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Introduction

LocalGPT is a local AI assistant with persistent memory, semantic search, and autonomous operation — built in Rust, inspired by OpenClaw. A single ~27MB binary gives you a CLI, desktop app, embedded web UI, and HTTP API — all keeping your data on your machine.

Key Features​

  • Local & Private - Single ~27MB Rust binary. All data stays on your machine. No cloud storage, no telemetry.
  • Hybrid Memory Search - Markdown-based knowledge store with SQLite FTS5 full-text search and local vector embeddings (fastembed) for semantic search
  • Desktop App - Native desktop GUI built with egui — chat, sessions, memory browser, and status dashboard
  • Embedded Web UI - Browser-based chat interface served directly from the binary
  • Multi-Provider Support - Works with Claude CLI, Anthropic API, OpenAI, and local Ollama models
  • Autonomous Heartbeat - Daemon mode with scheduled background tasks that run automatically
  • Skills System - Extensible skills for specialized tasks
  • Security - Prompt injection defenses, tool approval mode, content sanitization, and workspace locking
  • Session Management - Multi-session support with automatic context compaction
  • HTTP API & WebSocket - RESTful API and real-time WebSocket for integrations

Architecture Overview​

~/.localgpt/
├── config.toml           # Configuration file
├── workspace/
│   ├── MEMORY.md         # Curated long-term knowledge
│   ├── HEARTBEAT.md      # Pending autonomous tasks
│   └── memory/
│       └── YYYY-MM-DD.md # Daily conversation logs
└── logs/
    └── agent.log         # Application logs

How It Works​

  1. Chat Sessions - Start interactive conversations that maintain context
  2. Memory System - Important information is saved to markdown files and indexed for search
  3. Tool Execution - The AI can execute bash commands, read/write files, and search memory
  4. Heartbeat - Background process checks HEARTBEAT.md for pending tasks

Supported Models​

LocalGPT automatically detects the provider based on model name prefix:

PrefixProviderExamples
claude-cli/*Claude CLIclaude-cli/opus, claude-cli/sonnet
anthropic/*Anthropic APIanthropic/claude-opus-4-5, anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5
openai/*OpenAIopenai/gpt-4o, openai/gpt-4o-mini
AliasesAnyopus, sonnet, gpt, gpt-mini
OtherOllamallama3, mistral, codellama

Next Steps​