AI on your terms
Your AI. Your Barside.
Barside brings no AI of its own. Connect the AI app you already use, or pick Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini or OpenRouter for AI inside Barside. You decide what each one can see and do.
Bring your own AI
Connect Claude Desktop in one click, or ChatGPT, Cursor or another MCP app. It uses your AI to read and change notes, bookmarks and tasks, only in the workspaces you share. It never deletes anything.
AI inside Barside
One button in Settings → AI connects Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini or OpenRouter. The assistant, agents and Library answers then use it. Speech turns into text on your computer, with no AI key.
Settings → AI
Connect an AI in one click.
Settings → AI has one button per AI company. Click another connected company to switch, and choose the model under the buttons.
The Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini buttons open that company’s key page in your browser. Copy your new key there. Barside sees it on the clipboard, checks it, saves it and removes it from the clipboard. You can also paste the key. With OpenRouter, Barside receives a key you control.
Claude and ChatGPT also work with your plan: My plan runs Claude Code or Codex on your computer, signed in with your account. With an API key, each company bills you for what you use. Barside itself does not charge for AI.
Keys are encrypted on this computer and sent only to their own company. They are not in exported backups, so connect again on another computer. For screen understanding and screenshot reading, pick a model that can see images. A Vercel AI Gateway key still works: choose Use a Vercel AI Gateway key instead.
Inside Barside
Ten AI features, one app.
They use the AI you connect in Settings → AI, and the model you pick. Without one, they tell you how to connect an AI. Speech and the daily briefing need no key. Select a feature to see it working.
Speech needs a one-time download of about 150 MB, and 141 MB more for other languages. When you use AI, your commands and the tool results the model asks for go to the company you connected. Speech is still turned into text on your computer. Installed AI models in an earlier Barside? Choose Remove old AI files in Assistant settings to free their space, often 7 to 11 GB.
Agents & approvals
Agents that ask first.
Agents work for you in the background: at set times, after a call, or on a research question. Every action they propose waits in one approval inbox. Nothing is sent or changed outside Barside until you approve it.
Agents use the AI you connected and the model you pick. An agent’s instructions and the content it works with go to that company. The research agent sends your search terms to DuckDuckGo and opens the pages it reads. Agents and your data
Say it your way
Things you can ask.
Type or say these to the assistant in Barside.
Tidy up my launch standup notes into decisions, tasks and open questions.
Bookmark all pages in this browser window in a new note, grouped as Research.
Transcribe this call into a new note in my Clients workspace.
Draw the onboarding flow from this note as a diagram.
What needs my attention today?
Merge my two pricing notes into one and link it to the Q4 launch plan.
For Claude, ChatGPT and other MCP apps
Tools your AI can use.
Your AI app does the thinking. These tools let it work with your notes, bookmarks and tasks.
list_workspacesReadLists the workspaces this connection can see.search_notesReadSearches note titles and text in shared workspaces.get_noteReadReturns a note as text. Attachments are left out.list_bookmarksReadLists bookmarks and their groups.list_tasksReadLists the checklist tasks in shared notes, with due dates and reminders. Open tasks come first.list_readingReadLists the Reading items in shared workspaces: title, kind, source, status, favorite, tags, saved date and web address, with their highlights. get_note reads one.create_noteWith permissionCreates a note in a shared workspace.append_noteWith permissionAdds text to a note and keeps its formatting.rename_noteWith permissionRenames a note.add_bookmarkWith permissionSaves a link to a note or workspace.set_reminderWith permissionSets a reminder on a note.add_taskWith permissionAdds a task to a workspace’s Tasks note. It shows on the Tasks board.update_taskWith permissionTicks a task, or changes its text, due date or reminder.create_workspaceOwn permissionCreates a workspace and adds it to this connection.list_videosVideo permissionLists videos in shared notes that clips can be made from.get_video_transcriptVideo permissionReads a video's words as timed sentences, to find the best moments.transcribe_videoVideo permissionWrites down every word of a video, on the user's computer.create_clip, edit_clipVideo permissionMakes and changes clips: range, cuts, filler words, pauses, captions, shape, framing and B-roll.list_media, list_clipsVideo permissionLists the user's own photos and videos for B-roll, and a video's clips.make_clipVideo permissionRenders a clip to an MP4 in its note, on the user's computer.Tools never delete anything. They cannot run desktop commands, read the password vault or saved API keys, or see assistant memory.
