Local Desktop AI Agent

Highlights

• Files stay on your machine

  Lapu AI stores all files and workspace data locally — in ~/Library/Application Support/Lapu AI on macOS and %APPDATA%\Lapu AI on Windows. There is no Lapu AI cloud workspace.

• Tools execute locally

  File read/write/edit, grep, and shell command execution all run on your computer. Output is captured and shown in the desktop app — it never leaves the machine for any third-party storage.

• Context-only model calls

  When a step requires reasoning, only the context the agent needs for that step is sent to the integrated model endpoint. There is no ambient data collection or background sync.

• Permission-based execution

  Risky actions are gated by explicit user approval. The agent shows what it plans to do before any file write, shell command, or desktop input.

What "local-first" means in practice

Local-first does not have to mean offline-only. For Lapu AI, it means your files and execution remain on your computer. The agent uses a hybrid approach: deterministic work — reading files, running commands, taking screenshots — happens locally, while AI reasoning is sent through Lapu AI infrastructure to the integrated model endpoint. That gives you the responsiveness of frontier models while keeping documents, code, and command output on your hardware.

Why this matters for desktop AI

An agent with file, terminal, and desktop access is one of the highest-trust pieces of software you install. A local-first architecture limits exposure: if a file never leaves your machine, it cannot be exposed by a cloud breach. If a shell command runs locally, the audit trail lives in your application, not in someone else's logs. Lapu AI keeps the trust surface small by design.

Local-first checklist

• No cloud workspace — Look for agents that explicitly say files are not synced to a server.
• Local tool execution — File and shell tools should run on your hardware, not on a hosted virtual machine.
• Context-scoped model calls — Only the data needed for a single reasoning step should leave the device.
• Visible audit trail — You should be able to inspect every action the agent took — locally.

Frequently asked questions

Does Lapu AI work offline?

The desktop application installs and runs offline, and local tools (file read/write/edit, grep, shell) work without an internet connection. AI reasoning calls require connectivity to reach the integrated model endpoint.

Where exactly is data stored?

On macOS, all application data is stored in ~/Library/Application Support/Lapu AI. On Windows, it is stored in %APPDATA%\Lapu AI. There is no Lapu AI cloud storage for your documents or session data.

What gets sent to the model endpoint?

Only the context required for the current agent step — for example, the prompt plus the selected files or command output the agent is reasoning about. The agent does not stream your full workspace to the model.

Can I use my own local model?

Lapu AI ships with built-in frontier models managed through Lapu AI infrastructure. Bring-your-own-model and offline model routing are not currently part of the product.

How does this compare to cloud AI agents?

Cloud AI agents typically run inside a hosted virtual machine, so file access requires uploading documents to the host. Lapu AI is local-first: the agent operates directly on your machine and only the immediate reasoning context is sent to the model.

Related

• Free Desktop AI Agent

  A free desktop AI agent for macOS and Windows. Lapu AI runs frontier models on your machine with permission-based file, terminal, and desktop automation. No credit card required.

• AI Agent That Runs Terminal Commands

  An AI agent that runs terminal commands on your machine — bash, zsh, PowerShell. Lapu AI captures stdout/stderr and gates execution behind per-action approvals.

• AI Agent That Reads and Edits Files

  An AI agent that reads, edits, and writes files on your machine. Lapu AI ships local file tools — read, write, edit, grep — with per-action approvals and a visible audit trail.

• Lapu AI for macOS

• Lapu AI for Windows