Barside

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.

Set up a connection

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.

See the AI features

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.

Claude Uses a Claude API key from Anthropic. The default model is Claude Opus 5.

ChatGPT Uses an OpenAI API key. The default is the newest balanced GPT model on your account.

Gemini Uses a Google AI Studio key. The default is the newest Gemini Flash.

OpenRouter Sign in and press Authorize. One account gives Claude, GPT and Gemini models, and OpenRouter bills you. The default is Claude Opus 5.

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.

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.

It shows every step You see each action in an activity log. Changes to other apps wait for your approval.

From call to follow-up Decisions and tasks come from the transcript. You choose the owners and reminder times.

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 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.

One approval inbox Approve or refuse each proposed task, reminder or email. The history shows what each agent did.

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

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.

Tools your AI can use.

Your AI app does the thinking. These tools let it work with your notes, bookmarks and tasks.

list_workspaces ReadLists the workspaces this connection can see.

search_notes ReadSearches note titles and text in shared workspaces.

get_note ReadReturns a note as text. Attachments are left out.

list_bookmarks ReadLists bookmarks and their groups.

list_tasks ReadLists the checklist tasks in shared notes, with due dates and reminders. Open tasks come first.

list_reading ReadLists 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_note With permissionCreates a note in a shared workspace.

append_note With permissionAdds text to a note and keeps its formatting.

rename_note With permissionRenames a note.

add_bookmark With permissionSaves a link to a note or workspace.

set_reminder With permissionSets a reminder on a note.

add_task With permissionAdds a task to a workspace’s Tasks note. It shows on the Tasks board.

update_task With permissionTicks a task, or changes its text, due date or reminder.

create_workspace Own permissionCreates a workspace and adds it to this connection.

list_videos Video permissionLists videos in shared notes that clips can be made from.

get_video_transcript Video permissionReads a video's words as timed sentences, to find the best moments.

transcribe_video Video permissionWrites down every word of a video, on the user's computer.

create_clip, edit_clip Video permissionMakes and changes clips: range, cuts, filler words, pauses, captions, shape, framing and B-roll.

list_media, list_clips Video permissionLists the user's own photos and videos for B-roll, and a video's clips.

make_clip Video 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.

Plan my day Looks at your open tasks and suggests a short plan for today.

Weekly review Looks at finished and open tasks, and suggests what to finish, move or drop.

Meeting follow-up Turns a meeting note or transcript into decisions and tasks.

Use Barside in your AI app.

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.

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.

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.

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.

1. Generate a temporary web link.

   Barside downloads a verified Cloudflare helper on first use. Copy the generated MCP URL.

2. 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.

3. 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.

Temporary links are for testing.

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.

Share a workspace. Keep your boundaries.

Read-only by default A new connection can list shared workspaces, search and read note text, and list bookmarks, tasks and Reading items. The one-click Claude Desktop connection can also add.

Optional writes Create or append notes, rename notes, add bookmarks, add and change tasks, and set reminders.

Separate choices Creating workspaces and sharing bookmark account labels each require permission.

Always excluded Password vault, saved API credentials, media attachments, assistant memory, and desktop controls.

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.

More about your data

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.