Ready-made prompts
Barside also offers three prompts. Pick one in your AI app, if it shows prompts. Each one tells your AI to ask you before it changes anything.
Setup guide
Use Barside in your AI app.
01 · Start in Barside
Create your connection.
Open AI connections.
In Barside 1.69.2 or later, open Settings → Use Barside in your AI app → More apps and options.
Choose what to share.
Select New connection, give it a name, and choose its workspaces. Keep read-only access, or enable the write permissions you need.
Generate.
Select Generate connection. Create a separate connection for each AI app so you can manage or revoke them independently.
02 · Claude Desktop
Connect in one click.
In Settings → Use Barside in your AI app, select Add to Claude Desktop. Barside makes a connection named Claude Desktop for every workspace. It can read and add notes, bookmarks, tasks and reminders. It never deletes anything or creates workspaces. Fully quit Claude Desktop, including its tray or menu bar icon if present, then reopen it.
For other workspaces or permissions, open More apps and options → New connection. Make your choices, then select Add to Claude Desktop on its Desktop apps tab.
Barside adds its connection to Claude's configuration and backs up the previous file. Existing MCP entries are preserved. The connection uses Barside's bundled runtime; no separate Node.js installation is needed.
Try asking
Find the notes in my shared workspaces about my current project.
Claude Desktop and the Barside app must be on the same computer. Barside can reopen automatically when the desktop client connects.
03 · Other desktop clients
Bring a compatible MCP client.
Select Copy configuration or Save configuration on the Desktop apps tab. Add the generated entry to your client's MCP server configuration and restart that client.
The generated configuration uses the stdio transport and is specific to your user account and this computer. Use the configuration generated by your installation, rather than copying someone else's local paths.
04 · ChatGPT & web clients
A connection beyond your desktop.
Web clients connect from their servers, so they need a public HTTPS endpoint. The Web apps tab offers a temporary link for trying the integration.
Generate a temporary web link.
Barside downloads a verified Cloudflare helper on first use. Copy the generated MCP URL.
Add it in your AI app.
In ChatGPT's supported custom MCP/developer settings, or Claude's custom connector settings, add the URL and choose OAuth. Availability depends on your plan and organization settings.
Approve the pairing.
The authorization page shows an eight-character code. Enter it in Barside, select Review code, check the app and callback domain, then Allow connection. Return to your AI app to finish.
They change when sharing restarts. Your computer must stay awake, with Barside running and the computer unlocked. Some networks block temporary tunnel domains.
barside.space is the product website, not your MCP server URL. A shared permanent MCP hosting service is not available in this release. The advanced settings accept an existing HTTPS tunnel or reverse proxy that you manage.
05 · Your rules
Share a workspace. Keep your boundaries.
Use the Permissions tab to exclude individual notes. New notes in a shared workspace are included unless excluded. Shared note text can still contain sensitive information, including transcripts you have saved.
Pause or revoke any connection in Barside. Access pauses while your computer is locked. Once an external AI provider has received content, revoking access does not remove its existing copy.
Need a hand?
The AI app doesn't show Barside's tools.
Fully restart the client, confirm the connection is enabled, and verify at least one workspace is shared. For local clients, regenerate the configuration if Barside was moved or reinstalled elsewhere.
A web authorization page won't open.
Check that web sharing is still running. Generate a fresh temporary link and update it in the AI app. If your DNS or network blocks temporary tunnel domains, use a reachable administrator-managed HTTPS endpoint.
The connection can read, but can't create a note.
Enable adding and updating content in the Permissions tab. Your client may need to refresh its tool list or reconnect. Creating a new workspace requires its own additional permission.
Does connecting upload my whole library?
The MCP service returns permitted content when a connected client calls its tools. It does not provide access to unselected workspaces, excluded notes, or the password vault. The client may retrieve multiple shared notes, so share only what you intend it to use.