A free, private team of AI agents that lives on your computer, remembers everything, and actually does the work. No subscription, no cost — runs on free cloud AI tiers by default, or 100% offline on Ollama.
Not a chatbot. A doer — with a crew. SAM researches, remembers, and takes real action on your computer (web, files, terminal, email, calls, GitHub), and when a job's big it assembles a team of specialist agents to tackle it in parallel — all running free on your own machine.
Free forever
· Local-first & private
· 40 free AI brains
· A team of agents
· Ask-first safe
Works everywhere: macOS · Windows · Linux — see the platform matrix
curl -fsSL https://richhabits.github.io/sam/install.sh | bash
macOS · Linux — one paste. Windows: irm https://richhabits.github.io/sam/install.ps1 | iex
⭐ ** Star SAM** if you want a free, private AI that actually does the work.
What Cursor did to coding, SAM does to the whole computer. And it's now ~86% cheaper and ~46% faster per task than v1.3 — with every task served free-or-local (reproducible benchmarks).
- 🧠 Cascade brain— a classifier routes each request to the cheapest brain that fits (trivial → your local model, never a paid API), auto-escalating only when a cheap answer actually fails.~35% fewer tokens, free-first always. - ⚡ Semantic cache— ask the same thing twice and SAM answers** from memory in ~2ms, 0 tokens**. - 🗂️ The life index— pick folders and SAM indexes them** on-device**, keeps them fresh, and cites the file in its answers.Cursor indexes your repo; SAM indexes your world. - 🪄 SAM everywhere— hit** Alt+Space**(⌥Space on Mac) over any app, highlight text, and rewrite / reply / summarize / translate / fix it in place. - 🛠️ The forge— when SAM lacks a tool, it** writes one**— sandbox-tested, saved disabled for you to review + enable.
Most "AI assistants" just talk. SAM works:
- 🤝
A team of AI agents— for a big job SAM assembles a crew (research, code, writing, strategy, growth, deals) that runs** in paralleland synthesises one answer. Plus🥷 the Ninjas**— a problem squad that hunts down blockers, debts and loose ends. - 🐝
The Swarm— long-running, continuous background agents that survive restarts and to ask for your approval on risky actions. - 🧠
40 free AI brains, auto-rotating— Groq · Cerebras · NVIDIA · DeepSeek · Gemini · Mistral · GitHub Models · SambaNova · Together · Fireworks · and 20 more. One hits a limit, it hops to the next. - 📐️
173 real tools— web, files, terminal, email, iMessage, calls, calendar, music, camera & vision, screenshots,** GitHub (read, commit, push, PRs)**. - ⏰
Scheduled Tasks— run background routines on a cron (hourly, daily, weekly) e.g.,
/schedule daily 09:00 | summarize the news
. - 📱
iOS Companion— drop notes to SAM from your iPhone/Watch via an iCloud folder; text notes are processed instantly, voice memos when Whisper is installed. - 💻
Native desktop app— Mac/Windows/Linux desktop UI with a global** Alt+Space**(⌥Space
on Mac) hotkey to summon SAM anywhere. Build it withnpm run build:mac
(or:win
/:linux
). Note: package the app from apath with no spaces— native modules can't build otherwise (the web app has no such restriction). ✈️ Autopilot— lifts the routine work autonomously; the serious stuff still asks. And it reaches out first with a** morning brief**+ nudges.- 👁️ It can see— looks through your camera, knows your people by sight ("hey Alex"), and🛡️ Guardian mode watches for intruders. - 🧭 Semantic memory· 💼🏠** Business & Personal minds**· 📍** live progress tracker**· 🗣️** two-way voice**. - 🎨 Skins— Jarvis HUD, Ember, Stealth. Clean premium UI, light/dark, streams as it types. - 🔒 Private by design— your keys, memory, vault and documents stay on your machine. Only the prompt you send goes to the brain you pick (and nothing at all in offline/Ollama mode).
SAM | ChatGPT Desktop | Typical open chat UI | | |---|---|---|---| Cost | Free (£0/mo) | $20/mo | Free | Runs on your machine | ✅ | ❌ cloud | ✅ | Works fully offline | ✅ (Ollama) | ❌ | | Takes real actions | ✅ 173 tools | ❌ mostly chat | | Team of agents | ✅ parallel crew | ❌ | ❌ | Your data stays home | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | Free brains, auto-rotating | ✅ ~40 | n/a | ❌ bring your own | One-paste install | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ usually setup | Telemetry | none | yes | varies |
macOS / Linux:
curl -fsSL https://richhabits.github.io/sam/install.sh | bash
Windows (PowerShell):
irm https://richhabits.github.io/sam/install.ps1 | iex
Detects your OS, downloads the right build, verifies the SHA-256, installs it, and launches SAM. Re-run any time to update. Then open ** http://localhost:8787** — free out of the box, no key or setup.
(macOS also: brew install --cask richhabits/tap/sam.)
** Download SAM** — works free out of the box, no API key needed:
Mac(Apple Silicon M1–M4): open the.dmg
→ dragSAM to Applications → launch it. On recent macOS an unsigned app shows*"SAM is damaged and can't be opened"*— that'snot real damage, just Apple's quarantine flag on a browser download. One-line fix:xattr -cr /Applications/SAM.app
in Terminal (then open it), orSystem Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway.*(The one-paste installer above strips this automatically; code-signing removes it for good.)*Windows: runSAM-Setup-…exe
→ if SmartScreen appears, clickMore info → Run anyway(once — it's unsigned)
"Windows says the file isn't safe" / "Windows protected your PC" — that's expected, and it's not actually unsafe.It's the exact same build our CI tests; Windows just shows this for any app that isn't code-signed (a paid publisher certificate), until the app builds download reputation. To proceed: if your browser flags the download, chooseKeep; when the blue SmartScreen box appears, clickMore info → Run anyway. (Mac shows a"damaged"variant on recent macOS —xattr -cr /Applications/SAM.app
or Privacy & Security → Open Anyway; see the Mac note above.) The permanent fix is code-signing — see below.
