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General

What is Airstore?

Airstore is a virtual filesystem that connects your data sources (Gmail, GitHub, Drive, etc.) and makes them accessible as files. You describe what you need in natural language, and Airstore materializes the results. The primary use case is running Claude Code on non-coding tasks by giving it the right context.

Is Airstore open source?

Yes. Airstore is fully open source under the MIT license. You can self-host it or use the hosted version. View on GitHub →

How is Airstore different from MCP?

MCP (Model Context Protocol) defines how agents interact with tools and resources. Airstore uses MCP under the hood but adds:
  • Smart folders: Natural language queries that materialize as files
  • Unified filesystem: All sources appear as a single mounted directory
  • Caching: Materialized views for fast reads
  • Permissions: Hide folders and disable tools
Think of it this way: MCP is the protocol, Airstore is the filesystem built on top of it.

Does Airstore work with agents other than Claude Code?

Yes. Any agent that can read a filesystem works with Airstore:
  • Claude Code
  • Cursor
  • Windsurf
  • Custom agents
  • Shell scripts
If it can cat a file, it can use Airstore.

Performance

How fast is Airstore?

Reads are local-speed because they hit cached materialized views, not live APIs. The cache syncs periodically in the background.
OperationSpeed
File readMilliseconds (cached)
Directory listingMilliseconds (cached)
Smart folder syncSeconds to minutes (depends on query)
Tool executionDepends on target API

Can I force a sync?

Yes. Smart folders sync periodically, but you can force immediate sync:
airstore sync sources/gmail/my-folder

Does Airstore handle rate limits?

Yes. Airstore manages rate limiting and retries for all source APIs. You don’t need to worry about hitting API limits.

Data & Security

Where is my data stored?

  • Hosted version: Encrypted at rest in Airstore’s infrastructure
  • Self-hosted: Your own S3-compatible storage
Integration tokens (OAuth) are encrypted and stored separately from your data.

Can I write back to sources?

Sources are read-only. To write (send emails, create issues, etc.), use tools:
# Read from source
cat ~/airstore/sources/gmail/inbox/001.eml

# Write via tool
~/airstore/tools/gmail send --to="[email protected]" --subject="Hello"

How do I control what agents can access?

Two mechanisms:
  1. Hide folders: Agents can’t see hidden folders
    airstore hide sources/gmail/personal
    
  2. Disable tools: Agents can’t use disabled tools
    airstore tools disable github --command=merge-pr
    

Is there an audit log?

Yes. Every file read and tool call is logged:
airstore logs --since="1 hour ago"

Sources

What sources are supported?

Currently:
  • Gmail
  • Google Drive
  • GitHub
  • Linear
  • Notion
  • Slack
  • Any MCP server (custom)
More sources are added regularly.

Can I add custom sources?

Yes. Add any MCP server:
airstore mcp add \
  --name=my-source \
  --command="npx @company/mcp-server"

Why can’t I query everything?

Smart folder queries depend on what the source API supports. For example:
  • Gmail supports: sender, date, labels, attachments
  • Gmail doesn’t support: email body full-text search (API limitation)
Check each source’s documentation for supported filters.

Deployment

What platforms are supported?

PlatformStatus
macOS (Apple Silicon)Supported
macOS (Intel)Supported
Linux (x86_64)Supported
Linux (ARM64)Supported
WindowsComing soon

Can I use Airstore in cloud sandboxes?

Yes. Generate a token and mount in any cloud environment:
# Generate token
airstore token create --name="cloud"

# In cloud environment
airstore mount /airstore --token=ast_xxx
Works with Modal, E2B, Daytona, and any environment with FUSE support.

Can multiple machines share the same Airstore?

Yes. Mount from multiple machines using tokens. All mounts see the same sources and smart folders, with changes syncing periodically.

How do I self-host?

See the self-hosting guide. Basic setup:
git clone https://github.com/beam-cloud/airstore
cd airstore
docker-compose up -d

Troubleshooting

Where do I report bugs?

GitHub Issues

How do I get help?

  1. Check Common Issues
  2. Run diagnostics: airstore doctor
  3. File an issue on GitHub

Next steps