ahai

For a limited time, use code SHOWHN100 to download the app for free

Find your ideas

A completely local, private Mac app that brings together the ideas scattered across your files—so you can review them and act on them.

Why I built ahai

AI-assisted experiences are reaching a critical threshold where we can build, learn, and research at unprecedented speed.

I have several ideas captured over the years—prototypes, partial git repos, notes jotted down in Obsidian. I wanted to find one to build now, with AI-assisted coding unlocking new potential.

So I built ahai to surface ideas from all my git repos and Obsidian notes. I found it useful, polished it into a product, and here we are.

What ahai does

ahai uses local AI models (MLX on Mac) to sift through your markdown files and find the ideas hidden in them. No cloud. No API calls. Your notes never leave your machine.

Optimized for:

• Code repository READMEs in your repos folder
• Obsidian (or other markdown-based) note folders
• Clipped content (Obsidian Web Clipper, bookmarks, etc.)

Use cases

Find your next idea to act on—build it, learn it, whatever:

• Consolidate ideas from past incomplete projects
• Surface notes jotted down over the years that you forgot about
• Mine meta-repos (awesome lists, curated collections) for ideas
• Extract ideas from clipped tweets, arxiv papers, and bookmarked articles

Features

• 100% local AI — runs on-device via MLX, complete privacy, no internet required
• Works with any markdown — Obsidian vaults, GitHub repos, Bear exports, loose .md files
• Session management — pause scans and resume later, your progress is saved
• Drag-drop organization — sort and prioritize what you've rediscovered
• Export to JSON, CSV, or Markdown — take your ideas anywhere
• Apple Silicon optimized — fast inference on M-series chips
• Model flexibility — works with any mlx_lm compatible model that fits on your machine (downloads to your configured Hugging Face cache). We download a sensible default, or pick your own.

Who it's for

Engineers, product managers, researchers, scientists—anyone who wants to surface ideas from their own machines.

System requirements

• Apple Silicon Mac (M1/M2/M3/M4)
• Minimum 16GB RAM (model must be roughly ≤ half your system RAM to run at reasonable speed)
• macOS 13 Ventura or later
• Currently reads markdown files only. More formats based on demand.

What's included

Mac app (.dmg installer)

Notes

• The name: ahai = aha (as in ideas) + h (human) + ai (AI)
• Built with AI: This product was built with PySide6 and Claude Code, with help from other AIs. Contains AI-generated content—use with appropriate judgment.
• Processing time: Depends on folder size and number of files. Pause and resume anytime.
• It's new: The product is fresh—there may be a few rough edges. Let me know and I'll prioritize fixes.

Pay what you want — $19 minimum, $29 suggested