You approve anything it cannot take back
Inside the folder you opened, Kernl works without asking each time. It stops before reaching outside that folder, sending anything away, or a delete that sweeps the whole folder. See when it asks.
Get Kernl
Windows
For Windows 10 and 11
- macOS: In progress
- Linux: Built, not yet published
Previous versions
What your computer needs
- Windows 10 or 11. Room on your disk for the app and the AI it downloads, sized to your computer.
- For the local AI at full quality: an NVIDIA card with 16 GB or more, or an 8 to 12 GB NVIDIA card in a PC with 32 GB of system memory. Smaller setups get a smaller model that Kernl labels as below its quality bar. AMD and Intel cards run through Vulkan and are not yet confirmed.
- Without a suitable graphics card, Kernl runs a smaller local model on the processor; the full-quality one needs about 21 GB of free system memory, and either is slow. An online AI key is the faster option.
AI choices
- Already have models in Ollama, LM Studio or Jan? Kernl finds them from Settings and links to the existing files instead of copying them.
- Your own key from OpenAI, Claude or Gemini. Use it for online AI under your account.
Know what happens
Verify the installer
The installer is signed by Kernl Labs LLC. To check the file yourself, compare the published SHA256 in SHA256SUMS.txt with this exact file. Get-FileHash .\Kernl_*_x64-setup.exe; PowerShell prints capitals and the file uses lower case.
Your files and messages are not reports
Kernl sends optional usage counts and health reports. Neither one ever contains your files or your messages. Both switch off in one click; Airplane Mode, the Stay offline switch in Settings, Privacy, stops them along with every other request Kernl itself would send off this computer, except to a server you added on your own network. A program you ask Kernl to run is not covered.
What happens next
Run the installer. Signing will not make the warning go away on a new version; it lifts once enough people have downloaded a version.
Kernl checks your hardware and downloads a local AI that fits it.
Open a folder and describe the result you want. Inside it Kernl works without stopping to ask each time; it stops before anything it cannot take back.
Uninstall Kernl from Windows Settings, Apps. It asks what to keep and keeps conversations, settings and downloaded models unless you tick the box to remove them; your own files are never removed.