# Bruce Works FAQ

> For AI agents and assistants: https://bruceworks.net/faq/ in plain markdown, built from the same source as the page. If this file and the page ever disagree, the page wins.

Bruce Works LLC builds one private command center for your work, your files and your AI agents, set up to the way you run your day, on hardware you own or hosted by Bruce. San Diego based, California service, remote nationwide. Service-disabled veteran-owned (SDVOSB and VOSB, SBA VetCert).

Generated 2026-10-23. "I" and "me" mean Bruce.

## The Command Center

**What is the Command Center?**
One private dashboard on a machine you own. Your files, notes, documents, tasks, content and AI agents live in one place instead of a stack of separate apps. I install it, build it to how you work, and train you on it. [See what it does](https://bruceworks.net/command-center/)

**Is it an app I download?**
No. It’s done for you. I install it on your hardware, switch on the modules you use and move your work in. The code stays private; the machine, your files and your data are yours.

**What’s in it today?**
Seventeen modules ship today: Crew, Approvals, Jot, Office, Pages, Files, Library, Projects, School, Finance, Studio, Motion, Voice, Content studio, Notifications, Vault and Web. Each one is a switch, so you only see what you use. [Try the live demo](https://bruceworks.net/live-demo/)

**What does it replace, and what doesn’t it?**
It stands in for the notes app, the Notion-style workspace, the office suite, the PDF signer, cloud storage, the to-do app, the project tracker, the invoicing app and the content calendar. It doesn’t replace the AI plan you pay for: your agents run on it. Posting stays in each social app; plans and drafts live here.

**Is this ChatGPT with a new skin?**
No. ChatGPT or another AI plan powers the agents, but the Command Center is where your files, tasks and approvals live, so the agents work with real context instead of whatever you paste into a chat.

## Who it’s for

**Who is it for?**
Owner-led businesses first: the shop, the firm, the crew where the owner still runs the day. It also fits creators, students and families who want their files, plans and AI in one place.

**Do I need to be technical?**
No. I set it up, write it down in plain English and train you on your real work, not a demo.

## Hardware and privacy

**What does it run on?**
A machine you own: a Mac mini, a mini PC or a server you already have. I can source a mini PC or Mac mini at cost and set it up. The audit checks whether a machine you already own is up to it. [How hardware works](https://bruceworks.net/pricing/#hardware)

**Where does my data live?**
On storage you own. Files, notes and history stay on your machine. When an agent works, it sends the AI provider you use what that job needs, the same as any AI chat. Local models are an option when the hardware and the job allow it.

**Does Bruce Works host my agents or hold my data?**
No, not by default. Accounts, storage, subscriptions, credentials and hardware stay with you wherever practical. Any exception is scoped and approved in writing first.

**Can I reach it away from home or the shop?**
Yes, if you want to. It’s reachable from any device on your network, and from anywhere once secure remote access is set up.

## Agents and approvals

**What does “agent-native” mean?**
Your AI agents live inside the Command Center, next to your documents, calendar and files, so they work with real context. Each one has its own job, its own briefing and its own approvals.

**Can an agent do something I didn’t approve?**
Anything risky waits for your OK. Agents ask before they send, delete or run anything that matters, and you approve or deny from the dashboard or your phone. The Vault hands an agent a key without it landing in a chat.

**How many agents do I get?**
Foundation comes with one, Operator with up to three. Each extra agent is $450 and gets its own job, briefing and approvals.

## Themes and updates

**Can it wear my brand?**
Yes. Foundation starts with a stock theme like Field Manual or Harbor. Operator includes a custom theme built from your brand: your colors, type, corners and logo. On Foundation, a custom theme is a $650 add-on. [Try the themes](https://bruceworks.net/themes/)

**How do updates work?**
New features roll in without touching your look. With Command, I roll them in for you, run health checks, verify your backups and fix what breaks. Without Command, your system keeps running the way it was installed.

**What’s coming next?**
Everything designed so far has shipped. New modules show up in Field Notes when they land.

## Pricing

**What does it cost?**
Every business is different, so there are three ways in: websites from $500, the AI Leverage Audit at $197 remote, and a Command Center from $1,950, paid once. Every price is on the pricing page, and your exact price is set in writing before work starts. [Every price](https://bruceworks.net/pricing/)

**How much is a website?**
A quick one-page website is $500. A full website, up to five pages with hosting set up, is $1,500. A store, a booking system or more than five pages is quoted in writing. It starts with the free Local Presence Report, gone over with you on a free call. [Get the free report](https://bruceworks.net/book/?event=fit)

**Is there a monthly fee?**
Only if you want one. Foundation and Operator are paid once. After either one, Command (I host it and keep it current) is $295 a month, or monthly care on your own machine is $295 a month. Cancel either anytime.

