Your own team of AI Bots,
on your Mac.

Chat with them, hand them code, call them, and let them use your Mac. Anything risky waits for you.

Download for Mac View on GitHub

beta · Apple silicon · macOS 14+ · needs OrbStack and an AI key to start · works with more

A small team that does real work.

A team

Each Bot has its own name, memory and skills. They hand work to each other.

bots@computer ~ $ git clone acme/web $ npm test ✓ 214 passed $

Its own computer

Multi-step work on a Linux computer: files, the shell, the web and your accounts.

− await page.goto("/home") + await session.ready() + await page.goto("/home")
#482 Ready for review

Code to pull request

It works on its own branch, runs the tests and hands back a branch or a PR.

02:14

Voice calls

Call a Bot and talk. Speech and voice are processed right on your Mac.

Open Safari?Read today's calendar invites
Allow onceAlways allowDeny

Your Mac, with approval

Bots can use your apps and screen. Anything risky waits for your OK.

$6.40of $10 this week
Chief of StaffInbox TriageNight Shift

Spend you can see

Every model call is metered, per Bot. Budgets pause or ask before overspending.

Synapse: a Bot's work steps and the code it wrote
Every step, and the code it wrote
Synapse: a voice call with a Bot, with an approval card in the call
Approvals, right in a call

Safe by design.

A sandboxed computer

Bots work in their own Linux computer, apart from your files.

Rules in code

Your rules and approvals are enforced by the app, not a prompt.

Caps that pause

At a budget, a Bot pauses or asks before it spends more.

Secrets sealed

Your key and every secret are encrypted on your Mac.

No middleman

Synapse talks straight to the AI provider you choose, with your key. There’s no Synapse server in between.

Real work while you sleep.

Sort my inbox and draft the replies

Inbox Triage

Write my standup from yesterday's commits

Standup Writer

Summarise the week's pull requests

Release Notes Writer

Work through the bug queue, one PR each

Night Shift

Plan the week's meals and write the grocery list

Recipe Planner

Match Stripe payouts and flag anything odd

Bookkeeper

Start with a Bot that knows the job.

Browse Bots

Chief of Staff

Runs your week: inbox, calendar and follow-ups.

Gmail · Google Calendar

Inbox Triage

Sorts, archives and drafts replies.

Gmail

Bug Fixer

Fixes bugs, runs the tests and opens PRs.

GitHub · Sentry

Night Shift

Works through a queue while you sleep.

Linear · GitHub

Standup Writer

Reads your commits and calendar, then writes your standup.

GitHub · Linear · Calendar

Meeting Prep

Briefs you before every meeting.

Calendar · Gmail · Drive

Research Scout

Researches anything and cites sources.

DeepWiki · Hugging Face

Bookkeeper

Tracks money in and out and flags anything odd.

Stripe · Gmail

Built in the open.

nyfeblade/synapse betaLatest Apache-2.0Licence

Three steps, about ten minutes.

Full install guide →
1

Install

Install OrbStack, then drag Synapse to Applications. The first time, open it with right-click → Open.

2

Add your AI key

Synapse sets up its Bots' computer, then asks for your key: from the Anthropic Console, or from OpenAI, OpenRouter, Gemini, Mistral or DeepSeek. Or pick a model on your Mac.

3

Meet your first Bot

Start talking, or add Bots from the sidebar. Updates arrive in the app, signed and verified.

MacApple silicon
SystemmacOS 14 or later
Also needsOrbStack · 8 GB free
KeyAnthropic or another provider's API key, or a local model

Questions

What does it cost?

Synapse is free and open source under the Apache-2.0 licence. You pay your AI provider, such as Anthropic or OpenAI, for what your Bots use on your key, and you can set budgets inside the app.

Why does macOS warn me the first time?

Synapse is signed with its own certificate rather than an Apple Developer ID, and isn't notarized by Apple yet. Open it once with right-click → Open, or click Open Anyway in System Settings → Privacy & Security. After that it opens normally.

What do I need?

A Mac with Apple silicon on macOS 14 or later, about 8 GB of free disk, OrbStack, and an AI key to finish setup: Anthropic, OpenAI, OpenRouter, Gemini, Mistral or DeepSeek, or a model on your Mac with Ollama or LM Studio.

Can my Bots use OpenAI, Gemini or a local model?

Yes, and you can set up with any of them: pick OpenAI, OpenRouter, Gemini, Mistral, DeepSeek or a model on your Mac in the key step, no Anthropic key needed. Add more in Settings → Account and pick a model for each Bot. Coding agents and Engineering mode run on the Bot's own model. So do the computer and browser helpers. See Works with.

Can two people use it on one Mac?

Yes. Since 0.1.1, Synapse runs in two macOS accounts on the same Mac at once. Each account gets its own connection to its own Bots' computer.

Can I use my Claude subscription instead of an API key?

No. Synapse reaches Claude with an Anthropic API key only; signing in with a Claude subscription or Claude Code login isn't supported.

Is it finished?

It's a beta. It works, and it's been tested on a fresh Mac, but expect rough edges. Please open an issue if something breaks.

Meet your team.

Download for Mac All releases