🚧 Expanding soon — full Self-Hosting documentation is in progress.
BossMode is local-first
BossMode was designed local-first from day one. The cloud at bossmode.ing is a convenience layer — the full operational system can run entirely on your own machine or private server.
What you can self-host
| Component | License | Self-hostable |
|---|
| BossMode CLI | MIT | Yes |
| Local SQLite brain | MIT | Yes |
| Convex backend | Convex OSS license | Yes (via Convex self-host) |
| Next.js app | MIT | Yes |
| AvatarCzar engine | Proprietary | Cloud-only (API access available) |
| MCP server | MIT | Yes |
Architecture overview
A self-hosted BossMode installation consists of:
- The CLI —
@acelabs/bossmode-cli — runs on your machine
- The SQLite brain — local database seeded by
bossmode init
- The Convex backend — handles data sync, functions, and the multi-device layer
- The Next.js app — the cockpit UI, optionally hosted on your own server
For most self-hosters, the practical setup is:
- CLI and SQLite on your local machine
- Convex deployed to your own Convex instance (free tier available)
- Next.js app on Vercel, Fly.io, or your own server
Minimum viable self-host
The simplest self-host is just the CLI with local SQLite:
npx @acelabs/bossmode-cli init
# BossMode runs entirely locally, no network calls
bossmode report.
See also
