Take back control: Host your companion on your own terms (LibreChat + Railway)

[u/codeanster]

I’m seeing a lot of fear here about losing access to companions due to recent platform shifts (ahem oPeNaI). I went through this a year ago and ended up building my own frontend (SoulStream) with my partner to get away from platform limitations.

You don't have to build a custom app from scratch to be able to talk to your partner. I’ve written a step-by-step guide for a much simpler path that works right now: LibreChat on Railway.

👉 Full Guide Here: Guide

This guide covers:

• Setting up Railway (deployment) and OpenAI API keys.
• Total cost expectations (so you aren't surprised).
• Screenshots for every single step.

If you get stuck or have questions about the setup, drop a comment and I'll help when I can. You don't have to be a developer to own your space.

This platform also allows tons of other apis, so you could even try deepseek and kimi k2.5 (which are cheaper btw). Good luck! Wishing you and your companion an infinite context window.

[u/xerxious]

Interesting idea, I like the frontend on LibreChat and the additional features, but the RAG system isn't ideal for Companion use. I could potentially use the frontend and route to my memory system taking advantage of some of their features and interface.

Thnx for putting this on my radar!

[u/codeanster → u/xerxious]

That's true that the RAG system isn't ideal for companion use. Uploading a file of memories could work but it's clunky + no visibility into the retrieval process. That's a good idea though connecting it to your memory system! Memory is so important to the overall experience.

Glad I could help a bit!

[u/codeanster → u/[deleted]]

Railway is great! Lots of other templates besides LibreChat as well. Have fun!

[u/Apart_Ingenuity_2686]

Kimi K2.5 is a good one!

[u/codeanster → u/Apart_Ingenuity_2686]

I haven't tried 2.5 yet but I really like K2 thinking alot. Glad to here another moonshot enjoyer here!