Guardian: Constitutional AI That Runs on Your Machine

Guardian is an Apache 2.0 local safety evaluator. Local Ollama checks can run without provider API costs; configured network features have separate terms.

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Guardian is an Apache 2.0 local safety evaluator. Point it at text and inspect the verdict. Local Ollama checks can run without provider API costs; configured providers, updates, sign-in, and cloud features use their documented networks and terms.

Available as a desktop app (Mac, Windows, Linux) or a publication-gated Python library (python -m pip install creed-guardian==2.1.0). PyPI 0.1.1 is an unsafe preview. The desktop app is a text box with a verdict. The library's asynchronous await guardian.check(action) can return PASS, FAIL, or UNCERTAIN.

First launch downloads the selected local model. Download size depends on the tier. After setup, local Ollama checks can operate offline; configured network features cannot.

What it checks

Creed rules compile to deterministic code. Structural checks (profanity, content categories, format compliance) run without an LLM at near-zero cost. Nuanced judgment calls use the local model.

Every check runs against a set of constitutional principles. Guardian doesn't just pattern-match against a blocklist. It evaluates whether an action is consistent with the governing creed, considering context.

Model tiers

Pick the size that fits your hardware:

Parameters RAM required Best for
1.5B 2GB IoT devices, Raspberry Pi
3B 4GB Tablets, light laptops
7B 8GB Laptops, dev machines
14B 12GB Servers, workstations
32B 24GB Largest local capacity

Who uses Guardian

Parents checking content their children encounter from AI. Educators verifying AI-generated teaching materials. Developers adding a safety layer to AI agents. Enterprises needing sovereign, air-gapped AI safety. Robotics teams building safety checks for autonomous systems. Privacy advocates who want AI safety without surveillance.

Guardian vs. Creed Space cloud

Guardian runs locally with default constitutions. It's self-contained.

Creed Space cloud can add custom constitutions (your rules, your values), configured cloud-model evaluation, audit-record and compliance-report design support, fine-grained policy controls, and fleet management. Exact deployment coverage, provider retention, legal interpretation, and independent assurance remain open.

Use Guardian if you want Apache 2.0 licensed local, private, offline-capable safety checks. Hosted services have deployment-specific account, usage, provider, and cost terms.

Open source, Apache 2.0 licensed

Inspect it. Modify it. Ship it commercially. The safety layer should be infrastructure everyone can build on, and that requires transparency in how safety decisions are made.

Guardian is available at github.com/Creed-Space/Guardian.

Nell Watson
Founder, Creed Space

AI ethics researcher and IEEE Fellow. Author of Taming the Machine.