Why we built Sonaloop local-first
No new AI workspace to provision, no Sonaloop token meter, and no respondent PII by default. Local-first is a product choice and a research choice.
Product
Sonaloop field note
Sonaloop runs inside your own Claude Code, Cursor or Codex. The host model writes the text; Sonaloop supplies the structure for personas, councils, synthesis and reports.
That product shape matters. It avoids a second AI workspace for early experiments. It keeps the setup path close to where product and research work already happen. And it lets the free core be genuinely useful without Sonaloop metering the model.
- One MCP install path instead of a new SaaS account for every experiment.
- Synthetic-only panels by default, with evidence attached deliberately.
- A clear upgrade path for collaboration, hosting and done-for-you studies.
Local-first is not an anti-cloud posture. It is the shortest path to a trustworthy first run: quick to install, easy to inspect and honest about where the work happens.
Next step
Run the same kind of structured pushback from your local AI workspace.