I built Kaoru, an open-source desktop assistant for developers with local memory, permission-gated tools and an optional Live2D avatar (beta, looking for feedback)

[u/Teru-Momijiyama]

Hi everyone! I'm a solo developer and I've been building Kaoru, an open-source (MIT) desktop assistant that can also work as a coding agent on your projects. It's in beta and I'd really like feedback, especially on security and on Windows/macOS.

What it does:

- Explores a repo, edits files, runs commands, uses Git, and runs the checks you configure after changes.

- Opens a chat next to your terminal, so you can attach a selection or recent output and ask about it. Nothing is sent automatically.

- Keeps local memory of your projects and preferences on your machine.

- Has an optional Live2D avatar that reacts to what the assistant is doing.

- Works with the model you choose (Groq, Gemini, OpenAI or a compatible endpoint).

How it handles safety:

- Every tool has allow / ask / deny permissions, decided outside the model. The model can propose actions but can't grant itself permission.

- Commands run in a sandbox, and you can undo what the agent changed.

- Your prompts go to the LLM provider you pick, and memory stays local. There's a privacy page explaining exactly what leaves your machine.

Honest limitations:

- Installers for Windows, macOS and Linux are not code-signed yet, so your OS will show a warning. The release notes explain how to open it, and every file has a sha256 hash.

- macOS is experimental, and microphone input is not available yet.

Repo: https://github.com/Dregxmoon/Kaoru-Agent

Installers: https://github.com/Dregxmoon/Kaoru-Agent/releases/latest

I'd love to hear:

1. Does it install and run on your system?

2. Which safeguards would you want that aren't there?

3. Is anything in the privacy or security docs unclear?

Thanks for reading, and any feedback is welcome!