Frequently asked questions
Short answers about what AQBot is, how it handles your data and how to set it up.
What is AQBot?
AQBot is a free, open-source desktop AI client for macOS, Windows and Linux. It combines multi-provider chat, agents, MCP tools, local knowledge bases and a local API gateway in one application, and keeps app data and user files on your computer.
Is AQBot free?
Yes. AQBot is free to download and use, and its source code is published on GitHub under the AGPL-3.0 license. You pay only the model providers you choose to connect, or nothing if you run local models.
Which AI providers and models can I use?
AQBot connects to OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, DeepSeek, Qwen and any OpenAI-compatible endpoint, including local servers such as Ollama. You can set a custom Base URL, API path, headers and proxy per provider, and import providers from aqbot:// links or CC Switch.
Which operating systems are supported?
macOS on Apple Silicon and Intel, Windows 10 and 11 on x64 and ARM64, and Linux on x64 and ARM64 through AppImage, deb and rpm packages.
Where does AQBot store my data?
Application state such as the database, encryption key and vector store lives in ~/.aqbot. Your images, attachments and backups live in ~/Documents/aqbot. API keys are encrypted with AES-256 using a local master key.
How do I use AQBot with Claude Code, Codex CLI or Gemini CLI?
Start the API gateway in AQBot and generate a gateway key. Quick Connect then writes the address and key into Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Gemini CLI or Cursor for you; manually, Claude Code needs ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=http://localhost:8080/v1 and ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN set to the gateway key.
Does AQBot support MCP?
Yes. AQBot is an MCP client that runs Model Context Protocol servers over stdio, SSE or StreamableHTTP, and includes built-in tools such as @aqbot/fetch. The maximum number of tool-call rounds is configurable.
What is the difference between the chat Agent and the ACP workbench?
The chat Agent uses the providers you configured in AQBot to read and edit files and run commands in a folder you choose, with approval modes; that folder is the starting working directory, not a sandbox. The ACP workbench runs external agents that speak the Agent Client Protocol, such as Codex, Claude Agent, Gemini CLI, Cline and OpenCode.
Can I import my existing conversations?
Yes. AQBot imports official ChatGPT exports, Cherry Studio backups and Kelivo backups with a preview, warnings and duplicate handling. Cherry Studio and Kelivo imports can also migrate providers, API keys and attachments.
How do backups work?
You can back up and restore manually or on a schedule to a local folder, a WebDAV server or S3-compatible storage. Local backups go to ~/Documents/aqbot/backups by default.
macOS says AQBot is damaged or cannot be verified. What should I do?
AQBot is signed with the project's own certificate rather than an Apple Developer ID. Control-click AQBot.app in Finder and choose Open, or allow it under System Settings → Privacy & Security. There is no need to turn off Gatekeeper.
Which interface languages are available?
Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean, French, German, Spanish, Russian, Hindi and Arabic.