A self-hosted AI ecosystem for persistent agents, shared knowledge, and safe local automation.
DAWSON is the local AI orchestration server. Beakshield is the cross-platform companion application that makes it approachable, configurable, and visible.
DAWSON is the orchestration layer: a self-hosted agent server designed for persistent coordination, shared memory, permission-aware tools, reusable skills, and safe automation.
Beakshield is the companion application: the interface for chatting with agents, configuring providers, reviewing permissions, managing workspaces, and eventually observing the entire AI kingdom.
Beakshield gives DAWSON a clean, approachable interface. Instead of managing everything through terminals and configuration files, users can connect to their DAWSON server, start Squirebot conversations, configure providers, adjust permission modes, and manage system settings from one place.
Every chat runs through its own dedicated Squirebot. Conversations remain focused while still benefiting from shared DAWSON knowledge.
WorkingPermission modes, directory workspaces, and access boundaries are exposed through the interface so the user can control what each agent is allowed to do.
WorkingConfigure OpenAI, Anthropic, and Ollama providers from Beakshield.
WorkingManage DAWSON server settings, connection details, and system behavior through the app.
WorkingPermission modes determine what an agent is allowed to do-at this moment. Modes can be adjusted at any point during a conversation, allowing agents to move seamlessly from simple discussion to complex engineering workflows without starting over.
Conversation only. Designed for questions, brainstorming, writing, and planning.
Safely inspect approved workspaces while requiring approval before making changes.
Trusted development mode for building and maintaining projects inside approved workspaces.
Maximum trust for complex engineering workflows requiring unrestricted host interaction.
DAWSON is designed as a persistent AI harness rather than a throwaway chat wrapper. It coordinates agents, manages tools, connects to local and frontier models, integrates shared memory, and exposes its capabilities through Beakshield.
Dawson is intended to become the long-running primary agent that coordinates specialized agents, maintains awareness of the system, and eventually manages longer-running workflows.
In ProgressEach conversation creates a dedicated Squirebot: a focused, task-oriented agent designed to answer questions, complete work, and contribute useful knowledge back to the shared palace.
WorkingDAWSON integrates MemPalace directly so agents can draw from and contribute to a shared persistent knowledge base.
WorkingReusable Claude Skills provide structured expertise without stuffing every prompt with specialized instructions.
WorkingChats operate under configurable permission modes and directory workspaces, allowing access to be expanded or restricted based on the task.
WorkingBeakshield provides the primary user experience for DAWSON, including chat, provider management, permissions, and system configuration.
In Development
User
Beakshield
Secure WebSocket
DAWSON Server
Agents & Tools
Watch Dawson command his Squirebots in real demos, follow step-by-step tutorials, and explore the interface up close.
Core Complete
Planned / In Progress
Planned
Planned
DAWSON is designed to avoid giving agents unrestricted access by default. Conversations operate through configurable modes and attached workspaces, making access explicit and adjustable as the task changes.
DAWSON is meant to be useful for everyday users while remaining approachable for engineers who want to inspect, extend, and experiment with the platform.
DAWSON's core server is built in Swift and handles agent execution, secure communication, provider integration, tools, skills, memory, and workspace-aware access.
Beakshield is built with Kotlin Multiplatform, allowing interface and feature work to be shared across supported platforms with less platform-specific duplication.
Tools, skills, providers, memory, and future decrees are intended to be expandable without turning the project into a closed black box.
Software Developer and Mechatronics Engineer
Brown is a contract software developer and mechatronics engineer. His knowledge and experience includes developing iOS/Android applications, working with local LLMs and AI agents, writing embedded firmware, designing PCBs, developing PC programs, creating CAD designs, formulating and implementing product testing procedures, and providing in-person technical support. Brown is a self-driver, constantly experimenting with and learning new technologies. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology degree from Old Dominion University (ODU) with a 3.89 GPA.
DAWSON and Beakshield are separate repositories, but they are designed as one ecosystem. The DAWSON server is free and open source under the AGPL-3.0. Beakshield is source-available under the Functional Source License — its full source is public and free to use, but it is not open source in the OSI sense; each release converts to Apache 2.0 two years after publication.
Self-hosted AI orchestration platform powering the DAWSON ecosystem.
Free & open source · GNU AGPL-3.0
Cross-platform companion application for managing DAWSON agents, conversations, and system configuration.
Source-available · FSL-1.1-ALv2
