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

# Sidekick vs. building your own

> What you get out of the box versus assembling agents in-house.

"We could build this ourselves" is a fair question. A team with engineering time, a model API key, and an open-source agent framework can assemble something that runs AI tasks. The question is not whether that's possible. It's what it costs to keep running, and what's already built if you don't.

## What you take on by building your own

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Governance and consent gates" icon="shield-check">
    You design and maintain the approval flow yourself, and keep it current every time a new tool is added.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Model routing" icon="cpu">
    You wire up provider APIs, choose models per integration, and update that wiring as providers and models change.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Connectors" icon="blocks">
    Each connector is a custom integration your team writes, tests, and keeps working as the external system changes.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Surfaces" icon="layout-grid">
    Web is one build. Desktop, Slack, and Teams presence each mean a separate integration to design and maintain.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Sidekick vs. a built-in-house workbench

| Dimension                    | Build your own                                                                                         | Sidekick                                                                                                  |
| ---------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Governance and consent gates | Designed and maintained by your team from scratch                                                      | Built in: every external or sensitive tool call passes a consent gate, with admin approval where required |
| Model routing                | You wire up provider APIs and manage model choice per integration                                      | Auto Route picks a model per turn from an approved catalog; a person can also pick a specific model       |
| Connectors                   | Each one is a custom integration your team writes and maintains                                        | Configured, not built, and governed by the same consent gates as any other tool                           |
| Surfaces                     | Usually one surface; each additional surface is a separate integration                                 | One product across web, desktop, Slack, and Teams, with the same thread as the record everywhere          |
| White-labeling               | Its own design and engineering effort                                                                  | Workspace branding is part of the product                                                                 |
| Execution placement          | You build, secure, and operate the sandbox environment                                                 | Cloud placement by default; on-your-computer placement when an admin enables it                           |
| Maintenance burden           | Ongoing: security patches, provider API changes, connector breakage, and scaling all fall on your team | Maintained by Oximy; your team sets policy, not infrastructure                                            |

<Note>
  Sidekick is the governed workbench so your team doesn't have to build and maintain one. It does not replace a bespoke internal service where that service is the product itself, or so specific to your business that it can't be a shared, company-wide tool. Choosing Sidekick is a decision about a company-wide AI workbench, not a substitute for a system you're building to sell or to run your core business on.
</Note>

## Where to go next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Governance model" icon="shield-check" href="/docs/sidekick/concepts/governance-model">
    How consent gates and admin approval keep tool calls in bounds.
  </Card>

  <Card title="How work runs" icon="workflow" href="/docs/sidekick/concepts/how-work-runs">
    Harnesses, placements, and why the thread stays the record.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Surfaces" icon="layout-grid" href="/docs/sidekick/concepts/surfaces">
    One product across web, desktop, Slack, and Teams.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Plan a rollout" icon="rocket" href="/docs/sidekick/admin/rollout-plan">
    Bring Sidekick to a team or the whole company with a staged plan.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>