Ailice

A self-hosted general-purpose assistant that decomposes complex requests into collaborating agent tasks.

Stars
★ 1.4k
Last updated
1y ago
License
MIT
Primary language
Python

At a glance

How it runs
CLIWeb appSelf-hosted service
Works with
Universal · cross-platformOpenAI API · Claude API
Cost
Free software; you pay for model usage
Setup effort
Medium · a few setup steps
You'll need
PythonChromeShell / CLINetwork accessLocal filesystemMCP Server
Typical use
An individual who wants to run research, document reading, and result synthesis locally or in a container.
Not a fit if
  • Windows-only users who need command-line execution tools
  • Users without 48GB VRAM who want to run capable local models

What does this agent do, and when should you use it?

Ailice is an autonomous general-purpose assistant built around open-source LLMs and served through a browser-based conversation interface. Its IACT, or Interactive Agents Call Tree, model lets AProcessor instances create sub-agents, request missing information from callers, and return results through the call tree. LLM output is interpreted by core/Interpreter.py into function calls, variable operations, and other actions, while independent processes provide modules such as search, browsing, code execution, and vector storage. Configuration in config.json supports either one model for all agents or separate models for distinct agent types. It can run locally or in Docker, and can expose stdio or SSE MCP servers as extension modules.

Users start the service with ailice or ailice_web and submit work through the web dialogue interface. The main agent can delegate to sub-agents; during multi-round execution, AProcessor calls peripheral modules and Interpreter parses matching LLM text into actions. The embedded syntax supports variable definition, variable references, text concatenation, and function calls; detected code blocks can be stored as variables and passed to an execution module. The services section in config.json can launch standalone module processes, while ailice_mcp_wrapper connects local stdio MCP servers or SSE MCP servers. Results are returned through the active conversation and agent-call chain.

  1. An individual who wants to run research, document reading, and result synthesis locally or in a container.
  2. A developer who needs an assistant to carry out multi-step programming, script execution, or system-management tasks.
  3. A team that wants to assign different models to the main, search, and other agent types through config.json.
  4. An integration developer who needs to connect a self-hosted stdio or SSE MCP server to an assistant workflow.
  5. A local deployment user who needs voice dialogue, rich media handling, and file upload/download in the web interface.

How do you install or deploy this agent?

Prepare Python and Chrome. Run:

git clone https://github.com/myshell-ai/AIlice.git
cd AIlice

pip install -e .

For optional PDF reading, speech, Hugging Face model, or fine-tuning features, install only the needed extras: pip install -e .[pdf-reading], pip install -e .[speech], pip install -e .[huggingface], or pip install -e .[finetuning]. For an isolated deployment, run docker build -t ailice . followed by docker run -it -p 127.0.0.1:5000:5000 --name ailice ailice --expose=1 --contextWindowRatio=0.2.

How do you use this agent?

On first run, Ailice asks for an API key; it can also be changed in the config.json location printed at startup. Start with:

ailece --contextWindowRatio=0.2

The documented executable is ailice, so use:

ailece is not a documented command; use ailice --contextWindowRatio=0.2.

Open the supplied web page and enter a task. A documented model-specific invocation is ailice --modelID=anthropic:claude-sonnet-4-20250514 --contextWindowRatio=0.2. If modelID is omitted, Ailice uses per-agent assignments under agentModelConfig in config.json. Run ailice --help for parameters. To add MCP tools, configure a services entry using ailice_mcp_wrapper, such as a stdio wrapper for mcp_echo hello.

What are this agent's strengths and limitations?

Pros
  • Its IACT call tree allows a sub-agent to ask its caller for clarification or help, rather than relying on one-way function calls.
  • External capabilities are independent processes that can run in different software, hardware, or remote environments.
  • The repository documents MCP integration for both stdio and SSE servers through ailice_mcp_wrapper.
  • It supports commercial providers, OpenRouter/Apipie, local Hugging Face models, and OpenAI-compatible inference services.
  • Per-agent model selection makes it possible to combine models according to capability, cost, and local hardware limits.
Limitations
  • The default Google module is rate-limited; frequent use requires Custom Search JSON API credentials and google-api-python-client.
  • For complex local tasks, the documentation recommends models of 70B parameters or larger and says effective use needs at least two RTX 4090 GPUs with 48GB VRAM.
  • Ubuntu has the strongest support; Windows has limited testing and no integrated Windows command-execution tools, with Docker or WSL recommended.
  • Initial use of open-source models, speech recognition, or TTS may download weights and require substantial time and disk space.
  • Public share links are temporarily removed for security, and the documentation warns against exposing the app.py service to untrusted networks.

How does this agent compare with similar options?

Ailice can use official OpenAI, Mistral, Anthropic, and Groq model paths directly, or route models through OpenRouter and Apipie. For local or non-OpenAI-compatible inference, the documentation provides configuration paths for LM Studio and for Ollama converted with LiteLLM.

Key facts side by side with the most closely related agents.

Agent Source review Form / cost Stars Updated Language Full support on
Ailice This agent 41 · Major gaps CLIFree + model costs ★ 1.4k 1y ago Python OpenAI API · Claude API
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Keinsaas Navigator 72 · Some gaps Self-hosted serviceFree + model costs ★ 1.2k 2d ago TypeScript OpenAI API · Claude API
WebBrain 68 · Some gaps Browser extensionFree + model costs ★ 1.7k today JavaScript Claude Code

How does FollowAgents rate this agent?

