Cumbersome: Free LLM API Client for iPhone and Mac

Cumbersome is a native LLM API client for people who want more control than consumer AI apps provide. It connects your Apple devices directly to cloud APIs, local models, and tools without putting a Folding Sky server in the middle.

• Use your own API access. Add direct provider keys, a multi-provider gateway, or your own OpenAI-compatible endpoint. You pay the provider for what you use instead of paying Cumbersome a subscription. Read why I prefer API keys over consumer AI subscriptions.
• Choose the exact model. Cumbersome does not choose a cheaper or faster model behind your back. Switch providers or models in the same conversation and see which one produced every response.
• Work on every Apple device. Conversations sync through your iCloud account. Start on an iPhone, continue on a Mac, and keep the same editable history without creating a Folding Sky account. See how to use LLM API keys on iPhone without relying on a browser playground.
• Run local LLMs when you want them. Connect an OpenAI-compatible local endpoint and use models running on your own Mac from Cumbersome on Mac or iPhone. The Ollama setup guide walks through the complete setup.
• Keep the controls. Edit any message, set system instructions, pass custom API parameters, manage reasoning, inspect token usage, and export the underlying data. Cumbersome exposes the controls consumer apps tend to hide.
• Control long-running costs. Prompt caching exposes cache usage, while conversation compaction replaces old API context with a shorter summary without deleting the transcript. You can see what the API receives and decide when to reduce it.
• Compare instead of guessing. Face/Off Mode sends one prompt to three models and has another model judge the responses. You still see every answer and make the final call.