Frequently asked questions
Can Sobani work without the internet?
Internet access is needed when the initial setup downloads extra data. With the Ollama route, install Ollama and a compatible model; conversations can then be processed on your PC. OpenAI, Anthropic, and Gemini routes need internet access during conversation. VOICEVOX is an optional separate install.
Can I change the character?
Character Studio lets you inspect your VRM and .vrma motions, then edit, validate, and preview basic identity, personality, speech, relationship, background and worldview, and conversation examples as one Character Pack. Saving and applying a reusable custom pack requires Pro.
What is Stage Beta?
It is one Sobani capability. While Sobani is running, your own Discord bot can join allowed text channels or a selected VC, and the same Resident can appear in a local OBS Browser Source. Version 1.2.13 VC uses separately installed whisper for on-PC transcription and starts listening only after both the text and spoken notices are delivered. Spoken replies require VOICEVOX to be running.
Are my conversations sent anywhere?
With Ollama, conversation and memory organization stay on this PC. If you select OpenAI, Anthropic, or Gemini, by default the same provider and model handle replies and post-turn organization (a separate Memory AI can be chosen in Settings); there is no separate Memory ON/OFF. Stage 1 sends the completed owner utterance and stage 2 sends candidates with their evidence. When stage 3 is needed, it compares candidates with one another and with up to 24 current low-risk owner memories of the same type. Pending-review-only candidates skip stage 3, and pending-review, sensitive, and protected memories are excluded from it. Retries and calls whose results are not received may still incur charges; Sobani never switches to another AI, model, or Ollama. For every completed owner conversation that is saved, regardless of the first reply generation's classification, one dedicated source-attestation check sends only the full current user message to the same provider and model. It does not send assertion quotes proposed by the first generation, conversation history, existing memories, or the proposed reply. The checker independently returns exact spans for the complete assertion, its subject, and its value from that message. An ordinary cloud conversation makes two calls; when organized memory is used in the reply, memory selection, reply generation, semantic consistency checking, and the pre-save source-attestation check make up to four calls normally. If the reply is rejected, Sobani does not regenerate, display, or save it. Those reply calls are separate from the post-turn stages.
Does Sobani speak?
Install the free VOICEVOX app separately and Sobani can read her lines with VOICEVOX: Shikoku Metan. VOICEVOX is not bundled. Text-only conversation works without it.
Is this a one-time purchase?
Free is 0 JPY and Character Studio Pro is a one-time 1,500 JPY purchase. There is no subscription. If you choose cloud AI, you pay that provider separately.