Linux desktop AI assistant that runs as a transparent overlay, answers questions, executes commands, analyzes images, and searches the web, all running locally.

Requirements

• Node.js 20+
• npm
• git
• rsync
• curl
• unzip

Install

Warning

This project is Linux only. The installer and app require a glibc-based Linux desktop environment and will not run on macOS, Windows, or musl-based systems like Alpine Linux.

Run this single command:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/TheShovel/icanhelp/main/install.sh | bash

This clones the repo, copies files to ~/.local/share/icanhelp/, installs dependencies, generates icons, and registers it as a system app. After it finishes, launch "icanhelp" from your app launcher.

Alternatively, clone and run manually:

git clone https://github.com/TheShovel/icanhelp.git
cd icanhelp
npm install
npm start

Contributing

Bug reports, feature suggestions, and pull requests are welcome. See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines, code style, and our stance on AI.

Compatibility

The installer supports x86_64 and ARM64 (aarch64) machines running a glibc-based Linux distro with a desktop environment. It does not work on musl-based systems like Alpine Linux, on headless/WSL setups without a desktop, or on 32-bit ARM.

Setup

On first launch the setup panel appears. Select a model from the download list (Qwen 3.5 2B recommended).

Features

• Runs fully offline
• Model download manager
• File attachments
• Screenshot capture
• Bash command execution
• Web search
• Theme system
• Buddy skins
• Vision model
• Word document creation (.docx)

Addon Models

Extra specialized models can be downloaded from Settings → Addons in the app. They load on-demand for specific tools and each consumes additional RAM while active.

Model	Purpose	Size
LFM2 350M Math	Math computation	~210 MB

• Math model powers the math tool for evaluating expressions, solving equations, and arithmetic — letting the main LLM offload computation to a specialized model.

Screenshot Dependencies

The screenshot feature tries these tools in order. Install at least one:

Tool	Package	Works on
spectacle	spectacle	KDE Plasma (Wayland + X11)
grim	grim	Wayland (Sway, Hyprland, River)
gnome-screenshot	gnome-screenshot	GNOME (Wayland + X11)
import	imagemagick	X11
maim	maim	X11
scrot	scrot	X11

Vision Model

Downloads automatically on first launch (~950 MB, cached at ~/.local/share/icanhelp/transformers/). Uses local ONNX inference.

Files

• Config: ~/.config/icanhelp/config.enc (encrypted)

• App data: ~/.local/share/icanhelp/ (models, vision model, logs)

  • Models: ~/.local/share/icanhelp/models/
  • Vision model cache: ~/.local/share/icanhelp/transformers/
  • Logs: ~/.local/share/icanhelp/vision.log, ocr.log

  Buddy Skins

  The buddy avatar uses five PNG images — one per state: idle.png, talking.png, thinking.png, bash.png, and search.png. The default ones live in assets/buddyArt/.

  You can replace them with a custom set by importing a ZIP through Settings → Buddy Skins → Import Skin. The ZIP must contain all five PNG files (at the zip root or in a single subdirectory). The skin is extracted to ~/.config/icanhelp/buddySkins/<name>/ and applied immediately.

  To go back to the original icons, click Reset Buddy Skin in the same settings section.