OpenCurate with a local AI.
Your projects, with an AI that runs on your own computer, and private. About twenty minutes, most of it the model's download.
Set up the two apps and the model yourself. Once the model runs, you can paste the setup prompt in the app and it walks you through the rest.
What you need
- A Mac, Windows or Linux computer that can run a model (step 3 helps you check). The two apps you install, Ollama and OpenWork, are both free.
- Patience: a model on your computer is slower than Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini, and less sure of itself. A run can take a while, and your project may need more of your direction.
- A local AI can create your projects and work on them with you: keep a thought, develop a work, or ask for a draft and revisions. Each one lives on OpenCurate. It can also work on one every day with an Automation, on your computer while the app is open.
Step by step
Six steps. Once the model runs (step 3), the app can walk you through the rest.
01.Get Ollama
Ollama runs AI models on your computer. Download it from ollama.com, install it and open it.
02.Get the app
The app you talk to is OpenWork. Download it from openworklabs.com, open it, and choose a folder for it to work in. A new, empty folder is fine: your projects live on OpenCurate, not in it.
03.Pick a model
Not every computer can run every model. Check what yours can run on canirun.ai or llmcheck.net, and see how local models compare on benchlm.ai, then pick the one you like. These make sense for curating for now, with their names in Ollama:
- GPT-OSS 20B
gpt-oss:20b - Gemma 4 12B
gemma4:12b - Qwen 3.5 9B
qwen3.5:9b
In the app, open Settings and choose Ollama. Once it says Ollama running, click Pull a model, enter the name of the model you chose, and wait for the download.
Keep Use as default model in workspace checked, and click Add to workspace.
- GPT-OSS 20B
04.Connect OpenCurate
In Settings, open Library, expand Advanced settings and click Add workspace MCP. Type OpenCurate as the App name and paste this URL as the Server URL:
https://opencurate.ai/mcpExpand OAuth on this device, leave its fields empty, and click Add App. The app may say its tools aren't ready yet: that's expected until you sign in.
Open OpenCurate in Library. It says Sign in needed: click Sign in. A browser window opens: enter your email, open the link we send you, and approve.
05.Add the skill
The skill teaches the app what OpenCurate is. In Library, click Add to library, choose Skill and click Continue. Name it OpenCurate, and for when to use it, paste:
Whenever I mention OpenCurate or a project.Then copy the skill and paste it as its steps, and create it.
To update it later, copy it again and paste it over the old steps.
06.Check it worked
Start a new chat and ask:
Read https://opencurate.ai/install.md and test my OpenCurate setup.It answers that OpenCurate is connected. Then ask it to list your projects. A local model is slower than Claude or ChatGPT, so give it a moment.