Show HN: Julie Zero – my screen-aware desktop AI that works out of the box

5 points

4 months ago

I’ve posted here before about Julie, an open-source desktop AI assistant I’ve been building in public. The OSS version is local-first and powerful, but it assumes you’re comfortable bringing your own models or API keys.

A lot of people told me the same thing: “I just want to install it and have it work.”

So I built Julie Zero.

Julie Zero is the premium tier that works straight out of the box. No API keys, no setup. Install it and start using it immediately.

What Julie Zero does:

Sees your screen and understands what you’re looking at in real time

Helps across apps by clicking, typing, navigating, and automating workflows

Uses on-screen context, not just text prompts, so responses are actually relevant

Fast and low-latency, so it feels usable during real work

Built with a local-first mindset and tuned for everyday workflows

The open-source version is still there and always will be. Julie Zero is just about removing friction for people who don’t want to configure anything.

Pricing: Julie Zero is $9.99/month, which is a fraction of the price of similar screen-aware tools like Cluely’s premium tier.

Giveaway: I’m giving 3 months of unlimited Julie Zero access to 10 people.

To get it:

Star the open-source Julie repo on my GitHub: https://github.com/Luthiraa/julie (make sure a social is connected to your gh so i can reach out!)

I’ll send you a one-time code for 3-month premium access

I’m building this very hands-on and iterating fast. Would love feedback from people using it in real workflows. Happy to answer questions.