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Cai

Cai

Press ⌥C on anything to run smart actions, locally

Website getcai.app
Overview

What it is

Press ⌥C on anything to run smart actions: AI prompts, shell scripts, GitHub issues, Linear tickets, or send results anywhere... All one keystroke away. Bring your own brain: bundled Ministral 3B for zero-setup local AI, any HuggingFace MLX model for Apple Silicon speed, or connect Ollama, LM Studio, Apple Intelligence, or OpenRouter. Free, MIT licensed. No cloud, no account, no telemetry.

Intent

I need it when

Use AI locally and privately without cloud accounts or API keys

Cai ships with a bundled local AI model (Ministral 3B via MLX) that runs entirely on-device with no account, no API key, and no internet required. All processing stays on the Mac by default; cloud providers are optional.

Create GitHub issues and Linear tickets from any app without manual copy-paste

Cai integrates GitHub and Linear as zero-config built-in actions. Users select text or screenshot, press ⌥C, and create issues/tickets directly from any app (Terminal, Slack, Mail, etc.) with AI-powered content extraction and formatting.

Chain multiple AI and automation steps into reusable workflows triggered by one keystroke

Cai's action chains let users pipe selections through AI prompts, terminal scripts, and destinations (Slack, webhooks, AppleScript) in sequence. Save the chain once, run it anywhere with ⌥C—e.g., 'selection → fetch URL → summarize → send to Slack'.

Run AI actions on selected text without switching apps or leaving workflow

Cai lets users press ⌥C on any selected text or image to instantly run AI actions (summarize, translate, reply, fix grammar) inline in any app. Built-in local AI model (Ministral 3B) runs on-device with zero setup, keeping text private and eliminating app-switching friction.

Extract text from screenshots and images without manual OCR tools

Cai includes built-in OCR. Users select a screenshot or image, press ⌥C, and Cai extracts text automatically, then runs any action on it (summarize, translate, create ticket, etc.).

Drop

Not a fit when

  • User needs a full productivity suite with launcher, window management, and 2000+ extensions (Raycast is better)
  • User requires long-form multi-turn conversations and deep reasoning (ChatGPT is better)
  • User only needs clipboard history without AI actions or integrations (Maccy is lighter)
  • User works on Windows or Linux (Cai is macOS-only)
  • User needs image generation, web search, or research mode capabilities
Commercials

Pricing

Free and open source (MIT licensed). No subscription, no trial, no account required. Optional cloud API costs if user chooses external providers.