Familiar Local
One context per conversation
Keep a few lines of thought separate. Each chat has its own model session and can be picked up again later.
Private, on-device chatFor macOS
Keep the conversation close.
A calm chat workspace for Apple Foundation Models.
Ask a question, keep separate conversations, and return to them later. Familiar runs its local helper on this Mac and uses Apple’s on-device model to reply.
Mac App Store version 1.0 · review in progress
The direct ZIP is an ad-hoc signed build and is not notarized. macOS may ask you to Control-click Familiar and choose Open. The App Store version is under review.
Requires a supported Mac with macOS 26 or later, Apple Intelligence enabled, and its on-device model ready. Availability depends on Apple’s supported languages and devices.
01 · On-device AI
Think with a model that runs on your Mac.
Familiar sends prompts to Apple Foundation Models through a small local service. No hosted AI provider receives the chat. The model context stays in memory while Familiar is running.
✦Apple Foundation Models
Ask in a clean chat window, continue a conversation, or start a new one with its own context.
ON THIS MAC · 127.0.0.102 A familiar place to think
Separate chats, a quiet interface, and the essentials close at hand.
Light or dark
Switch between light and dark themes, with recent chats and a simple composer in the same window.
Native Mac app
Open Familiar in its own macOS window. It starts and stops the local helper automatically.
04 Starts local. Stays local.
Familiar is a native shell around a small Swift service and a local web chat.
Open the app
Familiar starts its helper and opens the chat in a native window.
Chat on this Mac
The helper listens only at 127.0.0.1, so it is not exposed to other devices on your network.
Return when you like
Chat history stays in local browser storage. Model context resets when the helper stops.
05 · Private by design
Your chats stay on this Mac.
Familiar does not send prompts to a hosted AI service. The helper accepts connections only from this Mac, Apple Foundation Models runs on-device, and chat history stays in browser storage on this Mac. Familiar has no account, ads, or analytics.
01No Familiar account
02No hosted AI backend
03Local chat history
04Local-only helper