Is Grux OS an AI email client for Mac?

It has one built in. Its Mailbox reads your mail server directly over IMAP and counts the messages that need you, as part of an agent that also works your calendar and files. It is not a standalone mail app in the way Apple Mail is.

Does Grux OS work inside Apple's Mail app?

No. Grux is not a Mail plug-in. Its Mailbox connects to your mail server directly over IMAP, so it runs alongside Mail rather than inside it.

Can an AI email assistant run without sending my mail to the cloud?

Yes, with a local model. Grux can run on Ollama on your Mac, so the model that reads your mail runs on your own hardware. With a hosted model, that provider sees what you send it.

Does Apple Mail have AI built in?

Yes, on Macs that support Apple Intelligence: Priority Messages, Smart Reply, a short summary under each unread email, and summaries of long threads.

Is there an AI email assistant for Mac that runs locally?

Yes: Grux OS is a free, open source (MIT) Mac app whose Mailbox connects to your own mail server and counts only the messages that need you, on a local model or your own key. It reads your mail over IMAP with the password kept in your Keychain, so it works with any provider that offers IMAP; it is not a plug-in for Apple's Mail app. Measured on a real inbox, about one unread message in five actually needed the person, and that is the number Grux shows. With no key, a rule on your Mac decides in under five milliseconds; with a model, each new message is read once and the ones that ask nothing of you drop out of the count. Sending is a separate Labs feature behind its own credential. Apple Mail has its own AI on Macs that support Apple Intelligence: Priority Messages, Smart Reply and summaries. Pick Apple Mail for summaries inside Mail. Pick Grux for one assistant across your mail, calendar, files and meetings, on a model you choose.

Grux OS 3.0.0 · last checked 2026-09-30 · generated from the shipping release

Side by side

	Grux OS	Apple Mail with Apple Intelligence
What it is	An agent with a Mailbox, beside your calendar, files and meetings	Apple's mail app, with Apple Intelligence features
Where mail comes from	Your mail server, read directly over IMAP	The accounts you add to Mail
Triage	Counts only the mail that needs you: a rule on your Mac, or a model you choose	Priority Messages puts time-sensitive email at the top of the inbox
Replies	Drafting on the text model you run; sending is a Labs feature with its own credential	Smart Reply drafts a reply in the message
Model	A local Ollama model, or your own key	Apple Intelligence, on supported Macs, languages and regions
Source	Open source, MIT	Part of macOS

Apple Mail's details are from Apple's guide Use Apple Intelligence in Mail on Mac, macOS Tahoe edition, read on 3 October 2026.

Why count what needs you, not what is unread

An unread count is an inbox size: it reads the same on a calm day and a bad one. Grux's count starts from a conservative floor on your Mac (unread, not from a no-reply address, not list mail) and, when a model is set, removes a message only when the model is confident nothing is asked of you. When in doubt it counts the message, because a missed message costs more than one extra in the badge.

Where Apple Mail is the better choice

You want summaries and Smart Reply inside the mail app you already use.
You want nothing else to install, on a Mac that supports Apple Intelligence.
You do not need an assistant beyond email.

Where Grux OS fits better

You want a count of the mail that needs you, not of the mail you have not opened.
You want to choose the model, including a local one through Ollama.
You want one assistant across mail, calendar, files and meetings.

Where to check this

Claim	Source
Mail counts what needs you, not what is unread, measured on a real inbox	CHANGELOG, 3.0.0
With no key, a heuristic on the Mac decides, in under five milliseconds	CHANGELOG, decision table
A model reads each new message once and may take it out of the count	MailNeedsYou.swift
Mailbox is an IMAP client over TLS	IMAPClient.swift
Compose and send lives inside Mail, behind its own credential	ComposeDoorTests.swift
Apple Mail: Priority Messages, Smart Reply and inbox summaries	Apple Support

Questions

Is Grux OS an AI email client for Mac?: It has one built in. Its Mailbox reads your mail server directly over IMAP and counts the messages that need you, as part of an agent that also works your calendar and files. It is not a standalone mail app in the way Apple Mail is.
Does Grux OS work inside Apple's Mail app?: No. Grux is not a Mail plug-in. Its Mailbox connects to your mail server directly over IMAP, so it runs alongside Mail rather than inside it.
Can an AI email assistant run without sending my mail to the cloud?: Yes, with a local model. Grux can run on Ollama on your Mac, so the model that reads your mail runs on your own hardware. With a hosted model, that provider sees what you send it.
Does Apple Mail have AI built in?: Yes, on Macs that support Apple Intelligence: Priority Messages, Smart Reply, a short summary under each unread email, and summaries of long threads.

Download Grux 3.0.0 Read the source

Free, MIT licensed. macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon. 23.7 MB, signed and notarized by Apple. No account, no server, no subscription.