Clippy
AI
local llm desktop client
SHOW HN2025
1,122points
275comments
#11of 3,837 in 2025
Top 1%of 2025 by points
How HN took it
MixedNo clear lean
50 positive, 51 neutral or asking, 8 mixed, 22 critical, out of 131 comments about the project. Thread score +0.28.
Idea: 20 for, 5 againstDesign: 17 for, 8 againstExecution: 4 for, 5 againstPrivacy: 0 for, 2 againstPerformance: 0 for, 1 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Nostalgic 90s design and aesthetic
From 4 comments
Man do I ever miss this UI design. Nice work!
Jagerbizzle on HNThis is a thing of beauty, thank you!! :-D
rangerelf on HNWow fantastic website!! Love the Windows old aesthetic!
danielhanchen on HNFlawless execution, all the details are sharp. That's fun.
andwrobs on HN
Easy to use with local models and runs offline
From 2 comments
Wow. The ease-of-use is insanely good. I haven't figured out yet how to move clippy to a different location on the screen (rather than centred), but it works well. I have…
_-_-__-_-_- on HNReally interesting project. I love the combination of LLM with a 90s aesthetic. Great that it works with a really simple configuration and runs offline
elia_42 on HN
Useful take on a chatbot UI
From 2 comments
Decades later, you made a version of Clippy that might actually be useful. Congratulations!
GTP on HNAm I the only one who thinks that albeit ugly, this is way more readable than the usual web-app styled chat interfaces?
elzbardico on HN
Objections
Built on Electron and heavy on resources
From 4 comments
This is cool, but does no one even look at what libraries they're shipping anymore? I mean, why does this Clippy-style LLM interface bundle: - A JavaScript implementation of the…
rafram on HN"made with Electron" bruh cmon
sachahjkl on HNGreat idea and design, thanks for this! I was hoping since some time to see this :-D I hope that one day a non-Electron app (to minimize resource usage when idle) will also appear!
ale42 on HNoh yes, sure, It's not just an another useless shitty electron app, it's object of art. yeah.
cocodill on HN
Missing Ollama support
From 2 comments
Great job! Having ollama support would be useful as well[1]! [1]https://github.com/ollama/ollama
alkh on HNSuch a great theme, I missed it. I don't see ollama support tho :(
xbartu on HN
Fails to load some models or run on older hardware
From 3 comments
I can't get this to work on my aging 2017 Intel work mac. > Error: Error invoking remote method 'ELECTRON_LLM_CREATE': Error: Error: NoBinaryFoundError
Telemakhos on HNI couldn't find how to get back to the normal chat screen from settings easily, and loading the same model file that works in LM studio crashed my computer. I like the idea,…
unethical_ban on HNI love this, and will unironically use it as a little desktop LLM, but it seems to completely ignore the prompt that’s in the settings. No matter what model I install it’s just…
sen on HN
Requests
Ollama support
From 3 comments
Great job! Having ollama support would be useful as well[1]! [1]https://github.com/ollama/ollama
alkh on HNThis is such an amazing piece of work — truly impressive! Hats off to you If it supports Ollama and local LLMs too, it'll be absolutely unbeatable!
aligundogdu on HNSuch a great theme, I missed it. I don't see ollama support tho :(
xbartu on HN
Native app instead of Electron
From 2 comments
Great idea and design, thanks for this! I was hoping since some time to see this :-D I hope that one day a non-Electron app (to minimize resource usage when idle) will also appear!
ale42 on HNgiven it's targeted look, why isn't it an actual native app?
integricho on HN
Other Microsoft agent characters such as BonziBuddy or Rover
From 4 comments
Any love for the other avatars? Power Pup? I think there were a few… Otherwise, thanks, this is great.
AvAn12 on HNVery cool project! It would be really nice to have support for the other assistants that Microsoft released to use in place of Clippy (I'm particularly fond of the dolphin that…
devilsbabe on HNDo this one next: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BonziBuddy
amelius on HNNext up, "Rover" the dog from Microsoft Bob https://fabulous.systems/posts/2024/06/if-i-ever-get-a-dog-ill-name-it-rover-ms-bob-retrospective/
ChrisArchitect on HN
Questions
How to run it with a locally hosted LLM
From 1 comment
How do I use it as a frontend for a locally hosted llm? I have a 3090gtx, but never actually run/hosted any locally. Cheers
unixhero on HN
Where downloaded models are stored
From 1 comment
That’s great! ... Where are the downloaded models so I can delete them or at least exclude them from Time Machine backups? (Mac)
alanh on HN
Whether the app can be moved on screen
From 2 comments
Wow. The ease-of-use is insanely good. I haven't figured out yet how to move clippy to a different location on the screen (rather than centred), but it works well. I have…
_-_-__-_-_- on HNLove it. On macOS it always launches in the middle of the screen - is there a way to move it around?
endlessvoid94 on HN
Alternatives named
clippyjs library
From 1 comment
I recently did this in our main system that we recently added an LLM feature to (for fun internally, not sending to prod) using https://github.com/pi0/clippyjs
rileytg on HN
CowPilot
From 1 comment
Amazing, we also have CowPilot now https://github.com/agentsea/cowpilot
mountainriver on HN
Terminal-style LLM frontends like LM Studio
From 1 comment
I couldn't find how to get back to the normal chat screen from settings easily, and loading the same model file that works in LM studio crashed my computer. I like the idea,…
unethical_ban on HN