What it does

AQBot is a Tauri-based desktop app that lets you chat with multiple AI providers (OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, DeepSeek, Qwen, and any OpenAI-compatible endpoint) from one interface. It also bundles agent workflows, local knowledge bases via sqlite-vec, MCP tool support, and—unusually—turns your desktop into a local API gateway exposing OpenAI/Claude/Gemini-compatible endpoints to other clients.

The interesting bit

The gateway angle is the twist: instead of just consuming APIs, AQBot serves them locally, complete with key management, SSL/TLS, request logging, and pre-baked config templates for Claude Code, Codex CLI, and friends. It’s a client that wants to be the server too.

Key highlights

• Provider juggling — Custom base URLs, headers, proxies, and one-click imports via aqbot:// links or CC Switch configs
• Agent mode with teeth — File access, command execution, and three permission tiers from “ask me every time” to “full access” with cost tracking per session
• Local knowledge + search — sqlite-vec for private documents, plus Tavily/Zhipu/Bocha web search with source citations
• MCP ecosystem — stdio, SSE, and StreamableHTTP transports, plus built-in tools like @aqbot/fetch that don’t need separate servers
• Data portability — Imports ChatGPT exports, Cherry Studio, and Kelivo backups; backs up to local disk, WebDAV, or S3-compatible storage
• Cross-platform Tauri — macOS (Intel/Apple Silicon), Windows 10/11 (x64/ARM64), Linux (AppImage/deb/rpm on x64 and ARM64)

Caveats

• Unsigned macOS builds — Expect Gatekeeper headaches; the README dedicates a full section to spctl --master-disable and xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine
• AGPL-3.0 license — Copyleft; worth noting if you’re thinking of embedding or redistributing
• Early versioning — Listed as v0.0.85, which suggests rapid iteration and potential rough edges

Verdict

Worth a look if you want one desktop app to rule multiple AI providers and you need a local API gateway for CLI tools or secondary clients. Skip it if you just need a simple chat UI—this is a workbench, not a widget.