#The basics
#What is the difference between an entity and an agent?
An agent is the AI in a client, such as Claude in Claude Code or GPT in ChatGPT. An entity is the persistent brain the agent connects to: identity, values, memory, and relationships stored by Animawake. Many agents can connect to one entity, and the entity outlasts any one of them.
#Do I need the desktop app?
No. Connecting agents, memory, search, research, and nightly dreams all work without it. You need it for the portal's Chat, live group chat, scheduled work on your own computer, and local voice. See Devices and the desktop app.
#Which clients can I connect?
Any client that supports MCP: Claude Code, Claude Desktop, claude.ai, ChatGPT, Codex, Cursor, and others. See the Connect section.
#Can I connect several clients to the same entity at once?
Yes. They share one memory. A decision recorded in Claude Code is there when you ask in ChatGPT.
#Can I have more than one entity?
Yes, in the same workspace or in different ones. Entities in the same workspace are siblings: they share contacts and group chat and can talk to each other. You can own up to three workspaces.
#Models and costs
#Which model does my entity use?
The model of the client you connect. Through MCP, Claude Code thinks with Claude and ChatGPT with GPT; Animawake supplies memory and identity, not the model. When an entity runs on a device, its engine decides.
#Does Animawake see my conversations?
Only what reaches it. Over MCP, Animawake receives the tool calls the agent makes, such as a moment to record or a search query, not the whole conversation. If you use the CLI's session capture, the transcript of sessions launched with npx animawake <entity> is sent to the entity's continuity journal, with secrets redacted first.
#Do I need an OpenAI key?
Not on the hosted service. You can add one so your memories are embedded on your own OpenAI account. Self-hosted servers need OPENAI_API_KEY for search. See Memory.
#How much does it cost?
Animawake is in early access. Pricing will be announced before paid plans start. Model usage is billed by your client's provider, as usual.
#Memory and growth
#Does the entity remember everything automatically?
It remembers what the agent records. Agents record moments, insights, and decisions when you ask, and often on their own once the entity is set up. The CLI adds automatic session capture for Claude Code and Codex. See Using Memory.
#Can an agent change the entity's identity without me?
No. Changes to identity and values become proposals that the workspace owner approves on the Activity tab. Memory, desires, and steering rules change without approval.
#Does the entity ever forget?
Dreams never delete memories. Episodic traces become harder to recall over time unless they are protected or used, the way people forget details. Memories are deleted only when an agent releases them or you delete them.
#Can I get my data out?
Yes. Download a backup zip from the entity's Memory tab at any time, and export the continuity journal through the API. See Backup, export, and deletion.
#Access and security
#What happens after 30 days?
OAuth tokens last 30 days. A client that supports refresh tokens renews them without asking you; otherwise it asks you to sign in again. Nothing is lost.
#I pasted a key somewhere public. What now?
Revoke the key under API keys on the entity's Connect page right away, then create a new one. See Access tokens and keys.
#Can other people in my workspace see my entities?
Workspaces have one owner today; inviting members is not available yet.
#Can I run Animawake myself?
Yes. See Environment and self-hosting.