{"slug": "an-open-source-ai-agent-that-runs-on-your-own-machine", "title": "An open-source AI agent that runs on your own machine", "summary": "An open-source AI agent called SAM runs locally on a user's machine, offering a team of specialist agents that can perform tasks across web, files, terminal, email, and GitHub for free. The project claims to be 86% cheaper and 46% faster per task than its previous version, with all tasks served free or locally using 40 free AI brains. SAM is available for macOS, Windows, and Linux, and includes features like semantic cache, life index, and a forge for creating new tools.", "body_md": "**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.**\n\nNot 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.\n\n`Free forever`\n\n· `Local-first & private`\n\n· `40 free AI brains`\n\n· `A team of agents`\n\n· `Ask-first safe`\n\n**Works everywhere: macOS · Windows · Linux** — [see the platform matrix](/richhabits/sam/blob/main/docs/PLATFORMS.md)\n\n```\ncurl -fsSL https://richhabits.github.io/sam/install.sh | bash\n```\n\n**macOS · Linux — one paste.** Windows: `irm https://richhabits.github.io/sam/install.ps1 | iex`\n\n⭐ ** Star SAM** if you want a free, private AI that actually does the work.\n\n*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](/richhabits/sam/blob/main/docs/BENCHMARKS.md)).\n\n- 🧠\n**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. - ⚡\n**Semantic cache**— ask the same thing twice and SAM answers** from memory in ~2ms, 0 tokens**. - 🗂️\n**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.* - 🪄\n**SAM everywhere**— hit** Alt+Space**(**⌥Space** on Mac) over any app, highlight text, and rewrite / reply / summarize / translate / fix it in place. - 🛠️\n**The forge**— when SAM lacks a tool, it** writes one**— sandbox-tested, saved disabled for you to review + enable.\n\nMost \"AI assistants\" just talk. SAM works:\n\n- 🤝\n**A team of AI agents**— for a big job SAM assembles a crew (research, code, writing, strategy, growth, deals) that runs** in parallel**and synthesises one answer. Plus**🥷 the Ninjas**— a problem squad that hunts down blockers, debts and loose ends. - 🐝\n**The Swarm**— long-running, continuous background agents that survive restarts and pause to ask for your approval on risky actions. - 🧠\n**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. - 📐️\n**173 real tools**— web, files, terminal, email, iMessage, calls, calendar, music, camera & vision, screenshots,** GitHub (read, commit, push, PRs)**. - ⏰\n**Scheduled Tasks**— run background routines on a cron (hourly, daily, weekly) e.g.,`/schedule daily 09:00 | summarize the news`\n\n. - 📱\n**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. - 💻\n**Native desktop app**— Mac/Windows/Linux desktop UI with a global** Alt+Space**(`⌥Space`\n\non Mac) hotkey to summon SAM anywhere. Build it with`npm run build:mac`\n\n(or`:win`\n\n/`:linux`\n\n). Note: package the app from a**path 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.- 👁️\n**It can see**— looks through your camera, knows your people by sight (*\"hey Alex\"*), and**🛡️ Guardian** mode watches for intruders. - 🧭\n**Semantic memory**· 💼🏠** Business & Personal minds**· 📍** live progress tracker**· 🗣️** two-way voice**. - 🎨\n**Skins**— Jarvis HUD, Ember, Stealth. Clean premium UI, light/dark, streams as it types. - 🔒\n**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).\n\nSAM |\nChatGPT Desktop | Typical open chat UI | |\n|---|---|---|---|\nCost |\nFree (£0/mo) | $20/mo | Free |\nRuns on your machine |\n✅ | ❌ cloud | ✅ |\nWorks fully offline |\n✅ (Ollama) | ❌ | |\nTakes real actions |\n✅ 173 tools | ❌ mostly chat | |\nTeam of agents |\n✅ parallel crew | ❌ | ❌ |\nYour data stays home |\n✅ | ❌ | ✅ |\nFree brains, auto-rotating |\n✅ ~40 | n/a | ❌ bring your own |\nOne-paste install |\n✅ | ✅ | ❌ usually setup |\nTelemetry |\nnone | yes | varies |\n\n**macOS / Linux:**\n\n```\ncurl -fsSL https://richhabits.github.io/sam/install.sh | bash\n```\n\n**Windows (PowerShell):**\n\n```\nirm https://richhabits.github.io/sam/install.ps1 | iex\n```\n\nDetects 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.\n\n*(macOS also: brew install --cask richhabits/tap/sam.)*\n\n** Download SAM** — works free out of the box, no API key needed:\n\n**Mac**(Apple Silicon M1–M4): open the`.dmg`\n\n→ drag**SAM** to Applications → launch it. On recent macOS an unsigned app shows*\"SAM is damaged and can't be opened\"*— that's**not** real damage, just Apple's quarantine flag on a browser download. One-line fix:`xattr -cr /Applications/SAM.app`\n\nin Terminal (then open it), or**System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway**.*(The one-paste installer above strips this automatically; code-signing removes it for good.)***Windows**: run`SAM-Setup-…exe`\n\n→ if SmartScreen appears, click**More info → Run anyway**(once — it's unsigned)\n\n\"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`\n\nor Privacy & Security → Open Anyway; see the Mac note above.) The permanent fix is code-signing — see below.\n\nEvery 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:\n\n**macOS / Linux:**`shasum -a 256 SAM-*.dmg`\n\n**Windows (PowerShell):**`Get-FileHash SAM-Setup-*.exe -Algorithm SHA256`\n\nThe 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.\n\n**Prerequisites:** [Node.js 20.19+ or 22.12+](https://nodejs.org) — *or skip this: ./setup.sh installs it for you.