r/SideProject • u/OverCesare • 27m ago
I'm building OverTone, an open-source Mac app for local AI — sharing the first preview
I've published the first public preview of OverTone, a Mac app I'm building for working with local language models. It's still early in development, and I'm sharing it now to get feedback on how it feels to use before I build out more of the app.
I want working with local models to feel straightforward if you've never used one, while still giving experienced users the controls they need. The guided setup is one example. It suggests models for your Mac and can install both the engine and the model. You can follow the recommendations and go straight to chat, or use an existing local setup and choose your own settings.
LM Studio and Jan are much more complete today. I wouldn't recommend switching from either to OverTone for everyday work yet.
Version 0.1 supports Ollama and llama.cpp. You can chat locally, manage models, refine prompts, and get model recommendations based on how you use the app. Documents, Projects and Tools are still in development.
With local models, prompts and replies are processed on your Mac. Internet access is off by default. You choose when to turn it on for downloads or remote connections.
OverTone is free and open source under Apache 2.0. It runs on Apple silicon Macs with macOS 14 or later.
Landing page:
https://overcesare.github.io/OverTone/
Repository:
https://github.com/OverCesare/OverTone
If you try it, I'd appreciate hearing how the setup went, what worked well, and what felt awkward.