What is Bits?
Bits is an AI personal agent tool that runs an always-on, local-first assistant on your own machine for people who want an agent that keeps working after the app is closed. A small background daemon stays awake, wakes on scheduled routines, and continues tasks in the background, so the agent is not tied to an open chat window. Its memory lives in plain Markdown files under ~/.bits/memory/ that you can read and edit yourself, indexed with SQLite FTS5 for search, which keeps the agent's knowledge inspectable rather than locked in a service. A reviewer called Sentinel checks risky actions and only trusts your own words, asking for confirmation only when needed. You reach the same conversation through a calm desktop app, an Option+Space quick-ask overlay, and a hands-free voice mode with barge-in. Bits works with Anthropic, OpenAI, or local models via Ollama and LM Studio, and connects to external apps through MCP connectors with OAuth or API-key auth. It is MIT-licensed and free. For anyone comparing the best AI for a private, self-hosted personal agent, Bits is a notable open-source option in the BestAIFor directory, though it expects comfort with running a local daemon.
What is Bits used for?
Running a private, always-on personal AI agent locally that handles scheduled tasks and keeps editable file-based memory
How much does Bits cost?
Pros and cons
Pros
- Always-on background daemon keeps working on scheduled routines even when the app is closed
- Memory stored as plain Markdown files in ~/.bits/memory/ that you can read and edit, searchable via SQLite FTS5
- Sentinel reviewer gates risky actions and asks for confirmation only when needed
- Works with Anthropic, OpenAI, or local models through Ollama and LM Studio
- Option+Space quick-ask overlay plus a voice mode with barge-in, all on one shared conversation
Cons
- Local-first design means you run and maintain a daemon on your own machine rather than using a hosted service
- Local voice models are listed as planned, so hands-free currently relies on browser, OpenAI, or Cartesia
- Aimed at technically comfortable users; no managed cloud option is offered
- As a young open-source project, polish and integrations may trail commercial agents
Questions about Bits
What is Bits used for?
Bits is used as an always-on personal AI agent that runs locally on your own computer, carries out scheduled routines in the background, and keeps an editable memory of what matters in plain Markdown files.
Is Bits free?
Yes. Bits is open-source under the MIT license and free to use; because it is local-first, you run it on your own machine rather than paying for a hosted service.
Which AI models does Bits support?
Bits works with Anthropic and OpenAI models as well as local models run through Ollama or LM Studio, so you can keep inference on your own hardware if you prefer.
How does Bits store its memory?
Bits keeps its memory as plain Markdown files under ~/.bits/memory/, indexed with SQLite FTS5 for search, so you can read, edit, and inspect everything the agent remembers.
Bits vs hosted AI assistants?
Unlike cloud assistants, Bits runs a local daemon on your own machine, stores memory in files you control, and reviews risky actions with its Sentinel component, trading managed convenience for privacy and control.
What are the best alternatives to Bits?
Comparable to hosted personal agents like OpenAI's assistant tooling and open-source agent frameworks such as Open Interpreter
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