Every release ships SHA-256 checksums in its notes (auto-generated by CI). To confirm your installer wasn't tampered with, compute the hash and match it:
macOS / Linux:shasum -a 256 SAM-*.dmg
Windows (PowerShell):Get-FileHash SAM-Setup-*.exe -Algorithm SHA256
The builds are currently unsigned (the one-time "unverified app" warning is expected — see above). Removing that warning needs a code-signing certificate; the exact steps + costs are in ** docs/SIGNING.md**, and CI signs automatically the moment the certs are added.
Prerequisites: Node.js 20.19+ or 22.12+ — or skip this: ./setup.sh installs it for you.
Paste these into Terminal exactly as-is (they're clean — no comments to trip up zsh):
git clone https://github.com/richhabits/sam.git
cd sam
npm install
cp .env.example .env
npm start
Then open ** http://localhost:8787**, tell SAM your name, and go —
SAM works free out of the box, no key needed. Want more speed or image/video? Add a free key in
⚙ Settings(optional — never required, and never by editing files).
Mac / Linux— prefer one command?git clone https://github.com/richhabits/sam.git && cd sam && ./setup.sh
⚠️ Windows — do NOT use that one-liner.Windows PowerShell doesn't understand&&
, and./setup.sh
is a Mac/Linux script (you'll getThe token '&&' is not a valid statement separator
). Instead,the easiest path on Windows is theIf you really want source: run the commands[Download button]— no terminal at all.one line at a timein PowerShell:
git clone https://github.com/richhabits/sam.git
cd sam
npm install
npm start
(or
.\setup.ps1
). Then double-clickto launch any time.START-SAM.bat
No keys? You don't need any — SAM runs
free out of the box. For a fully-offline brain, install[Ollama]; for more speed/power, add a free key in Settings (optional — 60 seconds).
👶
Want dead-simple, step-by-step instructions?See— the baby-steps guide: ~15 minutes of copy-paste gets you fast, free AI that basically never runs out.[FREE-BRAINS.md]
Open ⚙ Settings → API keys in the app and paste one or more. SAM rotates across all of them.
| Provider | Get a key | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Groq | ||
Cerebrascloud.cerebras.ai** NVIDIA**build.nvidia.com** Google Gemini**aistudio.google.com/apikey** Mistral**console.mistral.ai** GitHub Models**github.com/settings/tokensMore providers = more headroom, still free (one account each — SAM rotates across them). Nothing bills you unless you deliberately add a paid provider.
SAM ships generic — it becomes about you as you use it:
Your name & style— set at first run; SAM adapts.** Your brands/projects**— editserver/projects.ts
, or drop avault/brands.json
(gitignored — stays private) and SAM loads it.Your memory— SAM learns as you chat; lives invault/
on your machine only.Your keys & voice— all in** Settings**, stored only in your local.env
.
Everything personal lives in gitignored local files — so you can share the code freely without sharing your world.
TypeScript brain (Express, one process) + React/Vite UI · model-agnostic agent loop · rotating key pool ·
semantic memory & tool routing (embeddings) · SSE streaming · markdown vault (no database).
npm start
builds the UI and serves everything on port 8787.
npm start # build + run the whole app
npm run dev # dev mode with hot reload
npm test # run the test suite
SAM checks for updates on launch — a few seconds after boot it compares your checkout against the remote and, if a newer version exists, prints an "✨ Update available" note (and shows a banner in the app). Getting it is one git pull
(or the in-app Update now button, which does a safe fast-forward). It never pulls behind your back or touches your local edits.
SAM keeps everything in one folder, so removing it is total — no scattered files, no leftovers.
Quit SAM, then drag the app to the Trash (or delete the folder you cloned).** Delete your data folder**(memory, keys, vault, settings) — all of SAM lives here:** macOS:**~/Library/Application Support/SAM
Windows:%APPDATA%\SAM
(i.e.C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Roaming\SAM
)Linux:~/.config/SAM
That's it — nothing lives outside those two places. Your data was never anywhere else (no cloud account to close, nothing to “request deletion” for). Try it risk-free; remove it in ten seconds.
Same Wi-Fi (easiest): ⚙ Settings → 📱 Use SAM on your phone → Turn on phone access → restart SAM → scan the QR with your phone camera. It opens SAM already signed in; tap Share → Add to Home Screen to install it like an app (camera, voice, everything). A private token gates every request; loopback stays untouched.
From anywhere (free, private, encrypted): install Tailscale on your computer + phone (both free, ~5 min) — then reach SAM from any network at http://<your-machine>.<tailnet>.ts.net:8787
over an encrypted mesh, no ports opened, no data through anyone's cloud. Best of both: private and everywhere.
Local-first. Your keys, memory and data stay on your machine.Ask-first. Anything risky (sending, deleting, pushing, running commands) s for your explicit OK — or grant a standing "always allow".No telemetry. SAM doesn't phone home.
Open an issue (bug reports + feature requests have templates) or start a Discussion. Good catches get fixed fast — that's the whole point of shipping in the open.
MIT © 2026 Hectic Radio Ltd. See LICENSE and NOTICE. The code is free to use, modify, and redistribute — including commercially — with attribution.
"SAM", "Smart Artificial Mind", and the SAM logo are trademarks of Hectic Radio Ltd — the MIT license covers the code, not the name or brand. Forks are welcome; just don't imply they're the official SAM.
S.A.M. — it doesn't just answer. It handles it.