*\n\nPaste these into Terminal **exactly as-is** (they're clean — no comments to trip up zsh):\n\n```\ngit clone https://github.com/richhabits/sam.git\ncd sam\nnpm install\ncp .env.example .env\nnpm start\n```\n\nThen open ** http://localhost:8787**, tell SAM your name, and go —\n\n**SAM works free out of the box, no key needed.** Want more speed or image/video? Add a free key in\n\n**⚙ Settings**(optional — never required, and never by editing files).\n\nMac / Linux— prefer one command?`git clone https://github.com/richhabits/sam.git && cd sam && ./setup.sh`\n\n⚠️ Windows — do NOT use that one-liner.Windows PowerShell doesn't understand`&&`\n\n, and`./setup.sh`\n\nis a Mac/Linux script (you'll get`The token '&&' is not a valid statement separator`\n\n). 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:\n\n```\ngit clone https://github.com/richhabits/sam.git\ncd sam\nnpm install\nnpm start\n```\n\n(or\n\n`.\\setup.ps1`\n\n). Then double-clickto launch any time.`START-SAM.bat`\n\nNo keys? You don't need any — SAM runs\n\nfree out of the box. For a fully-offline brain, install[Ollama]; for more speed/power, add a free key in Settings (optional — 60 seconds).\n\n👶\n\nWant 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]\n\nOpen **⚙ Settings → API keys** in the app and paste one or more. SAM rotates across all of them.\n\n| Provider | Get a key | Notes |\n|---|---|---|\nGroq |\n|\n\n**Cerebras**[cloud.cerebras.ai](https://cloud.cerebras.ai)** NVIDIA**[build.nvidia.com](https://build.nvidia.com)** Google Gemini**[aistudio.google.com/apikey](https://aistudio.google.com/apikey)** Mistral**[console.mistral.ai](https://console.mistral.ai/api-keys)** GitHub Models**[github.com/settings/tokens](https://github.com/settings/tokens)More **providers** = more headroom, still free (one account each — SAM rotates across them). Nothing bills you unless you deliberately add a paid provider.\n\nSAM ships generic — it becomes about **you** as you use it:\n\n**Your name & style**— set at first run; SAM adapts.** Your brands/projects**— edit`server/projects.ts`\n\n, or drop a`vault/brands.json`\n\n(gitignored — stays private) and SAM loads it.**Your memory**— SAM learns as you chat; lives in`vault/`\n\non your machine only.**Your keys & voice**— all in** Settings**, stored only in your local`.env`\n\n.\n\nEverything personal lives in gitignored local files — so you can share the code freely without sharing your world.\n\nTypeScript brain (Express, one process) + React/Vite UI · model-agnostic agent loop · rotating key pool ·\nsemantic memory & tool routing (embeddings) · SSE streaming · markdown vault (no database).\n`npm start`\n\nbuilds the UI and serves everything on port 8787.\n\n```\nnpm start     # build + run the whole app\nnpm run dev    # dev mode with hot reload\nnpm test       # run the test suite\n```\n\nSAM 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`\n\n(or the in-app **Update now** button, which does a safe fast-forward). It never pulls behind your back or touches your local edits.\n\nSAM keeps **everything** in one folder, so removing it is total — no scattered files, no leftovers.\n\n**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`\n\n**Windows:**`%APPDATA%\\SAM`\n\n(i.e.`C:\\Users\\<you>\\AppData\\Roaming\\SAM`\n\n)**Linux:**`~/.config/SAM`\n\nThat'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.\n\n**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.\n\n**From anywhere (free, private, encrypted):** install [Tailscale](https://tailscale.com/) on your computer + phone (both free, ~5 min) — then reach SAM from any network at `http://<your-machine>.<tailnet>.ts.net:8787`\n\nover an encrypted mesh, no ports opened, no data through anyone's cloud. Best of both: private *and* everywhere.\n\n**Local-first.** Your keys, memory and data stay on your machine.**Ask-first.** Anything risky (sending, deleting, pushing, running commands) pauses for your explicit OK — or grant a standing \"always allow\".**No telemetry.** SAM doesn't phone home.\n\nOpen an [issue](https://github.com/richhabits/sam/issues/new/choose) (bug reports + feature requests have templates) or start a [Discussion](https://github.com/richhabits/sam/discussions). Good catches get fixed fast — that's the whole point of shipping in the open.\n\n**MIT** © 2026 Hectic Radio Ltd. See [LICENSE](/richhabits/sam/blob/main/LICENSE) and [NOTICE](/richhabits/sam/blob/main/NOTICE).\nThe **code** is free to use, modify, and redistribute — including commercially — with attribution.\n\n*\"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.*\n\n**S.A.M.** — it doesn't just answer. It handles it.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/an-open-source-ai-agent-that-runs-on-your-own-machine", "canonical_source": "https://github.com/richhabits/sam", "published_at": "2026-07-17 01:34:30+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-07-17 01:50:53.917089+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["artificial-intelligence", "ai-agents", "ai-tools"], "entities": ["SAM", "Groq", "Cerebras", "NVIDIA", "DeepSeek", "Gemini", "Mistral", "GitHub Models"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/an-open-source-ai-agent-that-runs-on-your-own-machine", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/an-open-source-ai-agent-that-runs-on-your-own-machine.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/an-open-source-ai-agent-that-runs-on-your-own-machine.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/an-open-source-ai-agent-that-runs-on-your-own-machine.jsonld"}}