Perci

The open-source AI workspace for serious work

Website • Features • Download • Quick Start • Development

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What Is Perci?

Perci is an AI workspace with open-source roots — a desktop application that brings together multi-provider AI chat (including OpenClaw and Hermes), agent orchestration, deep research, and a code workbench under one roof. Forked from Open Claude, it has evolved into something substantially more: a general-purpose tool for anyone who works with AI, writes code, or needs to get real things done.

This is not a chat app. It's a command center.

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What this isn't

• Not a model provider. Cloud providers need your own API keys. They're stored locally in the Electron app-data file, encrypted via OS safeStorage, and never sent to a server of mine — but the output quality and the bill are between you and the provider. Local models (Ollama, LM Studio, vLLM) need no key at all.
• Not a hosted service. There's no Perci account, no sync, no server side. Install the app and it runs on your machine; uninstall it and nothing of yours is left somewhere else.
• Not equally cross-platform. macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel, 12 Monterey or newer) and Windows have prebuilt installers. Linux you build yourself with npm run electron:build:linux — it works, but no one is shipping you a binary.
• Not a lightweight chat window. This is a desktop command center with agent orchestration, a research agent and a code workbench attached. If all you want is a fast box to type a prompt into, Perci is more than you need.

Features

Multi-Provider AI Chat

Switch between OpenAI, Google Gemini, Anthropic Claude, Groq, DeepSeek, or local models (Ollama, LM Studio, vLLM) — all in one interface. Each provider brings its own strengths; Perci lets you use the right tool for the job.

Deep Research Scientist Mode

An autonomous research agent that plans searches, evaluates sources, synthesizes findings, and produces formal reports with abstracts, methodology, and citations. This isn't prompt-and-pray — it's an iterative loop that keeps digging until the question is answered.

Code & Cowork Modes

• Code Mode: A dedicated code editor surface for working with AI on implementation tasks
• Cowork Mode: Run multiple coding agents (Claude Code, Aider, Codex, Cursor CLI, Copilot, Antigravity) in parallel, each in its own workspace, coordinated through Perci's mission control system

Mission Control

Orchestrate complex multi-step work. Launch agents, track their progress, validate outputs, and manage dependencies — visualized through a transit map that shows every run's state transitions. This is the operational backbone that makes Perci more than a single-chat interface.

Artifacts & Live Preview

AI-generated code (HTML, React, SVG) doesn't just appear in a chat bubble. It opens in a dedicated side-by-side panel with live preview, so you can iterate on working software, not just read about it.

OpenClaw Integration

Perci includes native support for OpenClaw — a production-grade local AI gateway. This gives you persistent agent memory, cross-session continuity, and access to local models through a unified interface. Perci auto-detects OpenClaw on your system and installs the gateway if missing.

Mission Control in Action

Perci's Mission Control orchestrates agent workflows, visualizes complex tasks, and provides detailed insights into every step.

OpenClaw Integration Health

This view captures a live run of an "OpenClaw integration health" mission. You can see the agent's progress through individual checkpoints, the commands executed, and the final report.

The Agent Transit Map

The Transit Map provides a high-level overview of agent missions. Each node represents a distinct step or dependency, allowing you to quickly understand the flow and state of complex tasks.

Terminal

A built-in terminal for running shell commands, managing dev servers, and interacting with your system — all without leaving the workspace.

Advanced Reasoning UI

Watch models think in real-time. Collapsible reasoning sections show the AI's thought process, token usage, and duration — streamed as it happens.

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Download

Prebuilt apps live on the latest release.

Platform	File
macOS (Apple Silicon)	Perci-<version>-arm64.dmg
macOS (Intel)	Perci-<version>-x64.dmg
Windows	Perci-Setup-<version>.exe

Not sure which Mac build you need? Open Apple menu → About This Mac. If it shows Chip: Apple M-series, download arm64. If it shows Processor: Intel, download x64. Both Mac builds require macOS 12 Monterey or newer. Intel support begins with v0.47.0; if the latest release is older, the Intel build is still in hardware testing and has not been published yet.

