Runebook
Runebook was a stealth-stage software startup that built Tome, a local LLM client with native Model Context Protocol support, targeting developers and AI practitioners who wanted to run LLMs locally with agent capabilities. The company was acquired by Keycard in November 2025.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Runebook does
Runebook was a small, stealth-stage software company (1–10 employees) that built Tome, a local LLM client with native Model Context Protocol (MCP) support. The product enabled developers and AI practitioners to run large language models locally on their own hardware while leveraging MCP to build and interact with AI agents, targeting concerns around data privacy, deployment control, and ease-of-use for agentic workflows. The company positioned itself as "a small but nimble group of hackers" building user-friendly interfaces for LLMs.
The founding team consisted of engineers who previously built products at the frontier of DevOps at companies including Heroku, Mezmo, Sentry, and MakerBot. Runebook pursued a product-led, community-driven go-to-market: Tome was distributed open-source via a GitHub repository and as a self-serve download at gettome.app, with community engagement on Discord, Bluesky, and X (Twitter). No pricing, revenue model, or named customers were disclosed, and no enterprise logos or commercial contracts were reported in available sources.
In November 2025, Runebook was acquired by Keycard — an identity and access platform for AI agents — to expand Keycard's ecosystem of SDKs for building and adopting trusted MCP-powered AI agents. The acquisition was announced at the AI Engineer Code Summit. Post-acquisition, Runebook's Tome product (including an extension branded "Tome for Coding Agents") operates within Keycard, and Runebook no longer functions as an independent entity. No funding rounds, investor identities, revenue figures, or cap-table details were disclosed.
Runebook firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Runebook
- Legal name
- Runebook
- Website
- https://runebook.ai
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Runebook was a stealth-stage software startup that built Tome, a local LLM client with native Model Context Protocol support, targeting developers and AI practitioners who wanted to run LLMs locally with agent capabilities. The company was acquired by Keycard in November 2025.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Runebook industry classification
Industry- Product category
- AI Developer Tools
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Smart Contract Frameworks & SDKs (developer kits, templates, standards) (FSAPABAB)
Keywords
Where Runebook is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Runebook business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Software/Tool: Runebook built Tome as a local LLM client with MCP support. Revenue model not explicitly disclosed in available sources.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Runebook product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Runebook builds Tome, a downloadable local LLM client with native Model Context Protocol (MCP) support that enables users to run large language models on their own machines while building and interacting with AI agents. The product is offered as open-source software via GitHub and a direct-download web app at gettome.app, targeting developers and AI practitioners who want privacy-preserving, locally controlled LLM interfaces.
Product overview
Runebook is a software company that built Tome, a local LLM client with native MCP (Model Context Protocol) support. The company was acquired by Keycard in November 2025 to expand Keycard's ecosystem of SDKs for building and adopting trusted MCP-powered AI agents. Runebook was previously focused on building user interfaces for LLMs to empower people, and their primary product, Tome, provides a user-friendly interface for running LLMs locally with enhanced AI agent capabilities through MCP integration.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Tome: A local LLM client with magical MCP powers
- Tome for Coding Agents
Products and services
- Tome Tome is a downloadable local LLM client with native Model Context Protocol (MCP) support that enables developers and AI practitioners to run large language models on their own machines and build AI agent interfaces with privacy and local control. It is offered as open-source software.
Companies that use Runebook
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Runebook technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability2 records
Feature1 record
Runebook partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- KeycardcoreKeycard acquired Runebook in November 2025 to expand its ecosystem of SDKs for building and adopting trusted MCP-powered AI agents. The acquisition was announced at the AI Engineer Code Summit and aims to help companies build and deploy trusted AI agents more securely and easily.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Runebook competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- GPT4All: Local LLM chat client with model management and a community ecosystem. Overlaps with Tome on local inference UX and developer/individual user target segment.
- AnythingLLM: Desktop and self-hosted AI application supporting local LLMs, agents, and document interaction. Comparable to Tome in combining local-LLM support with agent/MCP-style extensibility.
- Ollama: Open-source local LLM runtime that lets users run and manage large language models on their own machines. Closest direct competitor to Tome on the 'local LLM client' axis, though Ollama lacks native MCP/agent UX focus.
- LM Studio: Desktop application for running local LLMs with a user-friendly GUI, targeting the same developer/hobbyist persona as Tome. Direct overlap on local inference workflow and developer audience.
- Jan AI: Open-source local AI client and chat interface for running LLMs on-device. Competes directly with Tome in the local-LLM-client category with similar privacy-first positioning.
Emerging players
- Cline: Open-source AI coding agent that integrates with MCP servers. Comparable emerging player in the MCP agent tooling space, with a stronger coding-agent vertical but similar developer-led GTM.
- Continue: Open-source AI code assistant supporting local models and MCP integrations. Targets overlapping developer audience with similar local-first, MCP-friendly positioning.
- Keycard: Identity and access platform for AI agents that acquired Runebook in November 2025. Now the parent ecosystem in which Tome operates; comparable as the closest adjacent MCP-native SDK provider.
Broad incumbents
- OpenAI: Dominant AI platform whose ChatGPT desktop app and agent tooling could subsume the local LLM client category. Comparable as a broad incumbent shaping developer expectations for LLM interfaces.
- Anthropic: Creator of the Model Context Protocol that Runebook's product is built around. As the protocol steward, Anthropic could natively deliver agentic UX that reduces demand for third-party MCP clients like Tome.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Runebook social profiles
Digital presenceRunebook financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Runebook leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Runebook funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Runebook M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Runebook
What does Runebook do?
Runebook builds Tome, a downloadable local LLM client with native Model Context Protocol (MCP) support that enables users to run large language models on their own machines while building and interacting with AI agents. The product is offered as open-source software via GitHub and a direct-download web app at gettome.app, targeting developers and AI practitioners who want privacy-preserving, locally controlled LLM interfaces.
Is Runebook a public or private company?
Runebook is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently acquired.
When was Runebook founded?
Runebook was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Runebook based?
Runebook is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Runebook make money?
One revenue line is on record: software/Tool.
Who are Runebook's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are GPT4All, AnythingLLM, Ollama, LM Studio and Jan AI. Emerging players are Cline, Continue and Keycard. Broad incumbents are OpenAI and Anthropic.
Does Runebook have an API?
No public API is recorded for Runebook.
What industry is Runebook in?
Runebook's product category is AI Developer Tools. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAPABAB, Smart Contract Frameworks & SDKs (developer kits, templates, standards). Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 7372.