OpenInstinct
Your personal, family's, or team's agent should be yours
OpenInstinct is an open source assistant that lives in your iMessage thread. It books tickets, orders groceries and fills forms on real websites, while your passwords and cards stay encrypted.
- MIT licensed
- Runs in your Vercel account
- Works with any model
OpenInstinct handles the browser work from your own account
Works through the actual site
It uses a cloud browser for the whole job, including sign in and checkout. When it finishes, it sends a screenshot and summary to your thread.
Keeps secrets out of the model
Passwords and cards are encrypted before they are stored. The worker passes a handle to the browser, which fills the saved value from the vault.
Waits for approval
Before a purchase, it posts the merchant, item and total in your thread. Email, calendar events and destructive changes also need approval.
Remembers the boring parts
Your name, address, phone number and preferences are saved once and reused on every form. Say the word and it forgets them.
Works with any model
Choose any model available through Vercel AI Gateway and change the default in one file. Vercel bills the usage to your account.
Set it up in about five minutes
You need a Vercel account and an iPhone. The deploy flow creates the other services.
Deploy to Vercel
The deploy flow provisions the browser, database, private Blob store and iMessage line under your Vercel account. It also configures AI Gateway; you do not need to copy any environment variables.
Text the number once
Send one iMessage to verify the new number. Then open the web workspace to save logins and cards, or add them later when a task asks.
Send it a chore
It works through the site in a browser, then sends a screenshot and the receipt details. If it needs an OTP or purchase approval along the way, it asks in your thread.
Send the chore as a text
These are sample threads. Merchants, prices and available times depend on your accounts and location.
Groceries
- You: reorder last week's instacart, swap the oat milk for whole
- OpenInstinct: cart's ready at Wegmans. 14 items, whole milk swapped in. $87.41 with delivery for the 6 to 8pm window. want me to place it?
- You: yes
- OpenInstinct: placed. order #WG2831 arriving tonight between 6 and 8.
Appointments
- You: book me a haircut at fellow barber friday after 5
- OpenInstinct: Fellow Barber on Elizabeth St has 5:30 and 6:15 on Friday with Marcus. booking 5:30 unless you'd rather the later one.
- You: 5:30 works
- OpenInstinct: done. confirmation went to your email.
Forms and renewals
- You: renew my library card, it expires this month
- OpenInstinct: BPL renewal form filled from your saved address. it needs the card number, which I don't have. can you text it?
- You: 2192 0041 7638
- OpenInstinct: submitted. new expiry is Sept 2027.
Credentials
Passwords stay out of the model context
A saved login stays encrypted in the Vercel project you control. When a site asks for it, the worker gives the browser a handle and the vault fills the fields.
Encrypted in your account
Vault values are encrypted before storage. The database holds ciphertext; your private Blob store holds the key.
Filled from a handle
The worker passes the browser a saved login's handle. The vault fills the fields without exposing the raw value to either model.
You complete browser challenges
One-time codes are requested in your iMessage thread and discarded after use. CAPTCHA, passkey and 3D Secure prompts open in a live browser view.
Email and calendar need approval
Sending email and creating calendar events require approval. Gmail's modify scope does not permit permanent deletion.
Questions before you deploy
What do I need to run it?
A Vercel account and an iPhone. The deploy flow provisions the browser, database, private Blob storage, iMessage line and AI Gateway connection. You won't need to fill in environment variables.
What does it cost?
OpenInstinct is free and MIT licensed. Vercel, Kernel, Neon, Linq and AI Gateway bill your account for the resources you use. OpenInstinct does not charge a subscription.
Which models can it use?
Any model available through Vercel AI Gateway. You can change the default in one file.
Does it see my passwords?
No. Secrets are encrypted before storage, and the key stays in your private Blob store. The browser fills a saved login from its handle, so the model receives no raw value.
What happens with two-factor codes and CAPTCHAs?
It asks for a one-time code in the thread, uses it for that step and discards it. CAPTCHA, passkey and 3D Secure prompts open in a live browser view for you.
Will it buy things without asking?
No. It shows you the merchant, item, quantity, option and total before a purchase. Email, calendar events and destructive changes have the same approval step.
Can it use my Gmail and Calendar?
You can connect Google through your own OAuth app. Vercel Connect stores the tokens, and Gmail uses the modify scope, which does not permit permanent deletion.
Is iMessage the only way to talk to it?
You can also use web chat. The workspace is where you manage saved logins, cards and addresses.
Can I run it somewhere other than Vercel?
Set an auth secret, encryption key and public URL, then connect Postgres and Kernel. It runs anywhere Node.js does. The README covers the manual setup.
How do I get rid of it?
Delete the Vercel project and its connected stores to remove the deployment and its data.