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Postern
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About Postern
Postern is a self-hosted gateway that allows AI agents to access personal data sources such as finance, health, mail, calendar, contacts, and home systems without requiring passwords or telemetry. It acts as a centralized access point where users can grant specific permissions to different agents for different data types. The system encrypts credentials once and issues scoped keys to agents, ensuring that each agent only accesses what it is explicitly permitted to see. Data remains stored locally on the user’s hardware, and agents interact with it through a standardized interface. Postern supports multiple agents and data sources, enabling users to switch between AI assistants without reconfiguring connections. The tool is designed to maintain data privacy while providing agents with the necessary context for their tasks.
Key features
- Encrypted credential storage
- Scoped agent permissions per data type
- Local data caching for efficiency
- Supports finance, health, mail, calendar, contacts, and home systems
- Open-source and self-hosted deployment
- Agent key minting and revocation
- Audit logging of all agent access
- Compatible with any AI agent via MCP
Use cases
- Connecting AI assistants to personal finance data for expense tracking
- Granting calendar access to an agent for meeting scheduling
- Providing health data to a wellness assistant without sharing raw credentials
Pros
- Self-hosted on user-owned hardware
- No sharing of passwords with agents
- Zero telemetry or data collection
- Supports multiple agents and data sources
- Open-source under Apache-2.0 license
Cons
- Requires local hardware and Docker setup
- Hosted version not yet available
- Limited to supported data sources listed
Frequently asked questions about Postern
What is Postern and what does it do?
Postern is a self-hosted gateway that enables AI agents to securely access personal data sources such as finance, health, mail, calendar, contacts, and home systems without requiring passwords or telemetry. It acts as a centralized access point where users can grant specific permissions to different agents for different data types.
Who is Postern designed for?
Postern is designed for users who want to leverage AI agents to manage personal data while maintaining privacy and control. It suits individuals or organizations that prefer self-hosted solutions and need to securely connect multiple AI assistants to various personal data sources.
How does Postern ensure data privacy?
Postern encrypts credentials once and issues scoped keys to agents, ensuring each agent only accesses what it is explicitly permitted to see. Data remains stored locally on the user’s hardware, and agents interact with it through a standardized interface without ever seeing passwords.
What data sources does Postern support?
Postern supports a range of data sources including finance (Plaid, SimpleFIN), health (WHOOP, Apple Health), mail (Gmail, Microsoft, iCloud), calendar (Google, Microsoft), contacts (Google, Microsoft), and home systems (Home Assistant).
Can I switch between different AI agents without reconfiguring connections?
Yes, Postern allows users to switch between AI assistants without reconfiguring connections. Each agent connects to Postern using a unique key, and the user’s grants and permissions remain intact even when switching agents.
How do I install and set up Postern?
Postern can be installed using three commands on hardware you own, such as running a Docker container with a PostgreSQL backend. The setup process includes generating an encrypted password, deploying the service, and minting agent keys through the console.
