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I put an AI agent on a $7/month VPS with IRC as its transport layer

I put an AI agent on a $7/month VPS with IRC as its transport layer

by j0rg3·Mar 26, 2026·340 points·96 comments
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AI Analysis

●●SolidBig BrainCozyNiche Gem

Two-box security model separates public doorman from private agent via IRC channels.

Strengths
  • •678 KB Zig binary using ~1 MB RAM — genuinely minimal public perimeter.
  • •Model routing: Haiku 4.5 for greetings, Sonnet 4.6 only when tool use needed.
  • •Owns entire stack: Ergo IRC server, gamja client, no third-party API dependencies.
Weaknesses
  • •AI portfolio chatbots are a known category — novelty is in architecture, not concept.
  • •IRC transport is aesthetic choice that limits mainstream adoption.
Category
AI/ML
Target Audience

Developers building AI portfolio sites or chatbots

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Chatbase · Intercom Fin · Custom GPTs

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