Advanced options
Overview
This page covers the User-Hosted Remote paths: running your assistant on cloud infrastructure that you own and manage, instead of on Vellum's. If you want the managed, recommended path, see Cloud hosting instead.
Status: User-Hosted Remote (GCP, AWS, Mac Mini) is on the roadmap and actively in development.
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 Cloud 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 Cloud | 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 |
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