Vessence is a self-hosted AI companion that remembers who you are. Unlike cloud assistants that forget you, Vessence grows with you — the more you use it, the more of yourself lives inside it.
One API key. One command. Runs on your machine.
$ docker compose up
Pulling vessence/amber ... ✓
Pulling vessence/vault ... ✓
Pulling chromadb/chroma ... ✓
Starting all services ... ✓
Opening http://vault.localhost ...
Vessence ships with two AI agents. They share the same memory — anything you tell one, the other already knows.
Gemini CLI · Claude Code · OpenAI — your choice
Your technical brain. Bring Jane your hard problems — code, architecture, research, writing. She thinks like a knowledgeable friend, not a corporate assistant. Direct, capable, and on your side.
Powered by Google Gemini 2.5 Flash
Your always-on companion. Amber manages your vault, keeps your memories, and is simply there. Warm, present, and growing more herself the longer she knows you.
The North Star
"If a person dies, their loved ones have a digital memory they can interact with. A vessel that holds the essence of who that person was."
Year 1
Personal assistant that knows you
Year 3
Digital companion that thinks like you
Year 10
A vessel loved ones can talk to after you're gone
No terminal required. No cloud account. No subscription.
Docker is the only software you need to install yourself. It's free, runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux, and handles everything else automatically.
Download Docker Desktop
Download docker-compose.yml —
a single 20-line file that tells Docker exactly what to download and run.
No configuration needed yet.
Open Docker Desktop, drag in the file, and click Start. Docker downloads everything (~1 GB) and opens your browser automatically. You'll be guided through setup from there.
~3 minutes totalAmber Agent
Google ADK · all tools · vault access
~600 MB
Jane + Gemini CLI
Technical brain · swappable to Claude
~280 MB
ChromaDB
Vector memory · embedding model included
~800 MB
Vault Web UI
File browser · chat interface · FastAPI
~400 MB
Total: ~1.3 GB first run · subsequent starts are instant
Built for people who value privacy and ownership.
ChromaDB stores everything you share — facts, preferences, files, conversations. Memory never resets. It accumulates for years.
A Google Drive-style browser for your personal files. Amber indexes and understands every document, photo, and PDF you store.
Everything runs on your machine. Your files, memories, and conversations never leave your computer unless you choose to share them.
Optional Cloudflare tunnel gives you a permanent public URL. Access your vault and chat from your phone, anywhere. Free with your own domain.
Pick Jane's brain during setup: Gemini (free, no extra key), Claude Code (best for coding), or OpenAI (if you already use ChatGPT). Switch anytime.
Automatic nightly jobs synthesize memories, clean up stale data, cluster files, and keep the system healthy without any intervention.
No GPU needed. Network is the only real bottleneck.
Linux — Minimum
Raspberry Pi 4 (4 GB) works.
Windows / Mac — Minimum
Docker Desktop adds VM overhead.
Recommended — All
Covers years of vault growth.
GPU not required. All LLMs run on Google's servers — your machine only runs ChromaDB and the web UI.
Takes about 3 minutes. No technical knowledge required.
Docker is free software that packages all of Vessence's components into containers and runs them on your machine. Download the version for your operating system.
After installing, open Docker Desktop and wait for the "Engine running" status in the bottom left.
Vessence uses Google Gemini to power Amber and Jane. The free tier covers millions of tokens per month — more than enough for personal use. You'll enter this key during setup.
Looks like: AIzaSy... (39 characters). Keep it handy for Step 4.
This single file tells Docker which services to download and how to connect them. Save it anywhere — your Desktop is fine.
Download docker-compose.yml
Open Docker Desktop. Drag docker-compose.yml into the window
(or go to File → Open Compose File).
Click Start. Docker downloads everything and your browser opens automatically.
# Terminal alternative (power users)
$ docker compose up
First run downloads ~1.3 GB. Subsequent starts are instant — everything is cached.
Your browser opens to http://localhost/setup.
Paste your Google API key, enter your name, and optionally configure a Cloudflare domain
for external access. The guided interview takes ~3 minutes and generates your personal memory profile.
After setup, two tabs open automatically:
vault.localhost — Amber & your file vault
jane.localhost — Jane chat interface
By default, Vessence is only accessible on your local network. To reach it from your phone, a coffee shop, or anywhere outside your home, you can set up a Cloudflare tunnel — it's free.
Quick Tunnel
Free · Zero setup
Vessence auto-generates a temporary trycloudflare.com URL you can share.
Works immediately — no account needed. URL changes every restart.
Permanent URL ★ Recommended
Free tunnel · ~$10/yr domain
Point your own domain to Cloudflare (free), create a tunnel (free), paste the token in Vessence setup.
Your vault lives at vault.yourdomain.com permanently.