The .zip, .blockmap, and latest*.yml files in a release are used by the in-app updater. You don't need to download them.

Opening Perci the first time on macOS

Perci isn't signed with an Apple Developer certificate yet, so macOS won't verify it and will refuse to open it on the first try.

1. Drag Perci to Applications and double-click it.
2. When macOS blocks it, open System Settings → Privacy & Security.
3. Scroll to Security, find the message about Perci, and click Open Anyway.

You only do this once per install. Windows has no equivalent step.

Updates

Perci checks for updates on launch.

• Windows — updates in place. You'll get a prompt to download and restart.
• macOS — manual for now. Download the newest .dmg from the latest release and replace the app. macOS refuses to swap in an update whose code signature it can't verify, so automatic updates need the same Apple certificate as above.

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Quick Start

Building from source. If you just want to run Perci, see Download.

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+
• npm or yarn
• Git

Installation

git clone https://github.com/toshon-jennings/perci.git
cd perci
npm install
npm run dev

For the desktop app (Electron):

npm run electron:dev

To package for your platform:

npm run electron:build      # default platform
npm run electron:build:mac  # macOS
npm run electron:build:win  # Windows
npm run electron:build:linux # Linux

API Keys

Perci requires API keys for cloud providers. Keys are stored locally in the Electron app-data file (encrypted via OS safeStorage) — never sent to any server. Add them in Settings → API Keys.

Local models (Ollama, LM Studio, vLLM) require no API key.

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Development

Project Structure

src/
├── components/     # React UI components
│   ├── AgentsPanel.jsx       # Multi-agent orchestration UI
│   ├── ArtifactPanel.jsx     # Code/preview panel
│   ├── BuildMode.jsx         # AI app builder
│   ├── CodeMode.jsx          # Code editor surface
│   ├── CoworkMode.jsx        # Parallel agent sessions
│   ├── MissionControl.jsx    # Mission orchestration dashboard
│   ├── ModeSwitcher.jsx      # Chat / Build / Code / Cowork
│   ├── Terminal.jsx          # Built-in terminal
│   └── ...
├── context/        # Global state (ModeContext, ChatContext, BuildContext)
├── lib/            # Core logic
│   ├── llm/                  # LLM provider clients (factory pattern)
│   ├── IntelligentSearchTool.js  # Deep research & web search
│   ├── missionControl.js     # Mission run tracking & validation
│   ├── terminalBridge.js     # Terminal IPC
│   └── ...
electron/         # Electron main process

Tech Stack

• Frontend: React 18, Tailwind CSS, Framer Motion
• Build: Vite 5
• Desktop: Electron 39
• Markdown: react-markdown + remark-gfm
• Syntax Highlighting: react-syntax-highlighter
• Icons: Lucide React

Available Scripts

npm run dev           # Start dev server
npm run build         # Production build
npm run preview       # Preview production build
npm run lint          # Lint
npm run electron:dev  # Electron dev mode
npm run electron:build # Package desktop app

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Architecture

Perci's codebase is organized around a central event bus (appendMissionRunEvent()) that connects the mission control system to the UI layer. The graph analysis (514 nodes, 1047 edges, 31 communities) shows clean separation of concerns with zero import cycles.

Key architectural communities:

• Mission Event Logging — Central event bus (19 edges, #1 hub)
• App Core and Providers — Window/dock system, mode routing (#2 hub)
• UI Navigation and Settings — Mode switcher, settings, API key management
• LLM Provider Clients — Factory pattern across 6+ providers
• Code and Cowork Modes — Parallel agent orchestration
• Artifact Preview Security — Sandboxed iframes, CSP, budget enforcement

See docs/architecture/GRAPH_ANALYSIS_2026-06-07.md for the full breakdown.

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Credits & Upstream

• Open-claude by Damien Chakma — the original fork source. Perci's core chat, thinking UI, and artifact system started here.
• OpenClaw — the local AI gateway that Perci integrates with for persistent agent memory, cross-session continuity, and local model access. Perci shells out to the openclaw CLI; the dashboard and agent bridge are custom-built on top.

License

MIT — see LICENSE.

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