FollowAgents source review · FARS-2.1
Major gaps
41/ 100 5-point scale 2.1 / 5
Trust 6/29
Reliability 5/14
Adaptability 10/18
Convention 11/18
Effectiveness 6/13
Verifiability 3/8
Why each dimension lost points
Trust6 / 29 · 1.0/5

The code and README indicate that AIlice can control the local environment by default and can launch modules using configured commands; the README also describes system administration and script execution. Least privilege and control of external effects are therefore weak (0). Users can configure modules and services, but the materials do not show confirmation gates for high-impact actions (1). The README describes API-key configuration, chat-history storage, and service communication, but gives limited detail on data retention and transfer boundaries (data-flow transparency 1; sensitive-data handling 1). It recommends a VM or Docker to limit risk, but the evidence offers little about recovery beyond those containment suggestions (rollback 1). Dependencies include wildcards and broad version ranges, with no security audit or mitigation shown (dependency security 0). An author and MIT license are identified, but no clear security-reporting or maintenance contact process is shown (source attribution 1).

Reliability5 / 14 · 1.8/5

The README's described capabilities partly match the entry-point code, but it includes both older and newer model examples, and `ailice` and `ailice_web` have different implementation details; self-consistency is partial (1). The dependency set is broad and many versions are not locked; the README also warns that optional features can cause dependency conflicts (dependency availability 1). The code logs exceptions and retries module startup, but some initialization errors are printed before exiting, with limited recovery guidance for users (failure messages 1).

Adaptability10 / 18 · 2.8/5

The README covers research, coding, documents, speech, and system administration, and explains local and commercial model configuration (audience and scenarios 2). It explicitly identifies missing Windows command execution, limited Windows testing, and risks from local control and public exposure (capability boundaries 2). Example tasks are concrete, but the general-purpose autonomous framing does not clearly specify when to invoke each capability or decline a task (trigger precision 1). Installation guidance covers Ubuntu, macOS, Windows/WSL, Docker, CUDA, and optional features, though support is not equally mature across environments (environment fit 2).

Convention11 / 18 · 3.1/5

The README has a table of contents and organized installation, configuration, and model sections, though the supplied packet does not include the complete documentation (information architecture 2). Installation steps, system requirements, and optional dependencies are covered, but users must still make some security and environment decisions themselves (install notes 2). Product name, command entry points, and agent types are mostly stable in the supplied material (naming stability 2). The README includes many concrete examples and practical tips, but no clear FAQ section is evident (examples and FAQ 2). It documents Windows limitations, model hardware needs, Google access restrictions, and temporary removal of sharing (known limitations 2). The full license text matches the metadata (license 3). The README has dated update notices but no clear release history or mapping to the reviewed revision (versioning and changelog 1). An author email is present, but ongoing maintenance responsibility, cadence, and issue-handling path are unclear (maintenance responsibility 1).

Effectiveness6 / 13 · 2.3/5

The product offers a web chat interface, model selection, history storage, and tool modules, but the materials do not establish output quality, format stability, or reusable-result guarantees (output usability 1). The agent-tree design, module extension, and multi-model configuration could add value for complex tasks, with relevant scenarios supplied in the README (marginal value 2). The README describes substantial local-model hardware needs and model downloads for speech and optional features, but provides no task-level cost estimates or comparison of alternatives (cost-benefit 1).

Verifiability3 / 8 · 1.9/5

Most capability claims are project assertions; some configuration and startup behavior can be matched to code and package configuration, but evidence for actual task outcomes is limited (claim traceability 1). The README, entry-point code, dependency configuration, and installation workflow provide some corroboration of project structure and setup, but the workflow is manually triggered and the packet does not establish that it ran (cross-source corroboration 1). The README sometimes places goals, example tasks, and claimed capabilities side by side without consistently distinguishing demonstrations from verified results (fact-inference separation 1).

Risks and how to mitigate them
  • Not found in source: least-privilege scopingGrant only what the task needs: a dedicated account or read-only token, scoped to specific directories and repos.
  • Not found in source: dependency securityPin versions and run a dependency audit (npm audit, pip-audit) before installing; prefer running it in a container.
  • Not found in source: disclosed external effectsEstablish which external systems it writes to, sends to or changes, and verify with test accounts or repos before production.
  • Default local operation may give the agent substantial control over the host; use an isolated environment for high-impact tasks and configure public access and module launch commands carefully.
  • Dependency ranges are broad, and optional speech, PDF, and Hugging Face features add installation complexity; account for resource needs, API-key configuration, and chat-history storage.
Evidence confidence: Low Reviewed Nov 08, 2026 Reviewed revision 63a22105cdf8
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Recent releases

Latest entries from the project's GitHub Releases. Notes are quoted from upstream as written, not rewritten or tested by FollowAgents.

  1. v0.2.0-alpha Pre-release
    Release notes excerpt
    This is a stable version for the text-only modality stage, with prompts optimized for gpt4-turbo, and it also performs well on open-source models such as NousResearch/Nous-Hermes-2-Mixtral-8x7B-DPO. However, the voice interaction and web interface functionalities are not yet ideal. After the master branch starts the development task for multimodal functions, there might be cases of performance instability. It is recommended that users use this version as an alternative.
    View on GitHub ↗

FAQ

Do I need a paid commercial-model API?
No. The documented options include local Hugging Face models, LM Studio, and Ollama through LiteLLM, alongside commercial and routing services. First launch still prompts for an API key.
Can I connect my own MCP tools?
Yes. ailice_mcp_wrapper can wrap a local stdio MCP server or connect an SSE MCP endpoint as a standard Ailice service.
Is Windows a suitable deployment target?
The documentation reports less Windows testing and no integrated Windows command-execution tools. It recommends Docker or WSL, especially for programming tasks.
Why should I avoid publicly exposing the web service?
The share feature is temporarily removed pending more UI security measures, and the documentation explicitly says not to expose the app.py service to untrusted networks.
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