Jesse
An AI assistant built from a folder of text files. No product, no account, no lock-in.
You own the files. The agent does the legwork. Nothing gets sent without your sign-off.
Your day is probably spread across a handful of apps – email, calendar, Slack, a task list, for example, though everyone’s mix is different. Whatever tools your agent can reach, Jesse gathers what’s new, sorts it by what actually needs you, and hands you one briefing.
An example morning briefing
📅 Calendar -- Today - 10:00 AM -- 1:1 with Sarah (prep: review her project update from Friday) - 2:00 PM -- Team standup 📧 Email -- 6 new 🔴 Needs response today: Client asking about timeline for deliverable 🟡 This week: Vendor sent contract for review 🟢 FYI: 4 automated notifications 💬 Slack - @mention in #projects -- someone asking about deploy schedule - DM from manager with a question about budget 🔔 Reminders - Follow up with Alex on proposal (set 3 days ago)
You scan it, correct anything it got wrong, and start your day already caught up. Behind that briefing, Jesse has also updated your task list, prepared agendas for today’s meetings, and acted on any notes you dropped in from your phone.
How it works
Three parts, each one you can open and read:
The vault
A folder of markdown files: your tasks, projects, people, notes. The agent starts every session fresh; the vault is what persists. You can read every bit of it in any editor.
The instruction file
One file (JESSE.md) that tells the agent who you are, what your rules are, and what to do each morning. Every time it gets something wrong, you tighten a rule.
The agent
Any AI agent that can read files and call tools -- Claude Cowork and Claude Code work out of the box. Switch providers tomorrow and the vault comes with you.
Why people trust it
Drafts, never sends
Jesse writes replies and messages into a drafts folder and waits. Nothing leaves your outbox without your explicit approval.
Plain files you own
No database, no export button, no subscription. Markdown in folders, versionable with git, readable in twenty years.
You make the calls
Jesse surfaces, flags, and drafts. It shows its judgment calls so you can correct them. It doesn't decide strategy or commit you to anything.
Not a Product
There’s nothing to install, no account to create, nothing to pay for. Jesse is a method: a vault structure, an instruction file, and a set of patterns for working with an AI agent, refined through months of daily use. Copy the template, point your agent at it, and make it yours.
It was built to solve a real problem – managing the daily overhead of a demanding workload without adding yet another app to the stack. Read the full story in the blog post on Tag1’s website.
Where to Go Next
- How Jesse Works – the mental model, a morning traced end to end, and the safety design.
- Quick Start – copy the template and run your first session in about 10 minutes.
- Recipes – add capabilities piecemeal: email, Slack, meeting agendas, research, reminders, and more.