ari is a lightweight AI assistant for Mac that lives entirely in your menu bar. Instead of opening a browser or visiting a website, you click a small icon and a floating panel appears where you can ask questions. Everything runs on your own computer using Apple Silicon's special AI chips, so your conversations never leave your machine. The app downloads AI models from a public model library, keeps them ready in memory when you're using them, and automatically rests when you're not — using very little of your computer's resources. It shows responses as they appear, with nice formatting for code, lists, and even math equations.
How It Works
A friend tells you about 'ari' — an AI that lives in your menu bar and never sends your questions to the cloud.
You grab the app from the releases page, drag it to your Applications folder, and give it permission to run.
On first launch, ari quietly prepares everything it needs — no commands to type, no folders to create.
You pick a model from the built-in store — something small and fast for everyday questions, or something bigger for complex tasks.
A floating panel slides down from your menu bar. You type your question and press Enter.
Words stream onto your screen as ari thinks, complete with formatted text, code blocks, and even math equations.
When you're done, ari quietly rests — and wakes up instantly the next time you need it, keeping your Mac's memory free.
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