Same idea, your machine
Dots are hosted by OpenAI. RAPR AI is a desktop app: sessions, schedules, memory and approvals stay on your computer, and you bring the AI subscriptions or local models you already have.
Dots alternative
An OpenAI Dots alternative that runs on your own PC.
OpenAI introduced Dots as always-on agents with friendly characters, each with its own cloud computer. RAPR AI takes the same idea local: your agents run on your PC, with Claude, Gemini, Codex, Ollama or any CLI you choose, and Kelvin the penguin shows what every one of them is doing.
Kelvin, the RAPR AI penguin, shows what every agent is doing.
Use any AI: Claude Code, Gemini CLI, Codex, Ollama, OpenRouter and custom CLIs
Runs on your PC, with your files, your accounts and no extra platform markup
Kelvin shows each agent’s real state and asks before risky actions
Free and open source (MIT), with Telegram control from your phone
A mascot that tells the truth
Kelvin the penguin mirrors real agent events: thinking, working, waiting for approval, done or failed. Run several AIs at once and a Kelvin crew appears, one per agent, each in its AI’s colour.
The honest trade-off
Because RAPR runs locally, “always on” means your PC is on. Kelvin keeps Windows awake while agents work, RAPR can start with Windows, and /kelvin on Telegram tells you it is still running.
Questions people ask
Short answers for the search terms around openai dots alternative.
Is RAPR AI affiliated with OpenAI Dots?
No. RAPR AI is an independent, open-source desktop app. This page compares approaches for people looking for an alternative.
Can I use OpenAI models with RAPR AI?
Yes. RAPR AI works with Codex and OpenAI-compatible providers alongside Claude, Gemini, Ollama and other AIs, and you can run them side by side.
Does RAPR AI need a cloud computer?
No. RAPR AI runs on your own Windows PC. Agents can still be reached from anywhere through Telegram.
Is Kelvin in the Windows installer?
Not yet. Kelvin is new: run RAPR AI from the open-source code on GitHub to use Kelvin today. Kelvin comes to the installer in the next release.