Jan - Local AI Assistant

Getting Started - Docs - Changelog - Bug reports - Discord

Jan is a ChatGPT-alternative that runs 100% offline on your device. Our goal is to make it easy for a layperson to download and run LLMs and use AI with full control and privacy.

⚠️ Jan is in active development.

Installation

Because clicking a button is still the easiest way to get started:

Download from jan.ai or GitHub Releases.

Demo

Features

• Local AI Models: Download and run LLMs (Llama, Gemma, Qwen, etc.) from HuggingFace
• Cloud Integration: Connect to OpenAI, Anthropic, Mistral, Groq, and others
• Custom Assistants: Create specialized AI assistants for your tasks
• OpenAI-Compatible API: Local server at localhost:1337 for other applications
• Model Context Protocol: MCP integration for enhanced capabilities
• Privacy First: Everything runs locally when you want it to

Build from Source

For those who enjoy the scenic route:

Prerequisites

• Node.js ≥ 20.0.0
• Yarn ≥ 1.22.0
• Make ≥ 3.81
• Rust (for Tauri)

Run with Make

git clone https://github.com/menloresearch/jan
cd jan
make dev

This handles everything: installs dependencies, builds core components, and launches the app.

Available make targets:

• make dev - Full development setup and launch
• make build - Production build
• make test - Run tests and linting
• make clean - Delete everything and start fresh

Run with Mise (easier)

You can also run with mise, which is a bit easier as it ensures Node.js, Rust, and other dependency versions are automatically managed:

git clone https://github.com/menloresearch/jan
cd jan

# Install mise (if not already installed)
curl https://mise.run | sh

# Install tools and start development
mise install    # installs Node.js, Rust, and other tools
mise dev        # runs the full development setup

Available mise commands:

• mise dev - Full development setup and launch
• mise build - Production build
• mise test - Run tests and linting
• mise clean - Delete everything and start fresh
• mise tasks - List all available tasks

Manual Commands

yarn install
yarn build:core
yarn build:extensions
yarn dev

System Requirements

Minimum specs for a decent experience:

• macOS: 13.6+ (8GB RAM for 3B models, 16GB for 7B, 32GB for 13B)
• Windows: 10+ with GPU support for NVIDIA/AMD/Intel Arc
• Linux: Most distributions work, GPU acceleration available

For detailed compatibility, check our installation guides.

Troubleshooting

When things go sideways (they will):

1. Check our troubleshooting docs
2. Copy your error logs and system specs
3. Ask for help in our Discord #🆘|jan-help channel

We keep logs for 24 hours, so don't procrastinate on reporting issues.

Contributing

Contributions welcome. See CONTRIBUTING.md for the full spiel.

Links

• Documentation - The manual you should read
• API Reference - For the technically inclined
• Changelog - What we broke and fixed
• Discord - Where the community lives

Contact

• Bugs: GitHub Issues
• Business: hello@jan.ai
• Jobs: hr@jan.ai
• General Discussion: Discord

Trust & Safety

Friendly reminder: We're not trying to scam you.

• We won't ask for personal information
• Jan is completely free (no premium version exists)
• We don't have a cryptocurrency or ICO
• We're bootstrapped and not seeking your investment (yet)

License

Apache 2.0 - Because sharing is caring.

Acknowledgements

Built on the shoulders of giants:

• Llama.cpp
• Tauri
• Scalar