory instrument:

1. Implement the gRPC interface in the galago-tools repository
2. Add the tool type to interfaces/controller.proto
3. Update the controller to recognize the new tool type
4. Add appropriate UI components for tool-specific operations

• Never commit sensitive information (API keys, passwords, etc.)
• Use environment variables for configuration
• Keep dependencies updated regularly
• Report security issues privately to the maintainers

Galago stores Secrets (Slack webhook/bot token, SMTP password) encrypted at rest in SQLite. To enable this, you must set the environment variable GALAGO_SECRETS_KEY for the controller server process.

• Required format: a 32-byte key provided as either:
  • hex: 64 hex characters (recommended), e.g. output of openssl rand -hex 32
  • base64: standard base64 encoding of 32 bytes

Generate a key:

# Recommended (hex)
export GALAGO_SECRETS_KEY="$(openssl rand -hex 32)"

# Alternative (hex, via node)
export GALAGO_SECRETS_KEY="$(node -e \"console.log(require('crypto').randomBytes(32).toString('hex'))\")"

Set it for Docker Compose (dev/prod):

services:
  galago-web-dev:
    environment:
      - GALAGO_SECRETS_KEY=your_64_char_hex_key

After setting it, open Settings → Secrets and save a secret. If the key is missing/invalid, the UI will show “Secrets encryption is not configured”.

Container fails to start:

# Check logs
docker-compose logs galago-web-dev
docker-compose logs galago-db-dev

# Rebuild containers
docker-compose -f docker-compose.dev.yml down --rmi all
docker-compose -f docker-compose.dev.yml up --build

Port conflicts:

• App runs at http://localhost:3010 by default.
• Modify port mappings in docker-compose files if needed

1. User Interface (Next.js) → tRPC calls → Database Service
2. User Interface -> tRPC calls → gRPC calls → Tool Drivers

This project is licensed under the Apache License 2.0 - see the LICENSE file for details.

• Documentation: See the Galago Documentation
• Issues: Report bugs and feature requests via GitHub Issues
• Discussions: Use GitHub Discussions for questions and community support