Yansu
Yansu is a proactive desktop AI from Isoform Inc. It watches your screen, audio and messaging apps, then turns observed work into knowledge, handoffs and automations without any prompt. Everything stays local on macOS, Windows or Linux.
What is Yansu?
Yansu is a native desktop application published by Isoform Inc. Its pitch is blunt: Other AI waits. Yansu ships. Where a chatbot sits idle until you type something, Yansu runs quietly in the background and acts on its own.
The product describes a three-step loop. It listens, through screen captures, audio and the conversations flowing through seven messaging platforms: Slack, Microsoft Teams, Discord, Telegram, WhatsApp, Feishu and WeChat. It then crystallises what it sees, turning recurring patterns, decisions and hesitations into structured knowledge and a persistent memory. Finally it solves, producing task handoffs and automations with no prompt from you. Isoform pictures it watching you navigate customer calls, copy and paste between CRM databases, fix a coding bug or switch between news sites every morning, and then doing that work in your place.
Action happens through Background Computer Use. Yansu opens applications, fills in forms and creates tickets using its own pointer in a virtual layer, so your cursor stays where you left it, focus is never stolen and application state is preserved. Beyond your own desktop, it reaches 65+ data sources through OpenCLI and the Computer Use API, and it selects the best model for each task automatically among Claude, GPT, Gemini and others.
The architecture is local-first: activity observations, AI memory, knowledge and automations live on your machine rather than on Isoform's servers. Sensitive material is redacted on the device before recording, and a Closed Eyes Mode suspends capture entirely. The publisher claims SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certification, verified by third parties.
It is presented as a no-code tool, requiring no programming or technical knowledge, and runs on macOS 13+ (Apple Silicon and Intel), Windows 10+ and Linux Ubuntu 20.04+ in x64 and ARM64 builds. Usage is metered in handoffs, automations, and memories and knowledge per month. The examples cited include a daily digest of Jira, Notion and spreadsheet updates, a spend tracker across AI providers, and meeting action items turned into drafted tickets. Yansu was announced on 19 March 2026, and early access is open now.
What it does
- Observe how you actually work, through screen captures, audio and the conversations of seven messaging platforms.
- Distil that observation into structured knowledge and a persistent memory of decisions and habits.
- Take whole tasks off your hands as handoffs, started on its own initiative rather than on request.
- Build and run automations shaped by the work patterns it has already seen.
- Drive third-party applications through Background Computer Use, with its own virtual pointer.
- Consolidate scattered updates from Jira, Notion and spreadsheets into a single daily digest.
- Redact sensitive elements on the device before anything is recorded.
When to use Yansu / When not to
A quick filter to help you decide if Yansu is the right fit.
When to use Yansu
- Non-technical professionals who want automation without writing code: Yansu claims no programming or technical knowledge is required.
- Teams that run their day inside chat, since Slack, Microsoft Teams, Discord, Telegram, WhatsApp, Feishu and WeChat all work as input channels.
- Roles buried in repetitive cross-application chores: copying and pasting between CRM databases, chasing Jira, Notion and spreadsheet updates.
- Compliance-bound teams, with SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 claimed and SSO plus SAML available on the Enterprise tier.
- Privacy-sensitive desktop users on macOS, Windows or Linux who want an assistant whose data never leaves their machine.
When not to use Yansu
- Anyone who needs a web, iOS or Android app: Yansu is desktop-only, with no browser and no mobile version.
- Developers looking for a public API or developer documentation, because neither is published.
- Teams that require open-source code or custom automation scripts and pipes, both of which Yansu explicitly does not offer.
- Regulated, shared or multi-user environments where continuous screen and audio observation cannot be justified.
- Heavy users on a small budget: the free tier allows roughly two handoffs, two automations and two memories per month.
How to use Yansu
A typical end-to-end flow, from setup to results.
- Open the Download section of yansu.app and pick the build that matches your platform.
- Choose among five builds: macOS Apple Silicon (.dmg), macOS Intel (.dmg), Windows x64 (.zip), Linux x64 (.tar.gz) or Linux ARM64 (.tar.gz).
- Check the prerequisites first: macOS 13 or later, Windows 10 or later, Ubuntu 20.04 or later.
- Install the application and let it observe your desktop through screen captures.
- Connect the messaging accounts you want it to read, among the seven supported platforms.
