Silicon Worker

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FAQ ​

Common questions about Silicon Worker. For a specific error or a failed action, see Troubleshooting.

Does Silicon Worker need internet? ​

Yes. Silicon Worker does not bundle its own large model — it calls the model service you configure (Connect a Model). Web search, web fetch, and browser automation also require a network connection.

That said, your files, sessions, memory, and other data stay on your machine by default — being online doesn't change that. Only what a task actually needs is sent to the model.

Is my data uploaded? Where is it stored? ​

Silicon Worker is local-first:

  • All persistent data (sessions, experts, skills, memory, tasks, knowledge bases, etc.) is stored in a single SQLite database file on your machine.
  • The base product does not sync to the cloud; your data stays on your device by default.
  • When running a task, only the content required to complete it is sent to the model service you configured, and sensitive actions ask for your consent first (see Tools and Risk).

TIP

The model service itself is provided by a third party. Anything sent to the model passes through that provider, so choose a provider you trust.

Is the software paid? How are model costs calculated? ​

Silicon Worker connects to your own model account, so any cost from model calls is billed by the provider you choose, based on usage (typically input/output tokens) — separate from Silicon Worker itself. You can view token-usage stats in the app to help estimate cost.

Which operating systems are supported? ​

Currently macOS 12 or later and Windows 10 / 11 (64-bit). No need to pre-install Python or Rust. See Install.

Which model providers are supported? ​

Silicon Worker supports multiple protocols and providers through a unified provider gateway:

  • OpenAI-compatible (default): any service exposing /v1/chat/completions with Bearer-token auth.
  • Anthropic native: the Claude family (/v1/messages + x-api-key).
  • Chinese and third-party providers: DeepSeek, Qwen, Zhipu, SiliconFlow, Azure OpenAI, etc. (mostly OpenAI-compatible).
  • Local models: via Ollama and other OpenAI-compatible servers.

See the full list in the Model Providers reference, and setup in Configure Providers.

Will it mess up my files? ​

Not without permission. Silicon Worker asks for your consent before risky actions, and rates tools by risk level:

  • Safe: read-only or observe actions (read file, search, observe UI) — generally run directly.
  • Low: write actions with limited impact.
  • High: writing files, overwriting, running commands, deleting, etc.

You can also pick a permission mode to control strictness: Free (auto-approve Safe/Low), Controlled (confirm any risky op), Restricted (deny by default, allowlist only). In addition, file read/write and command execution are confined to a per-session workspace directory and can't break out to parent folders. See Tools and Risk and the Permissions reference.

What automation is supported? ​

  • Desktop automation: reads UI elements and performs clicks, typing, scrolling, etc. through system accessibility APIs (Accessibility on macOS, UI Automation on Windows).
  • Browser automation: drives Chrome via the Chrome DevTools Protocol to open pages, click, fill forms, select options, and extract text — and can reuse your logged-in state.

Note: desktop and browser automation act on your real machine (not limited to the session workspace), so high-risk actions (such as submitting forms or clicking delete) trigger a confirmation. See Desktop & Browser Automation.

Can I schedule or trigger tasks remotely? ​

Yes. Silicon Worker supports scheduled tasks driven by cron expressions — at the trigger time it automatically starts a session to run your preset instructions, one-off or recurring. It also supports remote IM connection so you can kick off tasks from a chat tool and get replies back (the available chat-app connectors depend on your version — see what's offered in Settings). See Scheduled & Remote Execution.

Where is my API key stored? ​

Your API key is stored locally on your machine and used to call the model service you configured. Keep it safe and don't share it. See Connect a Model.

How do I uninstall? Is my data deleted with it? ​

Uninstall the app the usual way for your OS (on macOS, drag the app to the Trash; on Windows, uninstall from Apps).

Silicon Worker's data lives in the application-data folder under your user directory (the SQLite database, skills, plugins, browser profile, etc.). Uninstalling the app itself usually does not delete this data. To remove it completely, manually delete that application-data directory.

WARNING

Deleting the application-data directory also removes your sessions, memory, skills, knowledge bases, and other local data — permanently. Back up first if needed.

Still stuck? ​