Streaming replies
Answers appear as they are written. Turn on thinking to see the model’s reasoning separately.
Your private AI
An AI that lives on your desk, not in the cloud.
AiDesk Helper is a free chat app for the AI models you run with Ollama. Your questions, your files and your answers never leave your computer. No account, no subscription, no API key.
Requires Ollama (free) · macOS on Apple Silicon
- No cloud AI
- No account
- Chats stay on your device
- Free
Features
Everything you expect from an AI chat.
Except the part where your words go to someone else’s server.
Any Ollama chat model
Pick a model under the chat title. Models already loaded in memory are listed first.
Install models in the app
Settings ▸ Models shows what you have, installs new ones with live progress and removes the ones you no longer need.
Images in, images out
Paste or drop up to 4 images for vision models, or generate pictures with an image model.
Work on a project folder
In the desktop app, AiDesk can read, search and change files in the folder you open.
Keep things tidy
Pin, rename, search and delete chats, or export them as Markdown or JSON from the ⋯ menu.
Stop when you want
Stop a reply mid-way and keep what was written so far. A failed request keeps your message.
Light, dark, fast
Light and dark themes, saved drafts per chat, ⌘N for a new chat and ⌘K to search.
Privacy by design
Your data has nowhere else to go.
AiDesk Helper talks to one thing: Ollama, running on the same computer. There is no cloud fallback and nothing to sign in to.
- AiDesk Helper sends your message to Ollama on your device.
- Ollama runs the model locally and streams the answer back.
- Chats and images are saved on your device only.
- No cloud AI, no account. Ollama goes online only to download a model you install.
Locked to your computer
The app only listens on your own machine and only talks to a local model engine. Other websites can’t reach it.
Works offline
Once a model is installed, you can chat with no internet connection at all. On a plane, in a cabin, anywhere.
Your files stay yours
File contents read for a reply go only to your local model and are not saved in the chat history.
Everyday help
Plans, drafts, answers. Quietly.
Plan a trip, word a tricky email or ask what something means. Every conversation is saved on your device and opens right where you left it.
For developers
Code you can copy in one click.
Clean Markdown, code blocks with a copy button, and coding models like qwen3-coder that run on your own hardware. Your source code never leaves the room.
Organised
Every chat, one click away.
Open the ⋯ menu or right-click a conversation to pin, rename, export or delete it without opening it. Use the keys P, R and D for speed.
Models
No terminal needed.
See which models you have and how much space they use. Install a new one by name from the Ollama library and watch its progress. The first model you install is ready to chat right away.
Desktop app · Project folder
Open a folder. Ask about it. Change it.
Open a project and AiDesk knows its files and its AGENTS.md instructions. Ask normally and it reads, searches and, when you ask, edits files for you.
- Opening the folder is the permission. Close the project and AiDesk stops reading it.
- You see every step: “Reading…”, “Searching…”, “Editing…”, and a Project changes list at the end.
- Safe by default: nothing outside the folder, no hidden or credential files, nothing overwritten by a move, deletions go to the Trash.
Get started
Three steps to your private AI.
AiDesk Helper runs on macOS with Apple Silicon today. Windows support is planned.
- 1
Install Ollama
Ollama runs the AI models on your computer. It’s free.
ollama.com/download - 2
Download AiDesk Helper
Download the ZIP, double-click it and move AiDeskHelper to your Applications folder. The first time you open it, macOS says it can’t verify the app: click Done, then openSystem Settings ▸ Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway. You only do this once.
Download for macOSApple Silicon (M1 or later) · ZIP, about 120 MB.
- 3
Pick a model and chat
Open Settings ▸ Models and install one. qwen3.5:9b (7.6 GB) is a good first pick; the first model you install is selected for you.
FAQ
Questions, answered.
Is AiDesk Helper free?+
Yes. There is no subscription, no account and no API key. You need your own computer and a model from Ollama, which is free too.
Does it need the internet?+
Not for chatting. The app talks only to Ollama on your own device, and Ollama goes online only to download a model when you choose to install one. The one exception is an optional update check, off by default: if you turn it on, the app asks aideskhelper.com whether a newer version exists, without sending anything about you or your chats.
Where are my chats stored?+
In a database file inside the app’s data folder on your device, readable only by your user account. It is not encrypted, so anything running as your user can read it. Nothing is synced anywhere.
Which models can I use?+
Any chat model available in Ollama. The app suggests qwen3.5:9b, qwen3.6:27b, qwen3-coder:30b and qwen2.5-coder:1.5b, and you can type any name:tag from the Ollama library. Bigger models need more memory.
Can AiDesk change my files?+
Only in the desktop app, only inside the project folder you open, and only when you ask for it or a coding request needs it. Hidden paths such as .git and .env, credential files and symlinks are refused. Every reply that changed something ends with a Project changes list, and deletions go to the Trash.
Which systems does it run on?+
macOS on Apple Silicon today. Windows support is planned.
Why does macOS ask me to allow the app?+
AiDesk Helper is not notarized by Apple yet, so the first time you open it macOS says it cannot verify the developer. Click Done, open System Settings ▸ Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway next to the AiDesk Helper message. After that it opens normally.