SAM - Synthetic Autonomic Mind
May 29, 2026 · View on GitHub
A native macOS AI assistant that remembers, gets work done, and keeps your data on your Mac.
I built SAM for my wife. She wanted an AI assistant that could work with her documents, research purchases, generate images, and remember what they'd talked about. Nothing fit, so I built it. SAM was made for her - and dedicated to her.
Website | Download | Part of Synthetic Autonomic Mind
What You Can Do With SAM
SAM is a native macOS app for people who aren't developers. Say "Hey SAM" to go hands-free. Upload a PDF and ask questions about it. Research a purchase across Amazon, Walmart, and eBay in one conversation. Generate images by connecting to ALICE. All without touching a command line.
Your data stays on your Mac. Run local models with MLX or llama.cpp and nothing leaves your machine. Switch to cloud providers when you want more capability - you choose.
Documents & Research
- Upload and ask questions about PDFs, Word docs, Excel files, and text files
- Research online with live data from Google, Bing, Amazon, Yelp, and TripAdvisor
- Create Shared Topics to connect related conversations
- Search your history by meaning, not just keywords
Writing & Communication
- Draft emails, essays, or reports
- Improve your writing with suggestions
- Brainstorm ideas and organize your thoughts
- Translate text between languages
Creativity & Design
- Generate images from text descriptions via ALICE
- Browse and download models from CivitAI and HuggingFace
- Apply LoRA adapters for specific art styles
- Train custom models on your own documents and conversations
Organization & Productivity
- Manage files and folders with voice commands
- Create project plans and task lists
- Organize your work in project folders
- Access SAM from your iPad or phone via SAM-Web
Math & Calculations
- Calculate mortgages, tips, compound interest, and ROI
- Convert units (temperature, length, weight, volume, speed)
- Get computed answers with Python, not AI approximation
Voice Control
- "Hey SAM" wake word for hands-free use
- Speech recognition and text-to-speech
- Works offline with local models
Personalities
Choose how SAM talks to you - friendly, professional, creative, or create your own.
Screenshots
Natural Conversation
User greeting SAM and asking it to describe what it can help with
|
Flexible AI Provider Selection
Choose from local models (MLX, llama.cpp), or cloud providers (OpenAI, GitHub Copilot, Google Gemini, DeepSeek, MiniMax, OpenRouter)
|
Travel Research
User asks about restaurants in a town they'll be visiting
|
Shopping Assistance
User inquires about a product - SAM helps with research
|
AI Providers
| Provider | What You Get |
|---|---|
| OpenAI | GPT-4, GPT-4o, GPT-3.5, o1/o3 models |
| Anthropic | Claude models available via GitHub Copilot and OpenRouter |
| GitHub Copilot | GPT-4o, Claude 3.5, o1 (requires subscription) |
| DeepSeek | Cost-effective AI models |
| Google Gemini | Gemini 2.5 Pro/Flash, large context windows |
| MiniMax | MiniMax-M2.7, M2.5 (128K context) |
| OpenRouter | Access 100+ models from multiple providers |
| Local MLX | Run models on Apple Silicon Macs |
| Local llama.cpp | Run models on any Mac (Intel or Apple Silicon) |
| Custom | Use any OpenAI-compatible API |
Switch providers mid-conversation. Use local models for privacy, cloud models for capability. Your choice.
Quick Start
Install
Homebrew (recommended):
brew tap SyntheticAutonomicMind/homebrew-SAM
brew install --cask sam
Manual: Download from GitHub Releases, move to Applications, open SAM.
Set Up Your AI Provider
- Launch SAM
- Open Settings (
,) - Go to AI Providers tab
- Click Add Provider
- Choose a cloud provider (enter your API key) or a local model (download from within SAM)
Start Talking
Press N for a new conversation. Type your message. Say "Hey SAM" for hands-free.
Access From Other Devices
SAM-Web provides chat from your iPad, iPhone, or any browser. Enable API Server in SAM Preferences, then visit the SAM-Web repository for setup instructions.
System Requirements
To use SAM:
- macOS 14.0 (Sonoma) or later
- 4GB RAM minimum (8GB+ recommended)
- 3GB free disk space
For local AI models:
- 16GB+ RAM recommended
- 20GB+ free disk space (models can be large)
- Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4) recommended for MLX
- Intel Macs can use llama.cpp models
Privacy & Security
- Conversations stored locally in
~/Library/Application Support/SAM/ - Per-conversation memory isolation
- API keys stored in UserDefaults
- Zero telemetry, zero tracking
- When you use cloud providers, only the messages you send go to those providers
Part of the Ecosystem
SAM is part of Synthetic Autonomic Mind - a family of open source AI tools:
- CLIO - Terminal AI coding assistant (macOS, Linux, Windows)
- ALICE - Image generation server (SAM's image engine)
- SAM-Web - Access SAM from any browser
Documentation
| Document | What You'll Find |
|---|---|
| User Guide | Getting started, daily use, tips |
| Features | Complete feature reference |
| Providers | AI provider setup and configuration |
| Tools | Built-in tools reference |
| Memory | How memory and search work |
| Security | Privacy and security model |
| Architecture | How SAM is built |
| Performance | Optimization and tuning |
| Installation | Detailed install guide |
| BUILDING.md | Build from source |
| CONTRIBUTING.md | How to contribute |
| Website | Online guides and updates |
License
GPL-3.0 - See LICENSE for details.
Created by Andrew Wyatt (Fewtarius) · syntheticautonomicmind.org · github.com/SyntheticAutonomicMind/SAM