OFFLINE AI AGENT
An AI agent that keeps working offline
An offline AI agent keeps planning and doing multi-step work when there is no internet connection. C5 by Growther.si is offline-first: with a local model through Ollama, LM Studio or llama.cpp, its agents keep executing and its schedules keep firing on your computer. Anything that needs the network — a cloud model, web search, a licence refresh — waits and catches up when you reconnect.
- Schedules fire while offline
- Search models: 2.26 GB, once
- Lockable Offline egress posture
What works offline
Losing the connection does not stop the parts that already live on your machine. C5 is a local AI agent, so its database, its schedules and its search index are there whether or not the network is. With a local model to think with, all of this keeps going:
- Tasks and agents — planning, staffing, running and checking work, on the local model.
- Schedules — standing orders still fire on time, overnight included.
- Your files and memory — the Library, attachments and keyword search; semantic search too, once its models are on the machine.
- Voice — offline speech to text, once its small model is downloaded.
- Safety checks — redaction of credentials and personal data runs on your machine, so it works the same offline.
What still needs a connection
Offline-first does not mean nothing ever touches the network. This is the full list, and what happens to each while you are offline.
| Needs a connection | Why | While offline |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud models | The provider runs the model | Tasks routed to a cloud model wait; route them to a local model instead |
| Web search and online tools | They reach an outside endpoint | Those tool calls cannot complete |
| Installing, activating and updating | Downloads and the one-time licence pairing | Do these while online |
| Licence renewal | C5 renews a short-lived licence file in the background | The licence covers ordinary time offline, such as travel or a week away |
| Memory-search, voice and classifier models | Downloaded once from Hugging Face | Already-downloaded models keep working; missing ones can be placed by hand |
| Remote Control through an issued address | It runs through Cloudflare's network | Use your own network or SSH instead |
Set up an AI agent for offline use
- Install and activate while onlineInstall C5 on macOS, Windows or Linux and run its one-time activation, which needs the licence service.
- Connect a local modelIn Settings, open Integrations, choose the local option and point C5 at Ollama, LM Studio or llama.cpp. C5 checks the connection and lists the models it finds.
- Let the one-time downloads finishC5 fetches its memory-search models (about 2.26 GB) and the offline speech model (about 60 MB) in the background after the first start. Keyword search works before they arrive.
- Make the local model the first choicePut the local model first in Coordinator Priority under Settings › Integrations, so tasks do not wait on a cloud provider when the connection drops.
For the model choices and what each needs from your hardware, see the local LLM agent page.
Travel, field work and air-gapped sites
A laptop on a plane, a site with poor coverage and a network that is never connected are three different cases, and C5 handles each.
- Travel and patchy connections. Nothing stops the moment you disconnect. Work routed to a local model carries on, and anything that needs the network catches up later.
- Fully offline on purpose. An administrator can set the egress posture to Offline, which stops every connection C5 starts on its own — licence refresh, update checks, model downloads and platform check-ins. It can be locked by policy across a fleet.
- Air-gapped machines. Place the models by hand from a connected machine — each has a published address, size and sha256 — and ask Growther.si for an air-gapped licence for a machine that will stay offline.
Going offline is also the simplest way to make a private AI agent provably quiet. For a server or a locked-down site, the self-hosted AI agent page covers installs, policy and remote access.
Frequently asked questions
Can an AI agent work without internet?
Yes, if both the agent and its model run on your computer. C5 runs locally and works with local models through Ollama, LM Studio or llama.cpp, so its agents keep executing and its schedules keep running with no connection.
Do scheduled tasks still run when I am offline?
Yes. Schedules run on your machine, so they fire on time without a connection. A scheduled task that is set to use a cloud model needs the network for that step; give it a local model if it must run offline.
How long can C5 stay offline?
Long enough for ordinary time away — travel, a flaky connection, a laptop shut for a week. C5 renews a short-lived licence file quietly in the background while it has a connection. For a machine that will be offline for a long stretch or permanently, ask Growther.si for an air-gapped licence.
Can I run C5 on an air-gapped network?
Yes, and it is a supported way to use it. Set the egress posture to Offline, place the memory-search, voice and classifier models by hand from a connected machine, and use an air-gapped licence. LDAP sign-in to a directory on your own network still works.
What happens to a cloud-model task when the connection drops?
It waits. That step cannot reach the provider until you reconnect. If you have a local model connected and placed in the coordinator order, C5 can fall back to it rather than stopping.
Does offline work continue if my laptop is closed?
No. Offline means no network, not no computer: C5 runs on the machine itself, so if it is asleep the schedule waits and catches up when it wakes. For work that must run overnight, keep the machine awake or use one that stays on — the scheduled AI agent page covers the trade.
In the docs
Keep working when the connection drops
With a local model, your agents and schedules carry on without internet and catch up when it returns. Download C5 and set it up while you are still online.