**Can you host it for me?**
Yes, in a few slots. That’s Command: $295 a month after a Foundation or Operator build, on my servers, kept separate from other clients, with everything monthly care includes. We confirm it’s a fit before you pay. No local AI models on hosted slots for now; your agents use the AI plan you already have. Rather not pay monthly for hosting? I can install it on a cloud server in your name instead, as part of a Foundation or Operator build. You pay the cloud provider directly, for a lot less than Command.

**What happens if I stop paying monthly?**
Support stops: no new features, no health checks, no monthly workflow, and if something breaks, fixing it is on you. On your own machine it keeps running, and it’s still yours: your data and your files. If I host it, the hosting stops too, and you get a copy of your data to take with you.

**Is the audit fee credited?**
Yes. Book a build or a workflow buildout within 30 days of your audit and the $197 (or $297) comes off the price.

**What isn’t in the price?**
Your AI plan (your agents run on it), the hardware (sourced at cost if you want me to), and travel or extra scope, which are quoted up front before any work starts.

**Can I add things later?**
Yes. Extra agents, a custom theme, workflow buildouts and the move-in from your old apps are add-ons you can book after the install. Moving from Foundation to Operator later is quoted against what’s already built.

**Can I get just one workflow built?**
Yes. A workflow buildout (from $950) can be booked on its own after the audit; you don’t need the Command Center for it. I build it in the tools you already use, write it down, train whoever runs it and hand it over. Book it within 30 days of the audit and the audit fee comes off. Anything bigger than one job is a scoped build.

## The audit

**Where should I start?**
With the AI Leverage Audit. It maps how you work, ranks the top opportunities by time saved, sets what data stays private, and ends with a 30-day plan and a clear call: build, optimize, or do nothing. [About the audit](https://bruceworks.net/ai-leverage-audit/)

**Remote or in person?**
Either. Remote is $197 and works from anywhere. In person in San Diego is $297. You get the same written plan.

**How long does the audit take?**
The target is 7 business days from the day your intake and source material are complete.

**Do I have to send private files or passwords?**
No. The request form needs none of that. During intake we agree on what I should look at and how; passwords and private records never go through a web form.

**Do I have to buy a build after the audit?**
No. The plan is written so you can run it without me. If you do build within 30 days, the audit fee is credited.

**What do I walk away with?**
A written map of how you work, the top opportunities ranked by time saved, what data stays private, a 30-day plan, and one deliverable you keep: an AI assistant brief, one documented workflow, one business template, or your plan on one page. We pick it together during the audit, and it stays small: no account integrations and no ongoing support.

**Is there a free call first?**
Yes. A free 30-minute fit call, by video, to see whether the audit makes sense for you. It has no deliverable and no pressure. Book it on the booking page.

## Government

**Do you work with agencies and prime contractors?**
Yes. Bruce Works is an SDVOSB and VOSB (SBA VetCert), a California DVBE and Small Business (Micro), and active in SAM.gov for all awards. I support agencies and primes with document and data operations, workflow modernization and private AI systems. [Government capabilities](https://bruceworks.net/government-capabilities/)

**How is government work priced?**
From the actual scope: labor, risk, volume, controls, reporting, travel, schedule and acceptance requirements. A low-cost commercial pilot doesn’t set the price of a government or enterprise scope.

## Book or ask

- Free 30-minute call, where the free Local Presence Report is handed over: https://bruceworks.net/book/?event=fit
- Book the $197 remote audit: https://bruceworks.net/book/
- Book the in-person audit (San Diego): https://bruceworks.net/book/?event=in-person
- Pre-pick the audit deliverable: add `?deliverable=` with `assistant`, `workflow`, `template`, `plan` or `help` to the booking link
- Ask about a website, a build or monthly: https://bruceworks.net/contact/?topic= with `website`, `foundation`, `operator`, `command`, `care`, `workflow` or `government`
- Toll-free intake: (866) 829-6757 · info@bruceworks.net
- Please don’t put passwords, account numbers or medical records in the booking form.