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Beam

Beam is an AI agent built to make AI coding help cheaper and more accessible.

Instead of forcing everyone into another $20/month subscription, Beam gives you two practical options:

• Run local models with Ollama for free
• Plug in your own OpenAI API key only when you actually want it

That means you can stay fully offline, keep costs low, and still get AI help directly inside your editor.

Why Beam Exists

A lot of developers want AI in their workflow, but not everyone wants another monthly subscription just to ask coding questions, refactor files, or generate code.

Beam is built for that gap.

It helps you:

• use free local models through Ollama
• avoid mandatory subscriptions
• bring your own API key when needed
• keep AI inside VS Code instead of bouncing to a browser tab
• make AI access more practical for students, indie hackers, and developers on a budget

What Beam Does

Beam opens an editor-side AI workspace inside VS Code where you can work with your codebase directly.

Current experience includes:

• chat with AI inside VS Code
• use local Ollama models
• use OpenAI models with your own API key
• send current file context and selected code to the model
• let the agent read files, write files, search code, and replace content in your workspace
• use quick actions from the Beam menu

Cheap By Default

Beam is designed to be cheap by default, not expensive by default.

Option 1: Ollama

If you use Ollama, Beam can run with local models on your machine.

• no API bill
• no subscription required
• works offline
• better privacy for local workflows

For a lot of people, this is enough.

Option 2: Your Own OpenAI API Key

If you want ChatGPT-quality models, you can paste your own OpenAI API key into Beam.

• no mandatory ChatGPT subscription
• pay only for actual API usage
• choose when to use it
• switch between local and hosted models depending on the task

This gives you more control than paying for a flat monthly tool you may not use every day.

Who Beam Is For

Beam is especially useful if you are:

• tired of stacking AI subscriptions
• okay using local models for most tasks
• budget-conscious
• learning to code and want cheaper access to AI help
• building side projects and want to keep costs low
• looking for an editor-native workflow instead of a browser-based one

Model Support

Ollama

• local models
• offline-first workflow
• zero API cost

OpenAI

• paste your API key
• use ChatGPT/OpenAI models inside Beam
• switch when you need stronger hosted models

Requirements

• VS Code
• optional: Ollama for local/offline models
• optional: OpenAI API key for hosted models

Philosophy

AI tooling should not be locked behind expensive subscriptions.

Beam is built around a simple idea:

give more people access to useful AI coding workflows without forcing them into recurring costs.

Developer

Built and maintained by Suman Biswas
Portfolio: sumanbiswas.vercel.app
textsumanb@gmail.com