The archive · AI & Models · Product decision · 2025–2026
Onit bets an AI sidebar should dock to every Mac app — 1.1k stars
Synth, Inc.'s Onit SideKick: source-available Mac AI sidebar that docks to any app, swaps Claude/GPT/Gemini/local Ollama; Launch HN 174 points.
Synth, Inc. (Onit)
What the business is
Onit SideKick is a source-available macOS AI chat sidebar that docks to any application, reads the active window as context, and chats via remote providers (Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Perplexity, DeepSeek, xAI, OpenRouter) or local models through Ollama; V2 sells a single subscription for all providers.
How it started
Synth, Inc., a small San Francisco team whose previous project Alias is deprecated, built Onit on five beliefs: universal access to AI anywhere on the computer, provider freedom, local-first data, customizability and extensibility. On 2025-01-24 it launched with downloads at getonit.ai/ai-sidebar and source on GitHub.
What happened
The Launch HN thread (174 points, 58 comments) focused on licensing: commenters objected that Creative Commons Non-Commercial is not open source, a moderator changed the title to source-available, and the team said it was open to a more appropriate license. The README roadmap adds auto-context, local typeahead and RAG, bundled Ollama, agents and Linux/Windows support, with local chat always free.
How it ended up
As of the 2026-09-04 crawl Onit SideKick is live: repo at 1.1k stars and 48 forks, downloads and the V2 subscription offered on the product page; the material discloses no funding or revenue.
Background
Onit SideKick is a source-available macOS AI chat sidebar from Synth, Inc. that docks to any app: highlight text or load the active window as context, then chat with Claude, GPT, Gemini, Grok or other remote models — or flip Local Mode and run any Ollama model with everything staying on the machine. The bet is that AI assistance belongs at the operating-system level, available in every app, rather than inside one vendor's browser tab or IDE.
The product launched on Hacker News on 2025-01-24 and the thread turned on the license. Users argued that a Creative Commons Non-Commercial license is not open source; a moderator retitled the post to source-available and asked the discussion to get back on topic, while the team said the choice was not intentional and it was open to something more appropriate.
By the 2026-09-04 crawl the repo showed 1.1k stars and 48 forks, with a prebuilt download and V2 subscription page still live. Local chat stays free, source stays open for customization, and the roadmap points at auto-context, local RAG, bundled Ollama, agents and Linux/Windows ports — an OS-level AI assistant bet that is still running without disclosed funding or revenue.
What has to be true
- Named-platform traction with dates: the 2025-01-24 Launch HN post drew 174 points and 58 comments, and the repo reached 1.1k stars and 48 forks by the 2026-09-04 crawl.
- A clear product bet: AI help should live at OS level, docked to every app with provider choice and a local mode, against vendor-locked chat confined to one workflow.
- A documented controversy with an outcome: HN rejected the open-source label for the CC-NC license and the thread itself renamed the product source-available.
- Company context inside the material: Synth, Inc. is a named San Francisco team with a monetization plan (V2 subscription) and a deprecated predecessor product (Alias).
What can be applied
Trust hinges on precise licensing: calling a Creative-Commons Non-Commercial app open source burned the launch thread, so name the license exactly or the community renames it for you.
Aftermath
As of 2026-09-05 Onit SideKick is live and shipping: the GitHub repo shows 1.1k stars and 48 forks at the 2026-09-04 crawl, the prebuilt download and V2 subscription page is up, and the SideKick source is open for pull requests while Onit Dictate and QuickEdit remain closed-source. The bet that a provider-neutral, local-capable, OS-level AI sidebar wins Mac desktops is still running; the material discloses no funding, revenue or user numbers.
Sources
- HN: Onit – Source-available ChatGPT Desktop with local mode, Claude, Gemini
- synth-inc/onit GitHub repo (1.1k stars at crawl)
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