What is Whet?

Whet is a desktop binary for research and drafting for operators who need to decode what works in their niche and generate content in their voice — using the LLMs they choose, on the machine they own.

Three vectors define the product:

1. Three layers of ingestion — Whet is not married to any platform. Any pipeline can take content via (a) official API if the source exposes one, (b) managed ingestion with credentials you provide, or (c) manual paste of URL / thread / email / OCR. The moat is not the ingestion adapter — it is "we orchestrate AI over any content."
2. Agent-native by default — every action a human performs in the workbench, an agent can perform too. A CLI bundled with the binary and an MCP server running on 127.0.0.1:7891 with tools across three surfaces (core, sessions, dashboards), 2 prompts and 2 resources. Compatible with Claude Desktop, Cursor, Claude Code, Cline, or any MCP client.
3. Local by default — Whet runs on the machine you installed it on. There is no SaaS in the request path on the Free tier. Cloud features (Basic and Pro) carry only encrypted plumbing — public webhook receivers, scheduled crons, multi-device sync, encrypted backup. Your sources, drafts and credentials never leave your machine in plaintext.

What ships in the binary

Component	Role
Embedded database	Persistence: pipelines, runs, artifacts, credentials, sessions, dashboards. Local file, encrypted at rest with keys from your OS keychain.
Workbench UI	Local web UI served at http://127.0.0.1:7891. Open it from the system tray icon or by visiting the URL.
MCP server	Exposed on the same local port at /mcp. Any MCP-compatible client can connect with a bearer token.
CLI	The whet command, bundled. Same flows as the workbench UI for terminal-first operators.

The binary is signed for macOS (notarised), Windows (Authenticode) and Linux (cosign). Auto-updates are opt-in.

What does it solve?

If you make a living from social or use it to distribute a product, you know the pattern: there are 50–200 sources (accounts, blogs, podcasts) that define your niche. Each one has formulas that work for them. Decoding those patterns manually eats your week. Whet:

1. Ingests from any source, choosing the layer that fits best.
2. Decodes structure, hooks, tones, and formats with the LLMs you choose.
3. Aggregates decodes into reusable patterns and niche metrics.
4. Riffs patterns with your input, generating drafts in your voice.
5. Refines drafts with one-click loops (shorter, change tone, match voice).
6. Sessions: scratch-pad drafting canvas where you snapshot upstream items, attach variants with per-LLM overrides, generate rounds and export.
7. Publishes with human confirmation — never in the background.

All of that lives under your control: your local database, your machine, your LLM API keys, your credentials.

The three surfaces

Every Whet action is available on three surfaces with the same contract:

┌──────────────┐    ┌──────────────┐    ┌──────────────┐
│  Workbench   │    │     CLI      │    │     MCP      │
│   (local)    │    │    whet      │    │  Streamable  │
└──────────────┘    └──────────────┘    └──────────────┘
        ↓                  ↓                  ↓
        └──────────────────┴──────────────────┘
                           ↓
               ┌──────────────────────┐
               │   Agent API REST     │
               │   /api/agent/v1      │
               │   (local, 127.0.0.1) │
               └──────────────────────┘

The Agent API is the local source of truth. CLI and MCP are clients of that API; the workbench UI is another client with its own presentation layer.

Tiers

Tier	Price	Runs	Adds
Whet Desktop Free	$0	Local only	Core workbench, 5 named sources (Reddit, YouTube, Hacker News, RSS, public web), CLI, MCP server. Personal & dev use.
Whet Desktop Basic	$10/mo	Local + cloud plumbing	Everything in Free + public webhook receivers (TLS, signed), scheduled web crons, multi-device sync (encrypted), encrypted backup, commercial-use license, more sources unlocked.
Whet Desktop Pro	$24/mo	Same	Everything in Basic + larger quota (15 pipelines / 5 000 items / month), custom exports (Notion, Linear, more), priority support, custom adapter requests.
Team / Enterprise	Custom	Multi-seat + central	Shared workspaces, role-based access, audit logging, SSO / SCIM, dedicated support. Quoted on the discovery call.

See whet.so/pricing for the full breakdown.

Who should read what?

If you are…	Start with
Operator / creator	Concepts, Pipelines, Sessions, Operators
Developer building with agents	MCP · what it is, MCP · tools, Examples
Operator who prefers the terminal	CLI · installation, CLI · reference
Integrator (consuming the Agent API)	API quickstart, Authentication, Endpoint reference

Status

Whet is in alpha. Agent API contracts and command names may change before 1.0. This documentation is updated with every relevant change — if you find a discrepancy with the binary, open an issue.