The goal was to experiment with local LLMs and find novel ways they could help with my work. Along the way, it turned into a full desktop app with features I actually wanted: total privacy (everything on my machine), the ability to connect to any provider, smart context management that doesn't break long conversations, and deep customization.

While it's designed with local LLMs in mind, that's not a limitation—you can use any provider you like or mix and match as needed.

---

## Key Features

### Connect to Any LLM Provider

Use whatever works for you:

- OpenAI (GPT-4, GPT-4o, etc.) - Anthropic (Claude 3.5 Sonnet, Opus, Haiku) - Google Gemini - xAI (Grok) - OpenRouter (access to 100+ models) - Local models: Ollama, LM Studio - Any OpenAI-compatible API

Switch between providers whenever you want. Use different models for different tasks—GPT-4 for code, Claude for writing, local models when you want everything offline. Compare responses. No lock-in, just flexibility.

---

### Smart Context Management

Long conversations work the way they should—without falling apart or losing important details.

*How it works:*

- Recent messages stay fully intact - Older content gets summarized automatically (you can use a cheaper model for this if you want) - Images, code blocks, and attachments are handled intelligently - Real-time visual indicator shows your token usage

*You get to choose the strategy:*

- Keep everything until you hit the limit - Keep only recent messages - Auto-summarize older messages - Reference content without including the full text

The goal was to make it so you can chat through 100+ messages without thinking about token limits. The app figures out what to keep detailed, what to compress, and what to just reference.

---

### Conversation Workflows

*Forking:* See a message where you want to try a different direction? Just click it to branch off a new conversation from that point. The original stays intact, and you can explore freely.

*Regeneration:* Not happy with a response? Regenerate it—with the same model or switch to a different one. All versions stick around, so you can flip between them and see what works best.

*Multiple chats:* Keep several conversations going at once. Quick navigation through the sidebar makes it easy to jump between them.

*Model Control:* Configure which model to use per chat, set custom system prompts, and adjust temperature settings. Each conversation can have its own unique setup.

---

### Rich Text Editor

Powered by Lexical (Facebook's text editor):

- Full markdown support with live preview - Syntax highlighting for code - Drag-and-drop for images

Code blocks get syntax highlighting and one-click copying. Works great in both light and dark themes.

---

### Search & Organization

*Search:* Find anything instantly—across all your conversations, message versions, tags, everything. Results show up as you type.

*Tags:* Create custom tags with colors, throw multiple tags on each chat, filter by whatever you need. You can see which tags you're using most too.

*Filters:* Mix search with tags to zero in on exactly what you're looking for.

---

### Keyboard Shortcuts

Stay productive with hotkeys:

| Shortcut | Action | | -------- | ---------------- | | `⌘N` | New chat | | `⌘/` | Focus chat input | | `⌘⇧S` | Toggle sidebar | | `⌘T` | Tag manager | | `⌘F` | Search | | `⌘↵` | Send message | | `Esc` | Stop generation | | `⌘,` | Settings | | `?` | Show help |

---

### Privacy & Local Storage

Everything lives in `~/.codeblocks/` as JSON files on your computer. That's it. No cloud sync.

Your API keys? On your machine. Your conversations? On your machine. Want to go completely offline? Works perfectly with local models.

Backing up is as simple as copying the folder somewhere safe. The file format is readable JSON, so you're never locked in.

---

### Vision Support

Works with vision-enabled models (GPT-4o, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, Gemini):

- Attach images to messages - Smart context management for images - Configurable image inclusion strategies

---

### Customization

- Light/dark/auto themes - Custom colors and styling - Per-model temperature and context settings - Custom system prompts per chat - Configurable logging levels

---

## Tech Stack

Built with:

- *Electron 30* for desktop integration - *React 18 + TypeScript* for the UI - *Vite 5* for fast builds - *Lexical* for the rich text editor - *Vercel AI SDK* for unified LLM access - *Tailwind CSS 4* for styling - *Ant Design* components

Architecture: Local JSON storage, type-safe with Zod schemas, real-time streaming support, clean IPC separation.

---

## Current Limitations

It's an alpha, so there are definitely rough edges:

- Mostly tested on macOS, so Windows/Linux might be quirky - Schema changes might require manually migrating your data - Error handling could be better in some spots - No export/import UI yet (just copy the files manually for now) - Everything's in English only

Basically, it works well for me, but your mileage may vary. Feel free to report issues as you find them.

