What is TavernAI V1 used for?

TavernAI V1 is a legacy front end for AI chat and story writing that connects to backends such as KoboldAI, NovelAI, OpenAI and Claude, with character cards and group chats. It is a good fit for roleplay and interactive fiction with language models, and a single front end across several AI backends.

Is TavernAI V1 open source?

Yes. TavernAI V1 is open source under the MIT licence. Its source code is on GitHub at TavernAI/TavernAI-v1 and is written mainly in JavaScript.

Yes. TavernAI V1 is open source, so the software itself is free to use.

Can I self-host TavernAI V1?

Yes. TavernAI V1 can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What is TavernAI V1 an alternative to?

TavernAI V1 is an open-source alternative to Character.AI. Other open-source alternatives to Character.AI include RisuAI, SillyTavern and MaiBot.

Is TavernAI V1 actively maintained?

The most recent commit to TavernAI V1 was on 16 June 2026. The project has 2.7k stars on GitHub.

TavernAI V1: open-source alternative to Character.AI

About TavernAI V1

TavernAI is a browser-based front end for chatting with, and writing stories alongside, AI language models. Rather than running a model itself, it connects to other backends, and the README lists the Kobold series, Oobabooga's text generation web UI, OpenAI, NovelAI, Claude and Ollama. This repository is the legacy first version; the project points to TavernAI 2 as its successor.

Its interface centers on characters. You can create your own, browse an online character database, and run group chats with several characters at once. Other features include a story mode, world info, swiping between alternative replies, editing, deleting or moving any message, adjustable generation settings, themes (one resembles CharacterAI), custom backgrounds and image recognition with GPT and Claude.

It runs on Node.js with simple start scripts for Windows and Linux, a Windows executable, and a Google Colab option for phones and tablets. The code is JavaScript and licensed under MIT.

Key features

Character creation and online character database
Group chat with multiple characters
Story mode and world info
Message swiping, editing and reordering
Support for KoboldAI, NovelAI, OpenAI, Claude and Ollama
Configurable themes and backgrounds

Good fit for

→Roleplay and interactive fiction with language models
→A single front end across several AI backends

Built with: JavaScript
Tags: ai-chat; storywriting; llm-frontend; koboldai; novelai; openai; roleplay; nodejs

TavernAI V1: questions and answers

What is TavernAI V1 used for?: TavernAI V1 is a legacy front end for AI chat and story writing that connects to backends such as KoboldAI, NovelAI, OpenAI and Claude, with character cards and group chats. It is a good fit for roleplay and interactive fiction with language models, and a single front end across several AI backends.
Is TavernAI V1 open source?: Yes. TavernAI V1 is open source under the MIT licence. Its source code is on GitHub at TavernAI/TavernAI-v1 and is written mainly in JavaScript.
Is TavernAI V1 free?: Yes. TavernAI V1 is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
Can I self-host TavernAI V1?: Yes. TavernAI V1 can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What is TavernAI V1 an alternative to?: TavernAI V1 is an open-source alternative to Character.AI. Other open-source alternatives to Character.AI include RisuAI, SillyTavern and MaiBot.
Is TavernAI V1 actively maintained?: The most recent commit to TavernAI V1 was on 16 June 2026. The project has 2.7k stars on GitHub.