Kivio is a lightweight, desktop AI client and screen-level agent for users seeking an integrated, private, and efficient AI workspace. It offers chat, tools, translation, OCR, and visual Q&A with a minimal footprint, running locally without telemetry, ideal for productivity-focused individuals and developers.

How It Works

Built with Tauri v2, Rust, and React, Kivio operates as a persistent tray/menu bar agent. It features the Kivio Agent for chat, project management, memory, and native tools (file ops, shell, Pyodide Python execution); the Lens feature for screenshot-based visual Q&A, OCR, and text analysis; and rapid translation. Key advantages include its local-first approach, processing sensitive data and API keys on-machine, and offline document workflows via a bundled Pyodide sandbox.

Quick Start & Requirements

Download the latest release (macOS Apple Silicon DMG or Windows NSIS .exe) and install. macOS users must grant Accessibility and Screen Recording permissions. Add AI model providers (e.g., OpenAI-compatible, Anthropic Messages) in Settings to begin using chat, Lens, or translation features.

Highlighted Details

• Agentic Platform: Multi-agent runtime with Orchestrate mode, persistent MCP, Skills system, and long-term memory with context compaction.
• Local Document Processing: Handles PDF, Word, Excel via an offline Pyodide sandbox, eliminating CDN downloads.
• Bring-Your-Own-Models: Supports OpenAI-compatible and Anthropic Messages providers, with per-feature routing and multi-key failover.
• Kivio Code: Integrates a Rust-based terminal coding agent with build/plan modes and Pi-style tools.
• Connectors: Includes OAuth support for GitHub, Notion, and Atlassian integrations.

Maintenance & Community

Developed using Tauri v2, Rust, React 18, TypeScript, Vite, and TailwindCSS v4. Active development with frequent releases is evident in detailed changelogs. A QQ group (1104450740) serves as a community channel.

Licensing & Compatibility

Licensed under GPL-3.0-or-later. This strong copyleft license requires derivative works to be shared under the same terms, potentially impacting integration into proprietary commercial software.

Limitations & Caveats

macOS users may need to manually clear quarantine attributes if the application is flagged as damaged. The GPL-3.0 license's copyleft nature necessitates careful consideration for commercial integration. Specific system permissions are required for full functionality on macOS.