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Show HN: LocalGPT – A local-first AI assistant in Rust with persistent memory

yi_wang Sunday, February 08, 2026

I built LocalGPT over 4 nights as a Rust reimagining of the OpenClaw assistant pattern (markdown-based persistent memory, autonomous heartbeat tasks, skills system).

It compiles to a single ~27MB binary — no Node.js, Docker, or Python required.

Key features:

- Persistent memory via markdown files (MEMORY, HEARTBEAT, SOUL markdown files) — compatible with OpenClaw's format - Full-text search (SQLite FTS5) + semantic search (local embeddings, no API key needed) - Autonomous heartbeat runner that checks tasks on a configurable interval - CLI + web interface + desktop GUI - Multi-provider: Anthropic, OpenAI, Ollama etc - Apache 2.0

Install: `cargo install localgpt`

I use it daily as a knowledge accumulator, research assistant, and autonomous task runner for my side projects. The memory compounds — every session makes the next one better.

GitHub: https://github.com/localgpt-app/localgpt Website: https://localgpt.app

Would love feedback on the architecture or feature ideas.

Summary
LocalGPT is an open-source project that allows users to run large language models like GPT-3 on their local machines, providing an alternative to cloud-based AI services. The project aims to empower users with more control and privacy over their AI interactions.
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