Advanced options
Overview
Advanced options are for users who want 24/7 availability, stronger isolation, or full infrastructure control. These options run your assistant on a remote machine, either managed by Vellum or managed by you.
Status: These options are not generally available yet. They're on the roadmap and actively in development.
Vellum ManagedRecommendedComing soon
Your assistant runs in Vellum's cloud infrastructure. We handle compute, networking, storage, and uptime. This is the easiest option and the one we recommend for most users.
How it works
- Your assistant gets its own sandboxed environment in our cloud. It can't access other users' data or infrastructure.
- You can use Vellum's managed API keys for services like Anthropic, so you don't need to set up your own.
- No ngrok, no port forwarding, no keeping your laptop open. It just works.
- The assistant is always on. Scheduled tasks fire on time, and it can respond to messages even when your computer is off.
The tradeoff is privacy: your data lives on and passes through Vellum's servers. If keeping your data off third-party infrastructure is a hard requirement, consider local hosting or User-Hosted Remote instead.
Remote access to your machine
A common question: if my assistant is running in the cloud, can it still interact with my Mac? Yes.
The distinction is between tools that run on the assistant's computer vs. tools that run on yours:
- bash runs commands on the machine where the assistant lives (the cloud).
- host_bash runs commands on your machine (your Mac), tunneled securely through the connection.
The same pattern will apply to browser use, computer use, and file access. The assistant can go wild on its own machine in the cloud, and it can also reach back to your computer, but only when you're on your computer and explicitly grant permission.
If your laptop is closed, the assistant can still do its own work (run schedules, process emails, research things) but it won't be able to open files on your Mac or use your local tools until you're back.
User-Hosted RemoteComing soon
You provide the infrastructure, Vellum provides the software. Your assistant runs on machines you own and control: a cloud VM, a dedicated server, or even a Mac Mini at home.
GCP
Deploy your assistant to your own Google Cloud project. You manage IAM, networking, and compute. Your data stays in your GCP account.
vellum hatch --remote gcpBest for users or teams already on GCP who want to keep everything within their existing cloud setup.
AWS
Deploy to your own AWS account. Same idea as GCP: you own the infrastructure, credentials, and data.
Best for users or organizations standardized on AWS identity, networking, and observability.
Mac Mini as a server
A dedicated Mac Mini running at home or in an office, with the assistant running locally on it (native, Docker, or Apple Container). You connect to it from your primary computer through the Vellum desktop app.
This gives you 24/7 availability, full data ownership on hardware you physically possess, and Apple Container isolation. The tradeoff: your files and data live on the Mac Mini, not your daily laptop. Accessing your laptop's files requires the same host_bash tunneling as any remote option.
The remote tradeoff
All remote options (Vellum Managed and User-Hosted) share the same fundamental tradeoff compared to local hosting:
- You gain: 24/7 availability, better security isolation (the assistant is sandboxed away from your personal machine), and the ability to run scheduled tasks and respond to messages even when your computer is off.
- You lose: Direct access to your local files and system. The assistant can't browse your Mac's filesystem or use computer use natively. It needs to tunnel back through host tools, which only work when you're actively on your computer.
We're building features like host_bash, host browser use, and host computer use to bridge this gap. The goal: the assistant can still interact with your personal machine when you're available, and do everything else autonomously on its own machine when you're not.
Comparison
| Option | Managed by | Data location | Setup effort | 24/7 available |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vellum Managed | Vellum | Vellum's cloud | Minimal | Yes |
| GCP | You | Your GCP project | Significant | Yes |
| AWS | You | Your AWS account | Significant | Yes |
| Mac Mini | You | Your hardware | Moderate | Yes |