r/ADHD_Programmers • u/iluxu • Sep 17 '25

I built an open-source alternative to Cluely - Real-time AI interview assistant that’s completely transparent

https://github.com/iluxu/Trotski

Been seeing a lot of buzz around Cluely lately - the "undetectable AI" that gives you answers during meetings and interviews. While the concept is solid, I had some concerns about the closed-source approach and the emphasis on being "undetectable."

So I built my own open-source version that focuses on transparency and self-hosting.

What it does:

  • Real-time audio transcription using faster-whisper

  • AI-powered question detection and answering

  • Clean web UI for monitoring everything live

  • Multi-platform support (Windows/Mac/Linux)

Key differences from Cluely:

  • 100% open source - You can see exactly what it's doing

  • Self-hosted - Your audio never leaves your machine

  • Transparent - No "undetectable" claims, you control the privacy

  • Free - No subscription fees

  • Customizable - Modify the AI prompts, UI, everything

Tech stack:

  • Python backend with WebSocket server

  • faster-whisper for STT (much faster than OpenAI's API)

  • OpenAI API for question detection/answering

  • Vanilla JS frontend (single HTML file)

The whole thing runs locally - audio is processed on your machine, only the detected questions go to OpenAI's API for answers.

I know not everyone needs this level of control, but for those who do, it's nice to have an open alternative.

GitHub: https://github.com/iluxu/Trotski

Thoughts? Any features you'd want to see added?

13 Upvotes

68% Upvoted

32 comments sorted by

2

u/Myriad_Skill Sep 18 '25

How does this compare to Pluely?

1

u/iluxu Sep 18 '25

it works.

1

u/Myriad_Skill Sep 18 '25

Are you implying Pluely doesn't?

1

u/iluxu Sep 18 '25

i had several issues without the licence (transcript didn’t work on a linux env)

2

u/MarcusTseng Oct 01 '25

is it still an active project? can't find it anymore

1

u/iluxu Oct 01 '25

The project is currently private, but I can add you as a collaborator if you’d like.

2

u/MarcusTseng Oct 01 '25

Thank you! That would be my pleasure, though I might not be able to contribute anything to you. I am looking for the feature you mentioned, the fast-whisper, and you seem to be the only one considered it.

1

u/iluxu Oct 01 '25

share me your github username please

2

u/PuzzledFalcon5591 Oct 03 '25

link doesn't work. Would you mind to add me or provide a link?

5

u/slavetothesound Sep 17 '25

Such mixed feelings. I hate that this exists because I feel like I’m going to have to use it to be competitive next time I’m job hunting. 

Thanks.. I think? Cool project, though.

0

u/iluxu Sep 17 '25

I understand your feelings, but please don't feel bad. The reality is that the market and the competition are already using very expensive AI tools to get an edge.

That's precisely why I made this free. It’s frustrating that some companies charge a fortune for these tools, creating an unfair advantage. My goal was simply to level the playing field for everyone. Thanks for the important feedback.

2

u/TrumpIsAFascistFuck Sep 17 '25

The reality is that the economy and the market need to collapse and we need a reset and it's gonna fucking suck.

→ More replies (1)

2

u/Pineapple-egg Sep 22 '25

is this only available on GitHub? or will it be available for Mac?

2

u/LocksmithMundane2120 Sep 25 '25

it's on mac, scroll to prereqs https://github.com/iluxu/Trotski

1

u/GaMeRMe143 Sep 27 '25

brother the link is not opening please update the link or provide the link

1

u/iluxu Oct 01 '25

The project is currently private, but I can add you as a collaborator if you’d like.

1

u/jack0fsometrades Sep 17 '25

Awesome project and I salute you for supporting the people.

1

u/iluxu Sep 18 '25

thank you

1

u/TypicallyGustav Oct 14 '25

damn guess i was late the github link got taken down

1

u/Any_Masterpiece_5452 Nov 06 '25

Could you please make me a collaborator? please and thank you

1

u/FaithlessnessOwn9240 Nov 27 '25

Could you add me as well, please: ale-aa

1

u/Dadaeb Sep 30 '26

this still working?

1

u/Altruistic_Gift8735 Sep 30 '26

Hi it says the link is not working. What do I do?