Questions
Questions
Oikou is a set of open-source web apps that run on a computer you already own, share what they know with each other, and can be rewritten by your own AI to fit how you live. Oikou Host, the free software that runs them, turns a Mac or Linux computer that stays on into your Personal Cloud, and works with your Claude or ChatGPT plan. Below: the basics, setup, your AI and your data, sharing, and how it compares. Can’t find your question? The Support page at oikou.app/support/ says how to reach us.
The basics
What is Oikou?
Oikou is a set of open-source web apps that run on a computer you already own, share what they know with each other, and can be rewritten by your own AI to fit how you live. Oikou Host, the free software that runs them, turns a Mac or Linux computer that stays on into your Personal Cloud, and works with your Claude or ChatGPT plan.
Is Oikou open source?
The apps are open source (MIT). Oikou Host is source-available: you can read and run it, but not host and resell it.
How much does it cost?
Oikou Host is free to run yourself. You bring a computer that stays on and your own Claude or ChatGPT plan; the apps add no subscriptions of their own.
Is there an Android app?
Not yet, but it’s coming. Until then, every Oikou app runs in your phone’s browser and can be installed to your home screen, so Android users can use the apps today. The Oikou app itself is currently iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro and Apple Watch.
Can I use Oikou today?
Yes. Oikou Host is free to run yourself, on a Mac or a Linux computer you own. Sign in at https://account.oikou.app/downloads with your Oikou account to download it.
What devices does Oikou work on?
Your web apps run on your Personal Cloud, on your own Mac or Linux computer, and you use them from the Oikou app on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro and Apple Watch. Every Oikou app is a real web app too, so it opens in any browser and can be installed to a phone’s home screen.
Can I change an app to work the way I want?
Yes. Tell your AI what you’d do differently, in plain language. It rewrites the app on a private draft, you try the draft, and you keep it only if you like it. The apps are open source, so the version you end up with is yours.
What can I run on a home server besides media and backups?
Oikou adds the web apps you use every day: habits, calories, training, recipes, a grocery list, tasks, invoicing and a small sales pipeline. They are open source, run on a Mac or Linux computer you already own, and share what they know with each other through permissions you approve. Your own Claude or ChatGPT plan can answer questions across them and change any of them for you.
Setup
What computer do I need?
Any Mac or Linux computer that can stay on and online, such as a Mac mini or an old laptop. There is no published minimum spec, no new machine to buy, setup is guided, and you don’t need a domain to get started.
What if my computer dies?
At launch, Oikou takes nightly local snapshots and every app can export its data. Keep a copy somewhere else; off-site backup isn’t built yet.
Can I use my apps when I’m away from home?
Yes. In private mode your devices reach your computer over Tailscale from anywhere, encrypted end to end, with no domain and no ports opened. Inviting people outside that network adds a private, access-controlled link through Cloudflare, which needs a Cloudflare account and a domain.
Your AI and your data
Does Oikou include AI?
No. Oikou runs Claude Code or Codex on your own machine, signed in with your own plan or API key. Your usage comes from your own plan and is subject to its limits. That includes background use by apps you’ve allowed.
Does my AI run in the background?
Only for apps you allow. Some apps, like Pipeline, can use your AI in the background. You can see which ones do and switch it off for any app. Background use counts toward your plan’s limits.
Where is my data stored?
On your own computer. It goes to your AI provider only when you ask, or when an app you’ve allowed uses your AI in the background.
Is this against Anthropic’s or OpenAI’s terms?
Oikou runs their own unmodified agents on your machine, and you sign in with your own plan on their own page. Oikou never handles your AI credentials.
Which AI plans does Oikou work with?
Claude and ChatGPT. Oikou runs Claude Code or Codex on your own computer, signed in with your own Claude or ChatGPT plan, or with your own API key. There is no second AI subscription to buy, and everything Oikou does counts against your own plan’s limits.
Can my AI use what my other apps know?
Yes. Your own Claude Code or Codex, signed in with your plan, can answer a question in one app from what all of them know — tonight’s dinner from your training, your recipes and your grocery list — using only the connections you approved. The apps and their data stay on your computer.
Is there a safer way to give an AI agent access to my personal data?
Oikou gives your AI structured apps with explicit permissions instead of your whole machine. Every app runs in its own container, asks for exactly what it wants to read from the others, and you approve each connection at install, can revoke it at any time, and can read a log of every cross-app read.
Sharing and business
Can I use Oikou for my business?
Yes. The Catalogue at launch includes Ledger for invoices and expenses, Pipeline for deals and follow-ups, Board for kanban boards and Reel for video, and you can share any app with a teammate by email.
What happens when an app updates?
At launch, your customizations are merged into the new version, your AI resolves any conflicts, and you preview the result before anything changes.
Compared with…
How is Oikou different from OpenClaw-style agents?
OpenClaw-style agents are chat agents with memory. Oikou gives you real apps (lists, logs, budgets) that your AI can see and change. You use the app; the AI works when you ask, or in the background for apps you allow.
How is Oikou different from Umbrel or CasaOS?
Umbrel and CasaOS install separate apps on a home server. Oikou’s apps also know about each other: install Training and your calorie target moves with your workouts, install Recipes and the grocery list builds itself. Your own AI can answer across them and rewrite any of them, and you can share a single app by email.
Which app subscriptions can Oikou replace?
The everyday ones it has an app for: the Catalogue at launch covers a calorie counter, a meal planner and grocery list, a workout log, a habit tracker, a to-do list, invoicing and a small sales pipeline. They are open source, run on your own computer with no per-app subscription, and use the AI plan you already pay for (its usage limits apply).
Ready to try it? Get Oikou.
Oikou Host is free to run yourself. Downloads are behind sign-in with your Oikou account.