Shinkai enables users to create and manage local AI agents with web-browsing capabilities through a simple UI. It targets developers and power users looking to automate tasks by integrating LLMs (local or third-party) with secure web access. The system comprises a browser extension (shinkai-visor) and an optional backend (shinkai-node) for centralized management.

How It Works

Shinkai leverages a monorepo structure managed by NX, orchestrating multiple projects including browser extensions, desktop applications, and TypeScript libraries for communication and state management. It utilizes Radix, Shadcn, and Tailwind CSS for UI development and Zustand/React-Query for state management. Agents can connect to various LLMs, including local instances via Ollama, and are granted permissioned access to interact with web pages.

Quick Start & Requirements

• Install dependencies: npm ci
• Serve a project: npx nx serve {project-name} (e.g., npx nx serve shinkai-desktop)
• Prerequisites: Node.js (version managed by nvm), git.
• Additional binaries (Ollama, Shinkai Node) are downloaded via ci-scripts/download-side-binaries.ts.
• Documentation: https://docs.shinkai.com
• Demo: https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/bc5bb7da-7ca5-477d-838a-8239951b6c01

Highlighted Details

• Supports local and remote LLMs (e.g., OpenAI GPT, Ollama).
• Enables agents with permissioned access to interact with web pages.
• Includes companion shinkai-node for centralized agent management and job processing.
• Offers both browser extension (shinkai-visor) and desktop application (shinkai-desktop) interfaces.

Maintenance & Community

The project is maintained by dcSpark. Further community or roadmap information is not detailed in the README.

Licensing & Compatibility

The README does not explicitly state the license. Compatibility for commercial use or closed-source linking is not specified.

Limitations & Caveats

The project appears to be under active development, with specific build and configuration steps required for each component (e.g., loading unpacked extensions in Chrome). The README does not detail specific limitations or known issues.