A fast, private, local-first AI chat desktop application powered by Ollama. No cloud, no accounts, no subscriptions. All your data stays on your local machine.
- 💬 Local Chat Streaming — Real-time offline streaming from your local Ollama models.
- 📁 Projects — Group conversations in folders and automatically inject local file contexts into all chats within that project.
- 🔮 Sigils — Named system prompt presets (personas) to instantly spin up scoped chats. Includes a built-in Sigil Architect to guide creation.
- 🧰 Skills — Workflow templates that shape what you're doing (code review, debugging, brainstorming, etc.). Includes a built-in Skill Architect.
- 🎨 Dynamic Accent Themes — HSL/HWB/RGB/HSV slider color picker in Settings that instantly updates the cinema-dark theme.
- 📎 File Attachments — Attach code or text files directly to your messages.
- 📊 Telemetry Stats — Interactive telemetry dashboard showing 30-day token counts, message volume, and latency.
- 🔍 Real-time Search — Instant filtering of conversations in the sidebar.
- 📌 Pin Conversations — Keep your most important chats at the top of the sidebar.
- 💾 Export as Markdown — Download your chat history to a clean markdown document.
- 🔄 Auto-Updates — Golem checks for new GitHub releases on launch and every 4 hours. Updates download silently and prompt for a one-click restart.
- OS: Windows 10 or Windows 11 (x64) · macOS 12+ · Linux (x64)
- Node.js: v18.0.0 or higher
- Ollama: Installed and running locally (
ollama serve) - Models: At least one model pulled (e.g.
ollama pull qwen2.5-coder:7b)
Note: macOS (DMG) and Linux (AppImage) builds are available but have not been tested on real hardware by the developer. Windows is the primary supported platform. Reports of macOS/Linux issues are welcome.
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/rcadden/golem.git
cd golem
# Install dependencies
npm install
# Run in development mode (with Hot Module Replacement)
npm run dev| Command | Action |
|---|---|
npm run dev |
Runs the Vite dev server and launches Electron with live hot reloading |
npm run build |
Compiles the React UI and builds the NSIS production installer (.exe) |
npm run release |
Compiles, builds the installer, and opens the output distribution folder |
npm run pack |
Creates an unpacked executable directory (fast sanity check) |
All configuration and conversation history is persisted locally using SQLite via sql.js (WASM):
- Development Database:
data/soren.db(gitignored, in the project root) - Production Database:
%APPDATA%/golem/(electron userData path) - Memory Context:
data/memory.txt(local static memory injected as system prompt context)
Golem uses electron-updater with GitHub Releases as the update feed. To ship an update that users receive automatically:
# 1. Bump the version in package.json and src/components/SettingsView.jsx
# 2. Build and publish (requires GH_TOKEN env var with repo write access)
GH_TOKEN=your_token npm run build -- --publish alwayselectron-builder will upload the installer and latest.yml feed file to the GitHub release. Installed copies of Golem will detect it within 4 hours.
The starter pack of sigils and skills bundled with Golem (electron/seeds/starter-pack.js) includes templates inspired by Anthropic's Claude Prompt Library. The following skills draw on Anthropic's published examples:
| Golem Skill | Inspired by |
|---|---|
| Code Clarifier | Code clarifier |
| SQL Writer | SQL sorcerer |
| Regex Builder | Regex recipe |
| Essay Polisher | Prose polisher |
| Grammar Fixer | Grammar genie |
| Pros & Cons | Pros and cons |
| Flashcard Creator | Study buddy |
| Meeting Notes | Meeting scribe |
These are adapted for use with local models (model-agnostic, no Claude-specific references) and are not direct copies of Anthropic's text. Credit and thanks to the Anthropic team for the original prompt designs.
The following skills are adapted from the Claude Code superpowers skill system, translated from agentic coding workflows into conversational frameworks:
| Golem Skill | Inspired by |
|---|---|
| Debug Assistant | superpowers:systematic-debugging |
| Project Planner | superpowers:writing-plans |
| TDD Coach | superpowers:test-driven-development |
| Code Review Responder | superpowers:receiving-code-review |
| Pre-PR Checklist | superpowers:verification-before-completion + superpowers:requesting-code-review |
| Branch Completion | superpowers:finishing-a-development-branch |
| Brainstorming Partner | superpowers:brainstorming |
The Sigil Architect, Skill Architect, Code Reviewer, Commit Message Writer, and Email Drafter skills are original to Golem.
Private / Personal Use.