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Desktop app (AI VPN)

The desktop app (AI VPN) runs an Antseed buyer on your computer and puts a UI on it. Your AI tools connect to one local endpoint, and the app picks a seller for each request, pays it from your credits, and lets you change models without reconfiguring every tool.

Desktop app or Gateway Console?

Use the desktop app when one person wants a UI and one-click setup for coding tools on their own computer. Use the Gateway Console when you need API keys, budgets per person or app, usage logs, or access from other machines. Both run the same buyer.

Start the router​

Open AI VPN in the sidebar and use the power button to start or stop the local router. When it runs, the status area shows network health, the local proxy port, and how many peers and services are visible.

Discovery takes a few seconds. If Models is still empty, open it and select Refresh models.

Choose a model and seller​

Open Models to browse what sellers currently offer, with live prices and expected savings where a retail comparison exists. Selecting a model sets the route for new sessions; existing conversations keep theirs.

On a model's page, leave Auto select seller on to let the app pick the cheapest seller that passes your minimum trust score (trust only breaks ties, and sellers that recently failed are tried last), and fail over after retryable errors. Select a seller to pin it instead. A pin is hard: it never fails over, so remove it before troubleshooting availability.

A seller's trust score is a routing input, not a guarantee of quality, privacy or availability. See Reputation.

Set routing preferences​

Select Settings in the header to open Preferences:

  • Auto select seller turns automatic seller selection on or off.
  • Prefer free peers when available gives zero-cost offers a strong ranking advantage.
  • Minimum trust score excludes sellers below the threshold.
  • Price preference ranks offers above your preferred input price lower.

These preferences are saved to the same buyer config the CLI uses, so connected apps, the in-app chat and direct API calls all follow them. See Buyer configuration.

Chat​

Open Chat to talk to network models without another tool. The model picker in the chat header controls the current conversation. If it already has messages, the app asks whether to continue on the new model or start a new chat. View chats opens your conversation list.

Connect an AI app​

Open Apps (the Connected apps page) and connect a detected tool. Depending on the tool, the app either edits its configuration file or routes its API traffic through the local proxy. The tool keeps its normal interface.

  • When a row shows Restart, restart the tool before testing.
  • The gear on a row lets you choose which installed application opens, set the client names used to attribute conversations, or remove the integration. Disconnecting restores the configuration the app changed.
  • Some tools need HTTPS interception. For those, the app creates a local certificate authority whose private key never leaves your computer. If a tool reports a certificate error, expand HTTPS certificate, trust the current certificate and restart the tool.

Tool-specific guides are in the Integrations directory.

Conversations from connected apps​

Requests from connected apps appear under Recent chats on the home screen and in Connected apps. Each conversation keeps the model that served it, so two sessions of the same tool can use different models. Open a conversation to:

  • change only that conversation's model,
  • leave Auto select seller on, or pin one seller for that conversation only,
  • rename it, open the app it belongs to, or delete its entry. An active tool session reappears on its next request.

Floating window​

The floating window stays above other apps and shows your balance, the active model, and token and cost activity. Its dot is red when routing is stopped and pulses while traffic flows. From its menu you can change the default model, change one conversation's model, or open the app behind a conversation. Closing it does not stop the router.

In Preferences → Floating window, Show on traffic opens it when a connected app starts sending requests, and Show routed peer shows which seller served each conversation.

Use the local API​

While the router runs, the app serves the local buyer API at http://localhost:8377/v1. Send "model": "antseed" to follow the model picked in the app, a model id for automatic routing, or <peerId>@<model> to pin a seller. See Use the local buyer proxy for endpoints, headers and examples.

For agents or clients on other machines, open Agents and set up an Internet-accessible endpoint; see Tunnels and Connect agents. The endpoint also publishes a Gateway Console at /console. Claim it straight away: while the tunnel runs, the endpoint window shows Gateway console under Connection details; click Claim console to open a one-time setup link in your browser, then register a passkey or connect a wallet. Once claimed, the same row shows Open console. From the CLI, antseed gateway console-link on the same computer does the same.

TEE sellers​

In Models, choose TEE advertised in the seller filter to see only sellers that advertise TEE attestation. This only filters the list; it does not change routing. On a model's seller list, a TEE badge appears after your buyer has checked that seller and the check passed. The app runs these checks in the background. See Verify a seller's TEE for what the badge means and how to require verification.

Privacy​

There is no Antseed account or platform API key. Sellers see a pseudonymous peer address, not your name or email, but a standard seller can read the prompts it serves. Your configuration, signing key (encrypted with the operating system keychain), connected-app setup and activity stay on your device. Traffic between nodes is encrypted; see Transport and Security.

Credits and payments​

Usage is pay per request from your credits. There is no subscription.

Add credits​

Open Profile and select Add Credits, or select the balance in the header. Pay by card checkout, where available in your region, or send USDC on Base to the address or QR code shown. One credit is one USDC, held for your app's identity in the Antseed deposits contract.

Payment channels​

When a paid session starts, the app signs a capped authorization for one seller and that amount shows as reserved. Each request raises a running total you sign; the seller can only settle up to that total. Unspent reserve returns to your available balance when the channel settles or closes. See Payments for the protocol details.

In Profile, the Payment channels card opens Activity, which lists channels, spending history and close actions.

Withdraw​

Open Profile and select Withdraw unused credits. Only available balance can be withdrawn; reserved amounts are released when their channels settle or close.

Rewards​

Open Rewards to see ANTS attributed to your usage and to open Manage staking in your browser. A pending amount is not a promise of value or future eligibility. See Recognized usage.

Troubleshooting​

No peers or models​

  1. Check that the router is on and the status area is healthy.
  2. Wait a few seconds, then select Refresh models in Models.
  3. Check that security software is not blocking the app's network connections.
  4. Select Help in the header, enable Developer mode, and open Available peers to inspect discovery.

A connected app sends no requests​

  1. Disconnect and reconnect it in Connected apps.
  2. Restart it if its row shows Restart.
  3. Check that the tool is not overriding the base URL or API settings the app wrote.
  4. Check that the selected model supports the tool's API format.

Payment errors​

Open Profile and compare available and reserved balance. A new channel cannot open without enough available balance for its cap. Use Activity to close channels that stay open.

"Model is not served by this peer"​

The tool sent a model the selected seller no longer offers. Select the model again in the app, or remove the seller pin so automatic routing can choose another seller.

Slow or timed-out responses​

Try another seller on the model's page, or remove a hard pin so automatic routing can fail over.

Collect diagnostics​

Select Help, enable Developer mode, and use Live logs, Available peers, Connection details, Configuration or Copy diagnostic report. Remove secrets from the report before posting it.

Get support​

Ask in the Antseed Telegram community. For bugs, open a GitHub issue with the app version, operating system, affected tool, what you expected, what happened, and a redacted diagnostic report.

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