---

## What's Next

Planning to add:

- *Custom tools from UI* - Define your own tools that LLMs can call, directly from the interface - *Integrations from UI* - Connect to external services and APIs through a simple UI (no code required) - *Custom tools (programmatic)* - Write your own tools with full control for advanced use cases - *Chat folders* - Hierarchical organization with drag-and-drop - *Export/import* - Markdown export, backup automation - *Analytics* - Token tracking, cost estimates, usage stats

The idea is to make customization accessible—whether you want to click through a UI or write code, both options will be there.

---

## Feedback Welcome

This is an early alpha—still figuring things out. If you try it and have thoughts on what works, what doesn't, or what you'd like to see, please let me know!

Your input helps shape where this goes next.

---

## Who This Is For

Honestly? I built this for myself to experiment with local LLMs and try out ideas for how AI could help with my work. But it might be useful if you're:

- Someone who wants *full control* over how your AI conversations work - *Experimenting with local models* and want a solid interface for them - Looking to *switch between providers* or compare different models - Into *privacy* and want everything on your machine - The kind of person who likes to *customize things* and tweak settings

The flexibility is the whole point—use it however makes sense for you.

---

## Core Ideas

What I was going for:

1. *Your data stays yours* - Everything on your machine, under your control 2. *No lock-in* - Use any provider, switch whenever 3. *Context that works* - Smart management so long conversations don't break 4. *Flexibility* - Fork conversations, compare models, customize everything 5. *Built for local LLMs* - But works with anything

The whole project is about having options and being able to experiment freely.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/15Hf3N5LxvqT_hYjoc3gCEU4G3ftphSCF?usp=sharing

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45710068

Points: 1

# Comments: 2

Second since llm are non deterministic in nature how do you know if the quality went from 90% to 30% there is no test you can write. What if model provider degrades quality you have no test for it

We're often paralyzed by too many decisions, sometimes even small ones that don't matter much, yet we find ourselves stuck in endless loops of analysis paralysis.

At the same time, there are theories suggesting we don't really know where our decisions come from.

I built Jagora for myself to break free from small and mundane decisions.

In our current world of logic, this might seem like a crazy idea. The main goal I had was to give thought to questioning our decision-making process.

Solution:

Combine LLMs with ancient guidance tools like the I Ching and astrology. You can also chat with philosophers from older times if you prefer.

Jagora https://jagora.ai

Signup is required to prevent abuse.

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41294958

Points: 11

# Comments: 1

Link to the tool: https://nihing-production.up.railway.app/workflows

So I had this crazy idea - what if we could do machine learning stuff right in the browser? No servers, no fancy setups, just pure browser power. And guess what? It frickin' works!

Here's the deal:

- Everything's happening in your browser. Like, EVERYTHING.

- Your data? It's chillin' in local storage. No sneaky uploads.

- Backend? What backend? We don't need no stinkin' backend!

Quick rundown of what I built:

1. Drag n' drop your data: Just yeet your CSV into the browser.

2. Make your data all fancy:

Turn text into numbers 'cause machines are picky eaters. See what your data looks like before you commit. No surprises! 3. Peep your data:

I threw in some graphs 'cause who doesn't love a good chart? Pro-tip: If it looks like a bell curve, you're golden. 4. Train that bad boy:

Pick what goes in, what comes out. Mess with some settings if you're feeling spicy. 5. See what stuck:

Find out which parts of your data are the real MVPs. 6. Extra goodies:

Wanna mash up some CSVs? I got you Why this is nice

- Cheap as free: Your computer does all the work. No cloud bills here!

- Privacy FTW: Your data never leaves your browser. It's like Vegas, but for numbers.

- ML for everyone: No more gatekeeping. If you can click a button, you can do ML now.

- Speed demon: Updates happen faster than you can say "machine learning”

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41157528

Points: 1

# Comments: 0

Having said that no man is island of itself. Current incentive structure works great to motivate individuals to start companies

Other was Effective Engineer

There are ways to communicate your objections without triggering other person defensive response.

A lot of theory in science is around advance Civilization that existed before modern day human (they are usually referred to as Giants). Hinduism talk about how earlier human were larger in height and have been reducing since the beginning.

After that it's mostly about risk taking, luck, perseverance and temperament.

I have few ideas on how you can improve this with lots of integrations. I can be reached at fameoflight@gmail.com if you want to chat.

You can have free tier of 100 submissions a month which will let people have a taste of service before they are ready to buy. Suggestions about soft limit can applied here to drive more people to convert to paid plan.

Also can add a premium plan which remove the backlink.

I want ability to refer back to notes but 99% of case I never refer to them

It's the best system among all the bad systems out there.