Pierre - Personal AI Assistant

Pierre is a personal AI assistant powered by Claude, built as a multi-platform app with deep integrations into your digital life. It features persistent memory, Slack and Gmail integrations, and web search -- all orchestrated through the Claude Code SDK or the Anthropic API.

Credit: Original idea from Chris Raroque.

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+ (check with node -v)
• Convex account -- dashboard.convex.dev
• Clerk account -- clerk.com
• One of the following for Claude access:
  • Claude Max subscription with Claude Code installed (npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code)
  • Anthropic API key from console.anthropic.com

Quick Start

# 1. Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/your-username/Pierre.git
cd Pierre

# 2. Install dependencies
npm install --legacy-peer-deps

# 3. Copy the environment template
cp .env.example apps/web/.env.local

# 4. Run the interactive setup (configures Convex, Clerk, and API keys)
bash setup.sh

# 5. Start Convex (in one terminal)
npm run convex:dev

# 6. Start the dev server (in another terminal)
npm run dev:web

# 7. Open http://localhost:3000

If you prefer manual setup over setup.sh, see the sections below.

Using with Claude Max Subscription

When you have a Claude Max (or Pro/Team) subscription with Claude Code installed globally, Pierre can use your subscription directly -- no API key required.

How it works:

1. Install Claude Code globally: npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
2. Leave ANTHROPIC_API_KEY blank in your .env.local
3. The agent detects the missing key and automatically uses the Claude Code SDK (@anthropic-ai/claude-code), which authenticates through your logged-in Claude Code session
4. Run npx convex dev locally -- the Convex action runs on your machine where Claude Code credentials are available

This is ideal for personal use and development. You get access to Claude without per-token billing.

Using with Anthropic API Key

For production deployments or when you prefer pay-per-use pricing:

1. Get an API key from console.anthropic.com
2. Set it in apps/web/.env.local:

   ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...
   

3. Also set it in your Convex deployment:

   cd apps/web && npx convex env set ANTHROPIC_API_KEY "sk-ant-..."

When ANTHROPIC_API_KEY is present, Pierre uses the direct Anthropic API with full conversation history and tool use.

Architecture

Pierre/
├── apps/
│   ├── web/              # Next.js 15 frontend + Convex backend
│   │   ├── convex/       # Serverless functions, schema, agent logic
│   │   └── src/          # React UI (Tailwind + Radix)
│   ├── desktop/          # Tauri desktop app (planned)
│   └── mobile/           # Expo mobile app (planned)
├── mcp-servers/
│   ├── memory-mcp/       # 3-tier memory system (session/persistent/archival)
│   ├── slack-mcp/        # Slack workspace integration
│   └── gmail-mcp/        # Gmail inbox integration
└── .claude/              # Claude Code project instructions & skills

Stack: Next.js (frontend) | Convex (real-time database + serverless) | Clerk (auth) | Claude Code SDK or Anthropic API (AI) | MCP (tool integrations)

The agent lives in apps/web/convex/agent.ts. It supports two execution paths:

• Claude Code SDK -- streams responses via @anthropic-ai/claude-code, supports MCP servers natively, uses your Max subscription
• Anthropic API -- direct API calls with an agentic tool-use loop, requires an API key

MCP Servers

Pierre uses Model Context Protocol servers for tool integrations. Each server is a standalone Node.js process.

Building MCP Servers

# Build all MCP servers
cd mcp-servers/memory-mcp && npm install && npm run build
cd ../slack-mcp && npm install && npm run build
cd ../gmail-mcp && npm install && npm run build

Memory MCP (@pierre/memory-mcp)

A 3-tier memory system backed by Convex:

• Session memory -- current conversation context (auto-cleared per session)
• Persistent memory -- facts, preferences, decisions (survives across sessions)
• Archival memory -- long-form research and reference material (searchable)

Tools: memory_search, memory_save, memory_update, memory_delete, memory_list

Slack MCP (@pierre/slack-mcp)

Read and search Slack workspace messages. Requires a Slack Bot OAuth token (xoxb-...).

Tools: slack_search, slack_get_channels, slack_get_messages, slack_get_unread

Gmail MCP (@pierre/gmail-mcp)

Read and search your Gmail inbox. Requires Google OAuth2 credentials.

Tools: gmail_search, gmail_get_message, gmail_get_unread, gmail_list_labels

Environment Variables

Copy .env.example to apps/web/.env.local and fill in the values.

Variable	Required	Description
NEXT_PUBLIC_CONVEX_URL	Yes	Convex deployment URL (from npx convex dev)
NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY	Yes	Clerk publishable key (pk_...)
CLERK_SECRET_KEY	Yes	Clerk secret key (sk_...)
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY	No	Anthropic API key; omit to use Claude Code SDK
SLACK_TOKEN	No	Slack Bot OAuth token (xoxb-...) for Slack integration
GMAIL_CREDENTIALS	No	Path to Gmail OAuth2 credentials JSON

Convex environment variables (set via npx convex env set):

Variable	Required	Description
CLERK_JWT_ISSUER_DOMAIN	Yes	Clerk JWT issuer URL for Convex auth
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY	No	Same API key, needed if deploying to Convex cloud

Clerk JWT Template Setup

1. In the Clerk Dashboard, go to JWT Templates
2. Click New template and select Convex
3. Keep the defaults and click Save
4. Copy the Issuer URL and set it in Convex:

   npx convex env set CLERK_JWT_ISSUER_DOMAIN "https://your-issuer.clerk.accounts.dev"

License

Private project. Not for commercial use.