apfel
CLI access to the free AI already on your Mac
Overview
apfel is a free, open-source CLI tool that unlocks the built-in 3B parameter language model in macOS Tahoe with zero configuration. Install via Homebrew and immediately get a command-line interface, an OpenAI-compatible HTTP server, and an interactive chat mode. All inference runs locally on Apple Silicon's Neural Engine with no API keys, downloads, or network calls. Supports MCP for tool calling, pipe-friendly shell integration with JSON output, and handles tasks like text transformation, classification, summarization, translation, and JSON restructuring.
Minimum macOS: 26.0 (Tahoe)
Architecture: Apple Silicon
Key Features
- CLI, HTTP server, and interactive chat in one tool
- Zero configuration — no model downloads or API keys
- 100% on-device inference via Apple Silicon Neural Engine
- OpenAI-compatible API server for drop-in integration
- Native MCP support for tool calling and external servers
- Pipe-friendly with stdin/stdout, JSON output, and proper exit codes
- MIT licensed and fully auditable
Tags
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