The latest articles on DEV Community by Joel Jolly (@withinjoel). https://dev.to/withinjoel https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F1364504%2Febdab971-c620-438e-bebe-2f87fab2a01b.jpeg https://dev.to/withinjoel en Joel Jolly Sun, 26 Apr 2026 09:25:38 +0000 https://dev.to/withinjoel/how-i-built-joanium-a-local-first-ai-desktop-agent-that-works-while-you-sleep-iao https://dev.to/withinjoel/how-i-built-joanium-a-local-first-ai-desktop-agent-that-works-while-you-sleep-iao <p>I got tired of AI tools that forget everything. Every single day I was copy-pasting context into ChatGPT. Explaining my project structure again. Uploading the same files. Starting from zero. And don't even get me started on the "your data is safe with us" promises from every AI company. So I built Joanium.</p> <h2> What is Joanium? </h2> <p>Joanium is a local-first AI desktop app that actually does things — not just chats. It lives on your machine. It knows your files. It runs jobs while you sleep. And your data never leaves your device. Ever.</p> <h2> A real example of what it does </h2> <p>Every morning at 8am, Joanium pulls my latest GitHub issues, summarises them with AI, and sends me a Slack message with priorities for the day. I set it up once. It just runs. Forever. That's the difference between a chat app and an actual AI agent.</p> <h2> The features that actually matter </h2> <p><strong>Multi-model support</strong> — Switch between Gemini, Claude, GPT, or run completely offline with Ollama. No lock-in, ever. 10+ providers supported out of the box.</p> <p><strong>Background agents</strong> — Reusable prompts that run on a schedule against any model. Daily code reviews, PR summaries, changelog monitoring — all automated without you touching anything.</p> <p><strong>Real integrations</strong> — GitHub, Gmail, Google Drive, Calendar, Sheets, Docs. Not wrappers. Actual first-class tools the AI can invoke mid-conversation naturally.</p> <p><strong>MCP support</strong> — Connect any MCP-compatible server and expose its tools directly to the assistant. The ecosystem is growing fast and Joanium keeps up.</p> <p><strong>Personas and Skills</strong> — Change how the assistant thinks with Personas. Drop in a "senior code reviewer" or a "startup copywriter" and the whole interaction shifts instantly. Skills are markdown docs that teach the assistant what to do.</p> <p><strong>Works fully offline</strong> — With Ollama or LM Studio, Joanium runs with zero internet connection, zero API keys, zero cost.</p> <h2> Why local-first? </h2> <p>Every AI tool today is cloud-first. Your conversations, your files, your context — all sitting on someone else's server. Joanium flips that entirely. Your data stays on your machine. The AI comes to you, not the other way around.</p> <h2> The tech stack </h2> <p>Built with Electron and Node.js. Runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux. MIT licensed and fully open source on GitHub.</p> <h2> Where it is today </h2> <p>18 releases. 595 commits. A marketplace for community-built Skills and Personas. A real website. Real users. And still growing as a solo project built from Chennai, India.</p> <h2> Try it </h2> <p>Download at <a href="https://www.joanium.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.joanium.com</a> or star the repo on GitHub at <a href="https://www.github.com/Joanium/Joanium" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.github.com/Joanium/Joanium</a>. Would love your feedback — what automation would you build first?</p> ai agents opensource productivity Joel Jolly Tue, 14 Apr 2026 18:18:57 +0000 https://dev.to/withinjoel/joanium-is-an-open-source-ai-agent-that-goes-beyond-chat-taking-actions-connecting-tools-and-1lmn https://dev.to/withinjoel/joanium-is-an-open-source-ai-agent-that-goes-beyond-chat-taking-actions-connecting-tools-and-1lmn <div class="crayons-card c-embed text-styles text-styles--secondary"> <div class="c-embed__content"> <div class="c-embed__cover"> <a href="https://github.com/Joanium/Joanium" class="c-link align-middle" rel="noopener noreferrer"> <img alt="" src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Frepository-images.githubusercontent.com%2F1183925373%2F9dff3f58-96c2-43f1-8e40-3d54bcb76598" height="640" class="m-0" width="1280"> </a> </div> <div class="c-embed__body"> <h2 class="fs-xl lh-tight"> <a href="https://github.com/Joanium/Joanium" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="c-link"> GitHub - Joanium/Joanium: Your smart, reliable, and friendly personal AI assistant. · GitHub </a> </h2> <p class="truncate-at-3"> Your smart, reliable, and friendly personal AI assistant. - Joanium/Joanium </p> <div class="color-secondary fs-s flex items-center"> <img alt="favicon" class="c-embed__favicon m-0 mr-2 radius-0" src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fgithub.githubassets.com%2Ffavicons%2Ffavicon.svg" width="32" height="32"> github.com </div> </div> </div> </div> <br> <div class="crayons-card c-embed text-styles text-styles--secondary"> <div class="c-embed__content"> <div class="c-embed__body flex items-center justify-between"> <a href="https://www.joanium.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="c-link fw-bold flex items-center"> <span class="mr-2">joanium.com</span> </a> </div> </div> </div>