- Leave redaction alone: it is on by default, and you do not need to mark private fields or maintain redaction rules.
- Review the recorded sessions, browse them by application and check what was actually captured.
- Switch on Closed Eyes Mode from the menu bar or with a keyboard shortcut whenever you want capture suspended.
- Let Yansu produce knowledge, handoffs and automations by itself, without writing a prompt.
- Upgrade when the quotas bite: Pro and Max through Stripe links, Studio from inside the app, Enterprise by email.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Genuinely proactive: it does not wait for a prompt, unlike conversational assistants.
- Local-first by design, with data stored on the machine and never used to train AI models.
- SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 claimed, and presented as verified by third parties.
- Automatic on-device redaction of secrets, payment details, contact information and signed links, with nothing to configure.
- Non-intrusive Computer Use: a separate virtual pointer means no fight for the cursor and no stolen focus.
- Three operating systems covered, including Linux in both x64 and ARM64 builds, and no technical knowledge required.
- A permanent free tier and public, readable pricing across four priced plans.
Cons
- Very low quotas on the entry tiers, roughly two then five handoffs a month, and stated as approximations.
- The plans never define what counts as a memory or a handoff, so the billing unit stays vague.
- No web, iOS or Android version: the desktop is the only way in.
- No public API and no developer documentation; not open source, and no custom scripts or pipes.
- Terms and privacy policy are generic TermsFeed templates dated 20 October 2023, written for the isoform.ai website, with an unfilled placeholder in the company definition.
- No postal address, no DPA, no subprocessor list and no Article 27 EU representative published.
- No interface language is announced, and the /compare page linked from every footer returns a 404.
Pricing & Plans
A permanent free plan is available at USD 0 per month. The lowest paid entry point is the Pro tier at USD 20.00 per month. No time-limited free trial is offered, and no annual price or annual discount is published.
- USD 0 per month - around 2 handoffs
- 2 automations and 2 memories & knowledge per month.
- USD 20 per month - around 5 handoffs
- 5 automations and 50 memories & knowledge per month.
- USD 100 per month
- flagged Best Value - around 25 handoffs
- 25 automations and 250 memories & knowledge per month.
- USD 200 per month - around 50 handoffs
- 50 automations and 500 memories & knowledge per month.
- custom pricing - custom quotas
- shared team memory & knowledge
- unlimited members
- team knowledge management
- SOC 2 Type II & ISO 27001
- SSO & SAML
- custom data retention & compliance
- dedicated account manager.
Data, GDPR & hosting
A consolidated view of how Yansu handles your data.
GDPR overview
The privacy policy linked from yansu.app lives on isoform.ai and does contain an explicit GDPR Privacy section. It sets out the legal bases for processing (consent, contract, legal obligation, vital interests, public interest, legitimate interests), states that For the purpose of the GDPR, the Company is the Data Controller, and lists the rights of access, rectification, objection, erasure, portability and withdrawal of consent, plus the right to complain to an EEA supervisory authority. The GDPR contact is ea@isoform.ai. Three reservations matter: the document is a TermsFeed template last updated on 20 October 2023, written for the website and not for the Yansu application announced in March 2026; the company definition still shows the generator placeholder Company Name, Address; and no Article 27 EU representative and no data protection officer are named.
Who owns the data?
Yansu states that your activity observations, AI memory, knowledge and automations are stored locally: Not on our servers - on yours, and nothing leaves your device without explicit permission. Ownership is therefore practical rather than contractual. The terms and conditions published on isoform.ai define the Service as the website, not the Yansu application, and were last updated on 20 October 2023. They let Isoform Inc. evaluate, refuse, remove or reformat any content a user posts, while the privacy policy names the company as data controller for site data and allows a transfer of that data in a merger, asset sale or bankruptcy. No intellectual property clause covering what the application produces was found.
Reuse rights
Because the application is local-first, the knowledge, automations and outputs Yansu builds stay on the user's own machine and can be reused freely: no clause in the published documents restricts what an end user does with them, and no permission has to be asked for. On the publisher's side, the FAQ is unambiguous: your data stays on your device and is never used for AI model training. The reservation concerns the isoform.ai website rather than the app. Its 2023 privacy policy allows data to be shared with service providers, affiliates and business partners, and to deliver targeted advertising, naming Google Analytics, Firebase, Stripe, Intuit Inc., Google Ads, Twitter, Facebook, reCAPTCHA and Google Places. No dedicated subprocessor list and no data processing agreement are published.
