Rowboat
Verified Oct 2, 2026 ActiveOpen-source desktop AI coworker that builds a local knowledge graph from your email and meetings and runs background agents.
Listed on EffectHub ·
Pricing
- Pricing model
- 100% Free
The app and the Harbor server are open source under Apache 2.0, and models run locally or on your own provider keys. The site renders client-side and exposes no readable pricing page, so no paid plan or price is recorded; the README says the app can create a hosted Spaces server without naming a price.
Use tool ↗About Rowboat
Rowboat is an Apache-licensed desktop assistant for Mac, Windows and Linux that indexes your email, meetings, Slack and chats into a backlinked knowledge graph kept as plain Markdown files on your machine. On top of that memory it has an email client that drafts replies, a built-in browser, a local meeting note-taker, background agents that run on events or schedules, and a code mode that drives Claude Code or Codex. Models can be local through Ollama or LM Studio, or hosted with your own keys. Teams share a Space, a chat and files room on a server called Harbor, which you can self-host.
- API
- No
- Last verified
- Oct 2, 2026
Verified sources
- GitHub README describes the knowledge graph, email, browser, meeting notes, background agents, Spaces and Harborgithub.com ↗
- Repository is Apache-2.0 licensed with desktop builds for macOS, Windows and Linux in the latest releasegithub.com ↗
- Home page title presents Rowboat as an AI coworker with memoryrowboatlabs.com ↗
- Y Combinator company listing for Rowboat Labs, open-source AI coworker with memoryycombinator.com ↗
Is Rowboat legit?
We don’t label tools safe or unsafe. Below are the records we checked ourselves, each with the date we read it.
- Last checked
- Oct 2, 2026The site answered
- On the market since
- 2024The vendor's own material, read by us
- Operated by
- Rowboat Labs, United StatesOur research, card verified Oct 2, 2026
Pros & cons of Rowboat
Interesting for people who want an assistant that learns from their own work context while keeping the data on their machine. It bundles email, notes, browser, meetings and coding agents in one app, which is a lot to adopt at once. Treat it as a fast-moving open-source project: the team-collaboration layer is explicitly early and may change.
Pros
- Apache 2.0 licensed with frequent releases and a large GitHub following
- Memory is stored as readable Markdown files on your machine
- Works with local models through Ollama or LM Studio, or your own API keys
- Spaces server Harbor can be self-hosted with Postgres
Cons
- Broad feature set means a long setup, including optional keys for voice, search and tools
- The Spaces protocol is marked early, with breaking changes expected
- No published pricing for hosted Spaces servers in the README or on the readable pages
Best for
- Privacy-minded professionals who want memory built from their own email and meetings
- Small teams that want agents inside a shared chat and file room they can self-host
Not for
- Users who want a simple chatbot in a browser tab
- Organizations that need a vendor-backed SLA and published enterprise pricing
Watch out: The project's own README says the Harbor and Spaces protocol is still v0 and expects breaking changes, so pin versions before building team workflows on it.
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