> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.nika.sh/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Local-first daily brief

> T1 starter · zero keys, zero cloud: fetch real data, brief it with a local Ollama model, keep a tamper-evident trace.

> **T1 starter · local-first**: the whole loop on your machine — a real
> HTTP fetch, a local model, a verifiable trace. No API key exists in
> this tutorial, so there is nothing to leak and nothing to meter.

## The job

A morning brief from a live source, every day, the same way. One file
captures it; your laptop runs it; the trace proves what happened.

## Prerequisites

* `nika` installed: `brew install supernovae-st/tap/nika` ([other paths](/getting-started/installation))
* [Ollama](https://ollama.com) running with a small model:
  `ollama pull qwen3.5:4b` (any local model works — swap the `model:` line)

## The file

Save as `daily-brief.nika.yaml`:

```yaml theme={"system"}
nika: v1
workflow: daily-brief
model: ollama/qwen3.5:4b

tasks:
  - id: fetch
    invoke:
      tool: "nika:fetch"
      args: { url: "https://hn.algolia.com/api/v1/search?tags=front_page" }

  - id: brief
    depends_on: [fetch]
    infer:
      max_tokens: 300
      prompt: |
        Five bullet points, most signal first: ${{ tasks.fetch.output }}

outputs:
  brief: ${{ tasks.brief.output }}
```

Swap the URL for any JSON source — an RSS-to-JSON bridge, your issue
tracker's API, a status page.

## Check, then run

```sh theme={"system"}
nika check daily-brief.nika.yaml
```

The static audit passes before a single token is spent — plan, types,
tools, args, secret flows. One honest wrinkle to read, not fear:

```text theme={"system"}
⚠  COST   $0.0000 – $0.0000 FLOOR (unbounded tasks present)
   brief  ollama/qwen3.5:4b  UNBOUNDED — no catalog price (local/unknown model)
```

A local model has no list rate, so the engine says **unbounded** instead
of pretending `$0.00` is a promise. Local work is never blocked and never
metered — the flag exists so a *paid* uncataloged model can't hide behind
a fake zero ([cost honesty](/guides/cost-honesty)).

Then:

```sh theme={"system"}
nika run daily-brief.nika.yaml
```

A real run of this exact file (Apple Silicon, qwen3.5:4b):

```text theme={"system"}
✔  fetch  invoke · nika:fetch        762ms
✔  brief  infer · ollama/qwen3.5:4b  48.0s
── 2/2 done · ≥ $0.00 (1 unpriced) · elapsed 48.7s ─────────────
  trace: .nika/traces/2026-07-09T22-54-50Z-e843.ndjson · 8 events · chain 394719d2…
```

## The receipt

```sh theme={"system"}
nika trace verify .nika/traces/<run>.ndjson   # path from the run card's trace: line
```

```text theme={"system"}
OK — 8 events · chain intact · head 394719d24361e1a6…
```

The trace is a hash chain: edit any event after the fact and `verify`
exits non-zero. Your brief comes with proof of what ran, in what order,
against which inputs — even offline.

## Make it daily

Cron it, or wire [the GitHub Action](/integrations/github-actions) if the
file lives in a repo — every edit to the workflow gets a static check
before it lands. When you want the run itself in CI, that stays a
deliberate step in your own job, with your own budget flags.

## Where to go next

* Add a `permits:` boundary — `nika check --infer-permits` writes the
  tightest one, and the workflow becomes default-deny
  ([security](/concepts/security)).
* Persist the brief: a third task with `nika:write` and a
  `content:` binding ([starters](/examples/standup-digest) show the shape).
* Mix providers: keep `fetch` local, point `brief` at a cloud model with
  `--max-cost-usd` — the budget gate prices the file's own model before
  anything starts ([cost honesty](/guides/cost-honesty)).