There's a new AI assistant getting attention this week: Wabi, which publicly launched on October 19, 2026. It comes from Eugenia Kuyda — the founder of Luka and Replika, one of the best-known AI companion apps. I've been digging into how it works and wrote up a detailed Wabi guide on my site; here's the short version for dev.to.
What makes Wabi different
Most chatbots give you one endless conversation. Wabi is organized around threads — one per topic or goal (health, family, a trip, a shared project). Each thread keeps its own context, so yesterday's grocery list doesn't bury today's travel plan.
The real differentiator: Wabi builds mini-apps on the fly instead of only replying with text. Ask for a weight tracker, a voting poll for movie night, or a kids'-events finder, and it generates a small working app inside the thread. The company calls this "personal software" — small, disposable apps generated from conversation, which you can also pin to your phone's home screen as widgets.
Two more things worth knowing:
- Multiplayer by design. Threads can be shared as group chats — everyone in the thread can ask Wabi things and use the mini-apps it builds.
- Proactive help. Connect your email and Wabi automatically sets up starter threads and apps from what's in your inbox (trips, deliveries, plans). Connect a calendar and it can keep plans moving in the background.
The 10-minute setup
- Create your account — the app is free, no waitlist.
- Connect your email (optional, recommended) — this is the signature onboarding step; skip it if you're privacy-conscious and connect later.
- Think in threads — one thread per topic, each with its own context and mini-apps.
- Ask for a mini-app — just describe the tool you want in plain language.
- Invite people — share a thread with your partner, family, or friends; everyone sees the same apps.
I put together a step-by-step setup walkthrough if you want the full flow with screenshots described.
The privacy question
The honest trade-off: Wabi asks for unusually deep access (email, calendar, even banking and health data on Android) to deliver its proactive features. The mitigations, per the company: access is granted per conversation, not globally; everyone in a shared chat can see when someone's personal information is requested there; and the company states its data-security controls are independently audited (SOC 2). None of the connections are forced — you can use Wabi with none of them. If you're unsure, read the privacy facts first and connect things one at a time.
Why I'm writing about it
Disclosure: I run Wabi Wiki, an unofficial guide site for the Wabi AI assistant — download instructions, how-to guides, prompt collections, and safety notes. Not affiliated with Wabi.
The search results for "wabi ai" right now are almost entirely launch news — nobody has written a proper user guide yet. That's the gap I'm trying to fill. If you're building something in the personal-software space, Wabi's thread + mini-app model is worth studying regardless of whether you end up using the app.
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