Can I install just one golem?
Yes. Each package is self-contained with its own plugin.json. Install any golem as a Claude Code plugin without the rest of the ecosystem:
claude --plugin-dir ~/Gits/golems/packages/recruiterThe only hard dependency is @golems/shared for database and LLM access.
What's the memory cost?
BrainLayer uses sqlite-vec with bge-large-en-v1.5 embeddings. For 284K+ chunks, the database is approximately 1.4GB on disk. Queries run in under 2 seconds. The embedding model loads into ~1.5GB of RAM when indexing, but the MCP server uses the pre-built index (no model loaded at query time).
Does it work without Railway?
Yes. Golems runs in three modes:
| Mode | LLM | State | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Local | Ollama | File-based | Testing, development |
| Hybrid | Gemini (cloud, free) | File-based | Development with better LLM |
| Full Cloud | Gemini (cloud, free) | Supabase | Production |
Set with env vars: LLM_BACKEND, STATE_BACKEND, TELEGRAM_MODE.
How much does it cost to run?
Estimated monthly costs for production mode:
| Service | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Gemini (Flash-Lite) | $0/mo | Email scoring, job matching, drafts — free tier covers all usage |
| Railway | ~$5-10/mo | Cloud worker compute (email poller, job scraper, briefing) |
| Supabase | Free tier | Sufficient for personal use (500MB database, 50K auth users) |
| Total | ~$5-10/mo | Gemini is free, Railway is the main cost |
Running fully local with Ollama costs $0/mo (just electricity). Production switched from Haiku ($5-15/mo) to Gemini Flash-Lite (free) in Feb 2026.
Can I customize the outreach style?
Yes. RecruiterGolem includes a style adapter that matches tone and formality to each recipient. Your base writing style is exported to JSON and can be edited:
- Style analysis from BrainLayer session data
- Per-recipient adaptation (formal for enterprise, casual for startups)
- Anti-AI writing patterns to avoid generic-sounding messages
How many tests does Golems have?
1,179 tests across 84 test files. The test suite covers all 11 packages and runs with bun test from the monorepo root.
What's the tech stack?
| Layer | Technology |
|---|---|
| Runtime | Bun (TypeScript) |
| Bot Framework | Grammy (Telegram) |
| Database | Supabase (PostgreSQL) |
| Cloud Compute | Railway (Docker) |
| Local Services | macOS launchd |
| Memory | Python + sqlite-vec + sentence-transformers |
| LLM | Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite (cloud, free), Haiku 4.5 (fallback), Ollama (local), GLM-4.7-Flash (enrichment) |
| Autonomous Loop | Zsh (Ralph) |
| Secrets | 1Password CLI |
Can I use the skills without the full ecosystem?
Yes. The 55 skills in skills/golem-powers/ work as standalone Claude Code plugins. Install them individually:
# Just the commit skill
cp -r ~/Gits/golems/skills/golem-powers/commit .claude/commands/
# Or install all skills
claude --plugin-dir ~/Gits/golems/skills/golem-powersIs the repo public?
Yes. The full source is at github.com/EtanHey/golems. It's built by one developer (Etan Heyman) with Claude Code as the primary implementation tool.
What Claude Code version do I need?
Claude Code v2.1 or later. The plugin system, skill loading, and MCP server support all require v2.1+.