Press and facts on Kobel
Everything needed to cover Kobel, on one page: a paragraph to quote, the hard facts on company, launch and pricing, the five permission levels, image material, and a contact that answers. Written for newsrooms, blogs, newsletters and anyone making a video about it.
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Kobel is a desktop app for Windows and macOS that decides what AI assistants such as ChatGPT and Claude are allowed to touch on a computer. For every folder, file, program and connected account, the user assigns one of five permission levels — from “read and write” to “blocked”. Every check runs on the device; file contents never leave the machine. Kobel is made by Amoria, a one-person company based in Probsteierhagen near Kiel, Germany, and has been available since June 2026.
Facts at a glance
| Product | Kobel |
| Category | Local permission layer for AI access (“AI permission layer”); technically a local MCP gateway |
| Company | Amoria, sole proprietorship, owner Lara Möller |
| Based in | Probsteierhagen near Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany (full postal address in the legal notice) |
| First released | Windows: 23 June 2026 · macOS: late July 2026 |
| Platforms | Windows 10 and 11, macOS |
| Distribution | Microsoft Store and Mac App Store; the Windows version also via kobel.app with Paddle.com Market Ltd. as merchant of record |
| Pricing | Basic free (one AI assistant, two folders, 50 files, 500 MB) · Pro €49 one-off or €3.90 per month · Team from €29 per month |
| Languages | Website and legal documents in German, English and French |
| Data processing | Permission checks run entirely on the device. Kobel transfers no file contents to its own servers. |
| Press contact | hello@kobel.app |
What Kobel does
Giving an AI assistant access to your own computer has so far mostly meant a choice between everything and nothing. A folder is shared — and the AI may read, change and delete inside it. Kobel puts a layer in between that makes this decision finer.
Every folder, file, program and connected account gets exactly one level. It is set by dragging a folder into the app and picking a colour — no configuration file, no terminal. Every request an AI makes is checked against that level before it is carried out, and every action that runs is written to a log the AI itself cannot alter.
Technically, Kobel speaks the Model Context Protocol (MCP), the protocol AI assistants use today to talk to local tools. Kobel sits in front of it as a gatekeeper: the assistant sees only what has been released. An app proxy additionally turns your own local software — industry applications, CRM, database tools — into MCP servers without modifying them, and routes them through the same permission layer.
The five levels
- GreenRead and write. The AI may open files and save changes directly.
- TealWrite with automatic backup. A copy is made before every change — a bad edit can always be undone.
- OrangeRead the original, write only to copies. The AI can work with the data but cannot alter the source file.
- YellowRead only. Look, don’t touch.
- RedBlocked. The resource is invisible to the AI — not even the folder name appears.
What Kobel is not
Kobel is not …
- … an AI model. It generates no text and no images.
- … antivirus software or a firewall.
- … a cloud service. There is no account holding your files.
- … an enterprise gateway for whole server estates. Kobel protects a workstation.
- … a replacement for backups, even though the teal level saves a copy before every change.
Kobel is …
- … a decision layer between an AI assistant and your own data.
- … built for individuals and small teams, not for data centres.
- … local: the check happens on the device.
- … accountable: every action appears in the log.
- … independent — not affiliated with Anthropic, OpenAI, Microsoft or Apple.
What can be connected
- Local folders and files, with the five levels per folder or per individual file.
- Cloud storage: Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive — treated like local folders and permissioned the same way.
- Your own software via the app proxy: CRM, ERP, database tools, image editors, industry-specific applications. Anything that runs locally and has a start command becomes MCP-capable without being modified.
- Common desktop tools through a built-in catalogue of prepared configurations.
- Social media through the platforms’ official APIs: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn, Reddit, Bluesky and Telegram — publish posts, read comments, reply to messages, each after approval.
Threads is currently not usable. It appears in the catalogue as “in preparation”, has no tools yet, and since 16 August 2026 it can no longer be connected. We mention this because older material still lists Threads as an eighth platform.
Image material
The following files may be used unaltered for editorial coverage of Kobel. Credit: Amoria.
- Screenshot of the app — the folder list with the five colour levels (PNG, 1200 × 765)
- Screenshot of the apps area — connected programs and accounts (PNG)
- “Kobel” wordmark (PNG, transparent)
- App icon (PNG)
If a different shot is needed — a particular view, a higher resolution, an image without sample data — we are glad to send it. A short email is enough.
Numbers
Kobel launched in June 2026 and is therefore a young product. We do not publish usage or sales figures on a rolling basis, but we will share them on request when an article needs them. What we will not do is estimate or round them up. If a figure is uncertain, we say so.
Background and context
For market context there is a detailed overview placing Kobel against the other ways of governing AI access — providers’ built-in controls, enterprise gateways, developer tooling — including the cases where something else is the better choice.
Press contact
Questions, interview requests, image material, review access: hello@kobel.app. We normally reply within one working day, and we answer even when the answer is “we can’t do that”.
Send an emailTry Kobel