Hosting options: Local hosting

Last updated: October 3, 2026

Cadet runs your assistant in our cloud (the Mighty, Super, and Ultra plans), but you don't need to pay us to own your assistant. Local hosting — running your assistant on hardware you control — is free, forever.

Why self-host?

• $0/month. Your hardware, your electricity, no subscription.
• Your machine, your data. Conversations and memories never leave your network.
• Bring your own keys. Plug in your own model API keys and pay providers directly.

What you'll need

• An always-on machine you control — a spare desktop, a mini PC, or a home server. If it can run Docker, it can run Cadet.
• Docker (or Podman) for one-command setup.
• API keys for the model providers you want your assistant to use.

Quick start (preview)

The open-source Cadet release ships a single docker compose up that boots the assistant runtime on your machine. This guide is being finalized alongside that release — the exact steps and configuration reference will land here when it ships.

Migrating from the cloud — or from Vellum

If your assistant currently lives on Cadet's cloud (or on Vellum, via the “Migrate to Cadet” flow), your assistant data — conversations, memories, and settings — can be imported into your self-hosted instance during setup, so nothing is left behind when you move.

Cloud vs. local

Local hosting trades convenience for cost and control: cloud plans include managed availability, automatic updates, and storage on our infrastructure, while local hosting puts those responsibilities on you. You can move between them — cloud to local, or local back to cloud — whenever your needs change.