BEAM Documentation

BEAM is where executives and their AI agents make decisions they can defend later — a terminal-first workspace where tasks, documents, messages, and AI live in one substrate. Encryption is opt-in: with it on, the content of your work is encrypted on your device before it reaches the server, and the server cannot read those fields. The app lives at usebeam.sh. BEAM is in internal beta, by invitation. Nothing is for sale yet.

This manual has three tiers, organized by the question you're holding:

Quick Start — "I just got access; what do I do?" Seven steps from invite code to a working daily loop. About fifteen minutes.

Concepts — "Why is BEAM shaped the way it is?" Short essays on the architectural decisions:

• Encryption — why BEAM cannot read your work, and the honest gaps in that claim.
• Council vs Debate — when to reach for each multi-model mode.
• Tasks vs Docs vs Memory — the three places work persists, and how they relate.
• Spotlight vs Terminal — the two input surfaces and what each is for.
• Flagship tier — when to spend more for sharper analysis.
• Local tier — running inference on your own machine with Ollama, and what it does and does not change.

Reference — "What's the exact syntax?" Every command, flag, setting, and keyboard shortcut, organized by family: Tasks · Dependencies · Lists & Projects · Documents · AI · Daily rhythm · Discovery · Trash & recovery · Workspace · System & data · Settings · Keyboard shortcuts

If you're brand new

Start with the Quick Start. It assumes nothing except an invite code and a modern browser.

If you're deciding whether to trust BEAM with real work

Read Concepts: Encryption. It makes the architectural argument — including the parts that aren't flattering.

If you want the security posture, not the argument

Read Security. It states what is built, with a code pointer per line, and ends with a list of what is not built yet.

Getting help inside the app

Type help in the Terminal for the full command surface, or feedback followed by what went wrong to reach the team directly. These docs cover the same ground in browsable form.