Web Browser
No install needed. Open your Jane URL in any browser — localhost:8081 on your computer, or yourname.vessences.com from anywhere.
Open Source
Jane is a vessel
you put essence into.
Project Vessence revolves around an AI agent named Jane that you run locally on your computer. Although Jane's brain lives on your computer, you have access to communicate with Jane remotely on your phone or in a browser. When you download the phone app, it communicates with Jane's brain on your computer remotely while having control over your device. For example, Jane on your phone would have the ability to read and text messages and email. On your phone, you can voice-activate Jane to ask her about the weather, play some music, and answer various questions. When Jane is on your phone, your phone acts like Amazon's Alexa.
What are Skills?
The various abilities Jane possesses are called skills. By describing what you want, you can work together with Jane to build new skills. Skills are transferable, so if one person builds a skill, they can put it on the Vessence website so others can also have the same skill. For example, the ability to generate a PDF file on your phone is a skill.
What are Essences?
The various personas Jane can take on are called essences. An essence is a personality with a set of memories and skills combined together. Jane can take on various personas by downloading essences others have already designed, or by talking to Jane you can create new essences yourself. For example, a tax accountant is an essence. An essence allows Jane to perform a job that a person would perform (like helping you do your taxes). When Jane takes on an essence, Jane gains all the operational workflow and memories of a tax accountant.
What is the Marketplace?
The Vessence Marketplace is where users share their skills and essences with each other. If you build a skill or design an essence, you can upload it to the marketplace so anyone can download it into their own Jane. Everything on the marketplace is free — the community builds and shares openly. Browse what others have created, or contribute your own.
The System
Vessence is the platform.
Vessence provides a unified marketplace for people to share their skills and essences. Download skills into Jane's brain and extend her capabilities instantly. Clone the repo, open your AI CLI, and let the bootstrap handle the rest.
Essences
Complete AI personas — accountant, tutor, researcher. Load one and Jane becomes that role.
Skills
Reusable skill modules that essence builders compose into their creations.
Marketplace
Share essences and skills.
Open Source
Free forever. Clone, run, modify. No Docker required.
Paste this into your AI CLI:
Copied!
Clone https://github.com/endsley/vessence into ~/ambient, then read JANE_BOOTSTRAP.md and follow every phase to completion.
Works with Claude Code, Gemini CLI, or Codex. Click to copy.
Apps
Connect to your Vessence Server.
Vessence is ultimately a server on your computer. These apps are interfaces — different ways to talk to the same Jane, access the same vault, and use the same shared memory. Install Vessence first, then connect from whichever device you prefer.
Android App
A native app with chat, phone file attachments, camera capture, and push notifications. Connects to your running Vessence over your network.
Linux Desktop App
A native Flutter app with the same chat interface, conversation history, SSE streaming, and markdown rendering. Runs directly on your Linux desktop without a browser.
These are not separate products. They all connect to the same Vessence system. Set up Vessence first, then use any combination of these to interact with it.
Authorization
Sign in with Google to access your Vessence.
All access to your essences, files, and Jane is protected by Google sign-in. Sign in once and your device is remembered — no repeated logins.
How it works
- Google sign-in One-click sign in with your Google account on web or Android.
- Trusted devices After signing in, your device is remembered — no need to re-authenticate every visit.
- One subscription Just your existing Claude, OpenAI, or Gemini subscription. No extra API keys needed.
Get started
Once Vessence is running on your machine, sign in to access Jane and your essences. The Android app connects to the same server.
What Ships Today
Useful from day one — with essences already built in.
Vessence ships with pre-built essences so you are not starting empty. Load an essence and Jane takes on that role immediately. More essences are available on the marketplace, or build your own.
Pre-built essences
File archivist, daily briefing, music playlist, work log — ready to use out of the box. No setup required.
Marketplace
Browse and install essences built by others. Rent your own AI agent.
Build your own
Jane walks you through a guided interview to create a custom essence. Define the knowledge, skills, and personality — Jane generates the code.
Vessence is not a chatbot wrapper. It is a vessel meant to hold your essences over time.
FAQ
What users usually ask first.
Is this self-hosted?
Yes. Vessence is fully open source and runs on your own machine. No Docker needed — just clone the repo and let your AI CLI set it up. Your data never leaves your computer.
What AI CLI do I need?
Any of the major ones: Claude Code, Gemini CLI, or Codex. The bootstrap file (JANE_BOOTSTRAP.md) is CLI-agnostic — it works with whichever one you prefer. You can also install a local LLM (like Ollama with Llama, Gemma, or Mistral) and run Jane entirely on your own hardware — no cloud API needed, everything stays on your computer.
What does it cost?
Vessence is free and open source. You bring your own API key (Google Gemini free tier works). Essences on the marketplace can be free, paid, or rental — sellers set their own prices.
What makes this different from a normal assistant?
Loadable personas. Instead of one generic chatbot, you switch between specialized essences — each with its own knowledge, skills, and personality.
What are skills vs essences?
Essences are complete AI personas. Skills are reusable modules (file search, TTS, calendar) that essence builders can compose into their creations. Both are sold on the marketplace.
How do I access it from my phone?
Register a subdomain at vessences.com for remote access (e.g., yourname.vessences.com). Then install the Android APK and point it at your relay URL. Full guide in the install docs.
Start Here
One prompt. That's the entire install.
Open any AI CLI and paste one prompt. It clones the repo, reads the bootstrap, and becomes Jane. Free and open source forever.
Clone https://github.com/endsley/vessence into ~/ambient, then read JANE_BOOTSTRAP.md and follow every phase to completion.