Maintain Windows.
See every change.
Stay in control.
Monitor PC performance, manage startup apps and services, clean temporary files, apply Windows tweaks and diagnose slowdowns from one place. RIVET previews supported system changes before they run and records what happened.
Four rules, every product.
RIVET 3.0, RIVET XP and RIVET 2.1 look nothing alike and do different jobs. What they share is how they behave.
Nothing happens by surprise
Every action is previewed — the exact keys, files and byte counts — before it runs, then written to an action log. Registry, startup and service changes revert in one click in the session that made them. Cleanup is permanent, and RIVET says so first.
It runs on your machine
Ask RIVET runs on your PC using RIVET’s own LLamaSharp runtime, with nothing else to install. The model downloads once, after you approve the stated size; after that it works without a connection. No account, no API key, no cloud AI processing. RIVET XP makes no network connections at all.
No telemetry, ever
No analytics SDK, no crash reporter phoning home, no usage ping. Not as a setting you switch off — it was never written. What the app touches is documented key by key.
It asks before it acts
Actions are previewed before they run. RIVET runs without administrator rights and never raises a UAC prompt of its own — if an action needs elevation, it explains why and asks you to relaunch it as administrator. The app lists every capability it can use.
RIVET 3.0
A native Windows desktop app: eleven modules behind one sidebar, a live hardware HUD, startup and service control, a tweak catalogue, disk cleanup, and an assistant that runs on your own hardware.
+Live HUD — CPU, memory, GPU, disk and network, with 60 seconds of history+Processes grouped by app, so a dozen browser helpers read as one row+Startup entries, services and scheduled tasks through CIM — read and write+Ask RIVET — a local model, offline after a one-time download
Release · v3.3.2
RIVET XP
Not a RIVET release — its own app, with its own Store listing. A Windows XP–themed task manager built for XP's twenty-fifth anniversary: performance graphs, a live process list, focus timers and a rank ladder.
+Luna-era chrome, drawn properly rather than skinned on+Performance graphs and a live process list+Focus timers and a rank ladder+No AI, and no network connections of any kind
Standalone · v1.0
RIVET 2.1
The previous generation, and the one RIVET 3.0 grew out of: a system manager written as a single PowerShell file that draws a HUD in a console window. No installer, no packaging — it just runs.
+One .ps1, no installer, nothing to unblock+Stores everything locally under C:\rivet\+Portable — useful where the Store isn't an option+Its tasks, notes and rank import straight into 3.0
Legacy · v2.1
This is what you get.
Captured from RIVET v3.3.2 running on Windows 11. No composites, no render mockups — the window you install looks like this.
The long version.
Written for people who want the specifics before they install anything — reviewers especially.
Innovation
How Ask RIVET runs entirely on your machine: Qwen3-1.7B on LLamaSharp and llama.cpp, fetched on demand rather than bundled, with zero network calls after download.
Read it → 02Technical notes
Every registry key, deleted file location, rollback limit, network path and elevation behaviour the 3.x app touches — plus the known limitations.
Read it → 03Versions & changelog
Every release that carries the RIVET name and exactly where it stands, including the archived 1.x and 2.0 builds that are no longer distributed.
Read it →Questions worth asking.
What is RIVET, exactly?
A line of Windows system tools from Kirby Systems. They show you what your machine is doing, let you change it, and preview every change before it happens. Most changes can be reverted in one click. Nothing you ask RIVET leaves your PC. RIVET 3.0 is the current app, RIVET XP is a separate task manager, and RIVET 2.1 is the legacy PowerShell build.
Which one should I install?
RIVET 3.0, unless you have a specific reason not to. It is the only maintained release and the only one with the full module set.
Pick RIVET XP if you only want a task manager, and want an app that makes no network connections whatsoever. Pick RIVET 2.1 only if you need something portable that runs from a single file without an installer.
Does RIVET send anything off my device?
No. There is no telemetry in any RIVET product. RIVET 3.0 makes exactly one network request in its lifetime — the optional, on-demand download of the local AI model — and the assistant works offline after that. RIVET XP makes no network connections at all.
What happens if a change breaks something?
Every action is previewed before it runs and written to an action log. Registry tweaks, startup entries and service changes revert in one click — hit Revert last — for as long as that session of RIVET stays open. Close the app and the log becomes history rather than an undo stack, so revert what you need to revert before you quit.
File cleanup and ended processes are permanent. RIVET shows you the exact files and byte counts first, and tells you the deletion cannot be undone.
Does it need administrator rights?
No. RIVET runs without administrator rights and contains no self-elevation code, so it never produces its own UAC prompt. Some actions do need elevation — stopping a protected service, say, or writing a machine-wide registry tweak. Those stop with an explanation of what they needed and ask you to relaunch RIVET as administrator yourself. The app lists every capability it can use.
What does it cost?
RIVET 3.0 is free to use. A 14-day Pro trial is included automatically on first launch with nothing crippled; when it ends you keep using RIVET Free, or unlock Pro with a one-time purchase through the Microsoft Store — no subscription.
Monitoring and the core safety features stay Free, and so does Ask RIVET identifying and explaining what it finds. Slowdown diagnosis and staged fixes are Pro. RIVET 2.1 is sold separately on itch.io at £1.50 (Lite) and £3.50 (Pro).
Which Windows versions does it run on?
Windows 10 build 1809 or newer, and Windows 11. x64 only. The runtime ships inside the package, so there are no prerequisites to install first.