ChatLab is a local-first desktop app and CLI for analyzing chat histories with AI, supporting multiple chat platforms. It emphasizes on-device processing, multi-worker imports, and agent-based data analysis. Latest releases show incremental improvements to imports, indexing, and data migrations.
Collecting history — the radar snapshots this repo daily. The trend line appears after 3 days of data (1 so far).
What it is
ChatLab is an open-source desktop app for understanding chat conversations. It combines a flexible SQL engine with AI agents to explore patterns and extract insights from chat data on-device. It supports multiple chat platforms and aims to keep raw data local by default.
How it works
Data flows through five stages: format detection → stream parsing → local persistence → SQL + AI query → visualization. The project uses a pnpm monorepo with Electron + Vue 3 + Nuxt UI + Tailwind CSS, sharing core logic across desktop and CLI services. Local-first by default and streaming over buffering are emphasized.
Getting started
Installation options include:
- Desktop App: Download the installer from the official website or GitHub Releases, then double-click to install.
- CLI: Requires Node.js ≥ 20.
CLI setup examples from the README:
npm i chatlab-cli -g
chatlab start # Start API + Web UI, auto-open in browser
chatlab start --no-open # Start API + Web UI, skip auto-open
chatlab start --headless # API only, no Web UI (for scripts / AI Agents)
Common options: --port <port> (default 3110), --host <address>, --token <token>.
To run as a persistent background service:
chatlab start --daemon
chatlab status
chatlab stop
For a full walkthrough, see the Quick Start guide.
Recent releases
- v0.34.2 (2026-08-01): Improve large and batch imports, add on-demand local semantic indexing for CLI Web, and harden data migrations.
- v0.34.0 (2026-07-23): Add private chat journey and Footprints trend insights, reorganize session insight navigation, and fix the friends-only relationship graph.
- v0.33.0 (2026-07-22): Add Docker deployment and mobile-friendly local analysis in the browser, improve chat format conversion and validation, and strengthen local data safety.
- v0.32.0 (2026-07-18): Add a desktop app lock, make data migration safer, and fix large-file and multi-file imports.
- v0.31.3 (2026-07-17): Add batch member deletion, refine the default assistant system prompt, reorganize rankings, and improve temporary directory cleanup.
Traction
- Stars: 7087 (no 7d or 1d delta provided in FACTS)
- Forks: 1484
- Open issues: 12
License
AGPL-3.0
Local development
Requirements:
- Node.js >= 24 < 25
- pnpm >= 9 < 10
Setup:
# Install dependencies
pnpm install
# Start dev mode
pnpm dev
Or specific targets:
pnpm dev:desktop
pnpm dev:cli-web
pnpm dev:web-wasm
pnpm dev:serve
pnpm docs:dev
If Electron startup issues occur, you can try:
npm install electron-fix -g
electron-fix start
License
AGPL-3.0 License