Data retention & training
Hosting summary
Yansu is local-first: activity observations, AI memory, knowledge and automations are stored on the user's own machine. The home page is explicit, Not on our servers - on yours, and adds that nothing leaves the device without explicit permission. No hosting country and no hosting region is announced for whatever server side exists. The publisher is Isoform Inc., and its terms designate New York, United States as the governing jurisdiction. The yansu.app website itself is served behind Cloudflare (AS13335, anycast address 188.114.96.0), which describes how the site is delivered and says nothing about where product data would live. The privacy policy published on isoform.ai allows data to be transferred outside the user's own jurisdiction, with a commitment that adequate controls are in place. The Enterprise tier advertises custom data retention and compliance, without publishing any detail. In short: on a normal installation the data never leaves the desktop, United States law governs the relationship, and the server-side picture is simply not documented.
Things to keep in mind
Risks and trade-offs to weigh before adopting Yansu.
- Continuous screen and audio capture exposes people who never consented: colleagues on a call, clients, anyone visible or audible around you.
- In professional settings, that capture can collide with professional secrecy, medical confidentiality or signed non-disclosure agreements.
- Automatic redaction is probabilistic. The site talks about privacy checks and evaluations, never about infallibility.
- An agent that acts without a prompt can act wrongly: opening applications, filling in forms or creating tickets you did not want.
- Handing your working memory to a tool can erode your own knowledge and your ability to document things yourself.
- The product is said to get sharper the longer you use it, which also means the cost of leaving grows every month.
- The legal and factual envelope is thin: 2023 template documents, no postal address, no DPA, no Article 27 EU representative, no published incorporation date, and nothing about retention or deletion for the app itself.
Setup & Integrations
Technical difficulty
Low. Installation is a direct binary download, with no server account and no infrastructure to configure. Five builds are offered, for macOS Apple Silicon, macOS Intel, Windows x64, Linux x64 and Linux ARM64, requiring macOS 13+, Windows 10+ or Ubuntu 20.04+. No programming knowledge is needed, and no redaction rules have to be written since protection is on by default. The only real friction is granting the operating system's screen-recording and microphone permissions, then connecting the messaging accounts you want observed.
Deployment
Integrations
Behind Yansu
Social
Resources
All the official URLs gathered for verification and reference.
Alternatives
Tools that compete with or complement Yansu.
Frequently asked questions
What is Yansu?
Which AI models does Yansu use?
Which platforms does it run on?
Is there a web or mobile version?
How does it differ from ChatGPT or Copilot?
Is my data used to train AI models?
What if I do not want to be observed?
Which data is hidden before recording?
Do I need to be a developer to use it?
How much does Yansu cost?
Should you pick Yansu?
Yansu's proposition is genuinely unusual. Most assistants wait to be asked; this one watches how you work and moves first, turning observed patterns into knowledge, handoffs and automations. For non-technical people drowning in repetitive cross-application chores, and for teams whose day happens inside Slack, Teams or WhatsApp, that is a real promise, delivered as a native desktop app on macOS, Windows and Linux rather than yet another browser tab.
The local-first architecture is the second reason to look. Observations, memory, knowledge and automations stay on the machine, redaction runs on the device with nothing to configure, Closed Eyes Mode suspends capture on demand, and recorded sessions can be reviewed. SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certification are claimed.
The reservations are real too, and mostly about maturity. Yansu is young: the domain was registered on 11 March 2026, the product announced on 19 March 2026, first archived on 13 May 2026, and still described as early access. Entry quotas are tiny and vaguely worded, since ~2 handoffs a month says very little when nothing defines a handoff. The legal paperwork lags behind the product: terms and privacy policy are TermsFeed templates dated 20 October 2023, written for the isoform.ai website rather than for the application, and the company definition still carries the generator's placeholder. No postal address, no DPA and no subprocessor list are published.
So: a distinctive, well-argued approach to desktop AI, aimed squarely at people who repeat themselves across applications all day, held back for now by an immature legal envelope and by pricing units nobody has defined. Worth starting from the free tier, and worth asking hard questions before committing a whole team.
- Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.
- Opens in a new window.