Guide
Just what you need to get started with Apioni, in order. Follow it from the top.
1. Getting started
Apioni automatically sets up the AI engine and models it needs on first launch. There's nothing to install separately and no terminal to open.
Download and run
Open the file you downloaded, move Apioni to your Applications folder, and launch it.
First launch: automatic setup
On first launch, Apioni downloads the AI engine and models it needs (a few GB, sized to your machine). This setup runs once with a progress indicator, and after that Apioni works offline.
Add a source folder
Add the folder that holds the documents you want Apioni to work with under Sources in the sidebar (Cmd+O). Apioni reads those documents to answer your questions, and they never leave your computer.
Everything runs on your own computer (on-device). The documents you connect and your conversations are not sent to any external server.
2. A look around the screen
The left sidebar holds Sources (your source folders) and Chats, with โ Memory at the bottom. The conversation sits in the middle.
- Sources: your folders. The list of folders Apioni reads from. Click a folder to make it the base folder for answers (a
โappears in front of it). You can add more than one. - Chats. Your past conversations. Splitting them by topic makes them easy to find again.
- โ Memory. At the bottom of the sidebar. Anything you save from an answer collects here (see section 6).
- ๐ Search. Use the
๐icon next to the logo to search your chats. - โ Settings. Open
โ Settings(Cmd+,) to adjust answer style, default mode, and more.
3. Working with source folders (Sources)
Add folders under Sources and Apioni reads the documents inside them to answer. Picking one folder as the base for the task at hand keeps answers more accurate.
- Add a folder. Use the
๏ผon the right of theSourcesrow to add a folder (or pressCmd+O). You can add more than one. - Pick the base folder. Click a folder to make it the base folder for answers; a
โappears in front of it. Click another folder to switch the base. - Folder menu. The
โฏmenu on the right of each folder offers Change (go to settings), Rename, and Delete (remove from the list). Removing it from the list leaves the original files in the folder untouched. - When you edit documents. If you add or change documents in a folder, have Apioni re-read that folder so the changes show up in answers.
- Supported formats. Apioni currently reads
.mdand.txtdocuments.
4. The four modes: choose how the answer behaves
The mode buttons below the composer control how Apioni responds. The same question can return a different answer depending on the mode, so pick the one that fits your task.
| Mode | Use it when | How it answers |
|---|---|---|
| Strict ยท Grounded | When you need it exact: contract terms, policies, numbers | Answers only from your documents, or says it couldn't find it |
| Balanced ยท Sources first | Your documents first, with context | Uses your documents first and fills the gaps with general knowledge |
| Free ยท General | Summarize, rewrite, tidy up: anything not tied to documents | Answers freely, no documents needed |
| Write ยท Draft | When you need a draft to ship: a report or meeting notes | Gives you a draft you can refine and use right away, grounded in your files |
Type your question and send it with โ (or Enter). Use Shift+Enter for a line break.
A simple rule of thumb: Strict for precise answers, Write to draft documents, Free for everything else.
5. Working with chats and answers
You can split conversations by topic, and the small icons under an answer let you copy or save it.
- New chat. Start one with
๏ผ New chatunder Chats in the sidebar. Theโฏmenu on the right of each chat offers Rename and Delete. - Copy. The copy icon under an answer copies the text as-is.
- ๐ Save. The bookmark icon under an answer (hover to see Save) puts the answer into โ Memory (see section 6).
- ๐ Flag a bad source. If an answer leaned on the wrong document, you can mark it with
๐. - Stop generating. If an answer runs long or drifts, press
Escto stop it.
6. Memory: build up what's worth saving (โ)
As you work, useful details come up that you'll want again later. Save an answer and Apioni reuses it later, so you don't have to re-explain each time.
- Save it. Press the bookmark icon
๐(Save) under an answer to add it to the Saved list in โ Memory. - Keep or dismiss. Open
โ Memoryat the bottom of the sidebar to review the Saved list. Keep the items worth holding in your knowledge base, and Dismiss the rest. - Used in later answers. Anything you Keep stays in your knowledge base and is reused in later answers. You decide what becomes part of your knowledge.
For example, save and Keep a recurring fact like "our settlement date is the 25th of each month," and from then on answers build on it without you repeating it.
7. Keyboard shortcuts
The actions you reach for most are faster from the keyboard.
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Enter | Send the question |
Shift+Enter | Line break |
Esc | Stop generating |
Cmd+O | Connect a folder |
Cmd+, | Open Settings (โ) |
Cmd+\ | Collapse / expand the sidebar |
8. Common questions
Do I need the internet?
Only during installation and when you first download the models. After that, it works offline.
Can the answers be wrong?
AI answers are a reference. When precise grounds matter, use Strict mode, and double-check important decisions against the original document.
I saved something but don't see it in answers.
A saved item (๐) first lands in the Saved list in โ Memory, and only the ones you Keep are used in later answers. Open Memory and check whether you kept that item.
The first answer is slow.
Loading a model for the first time takes a moment. It speeds up as you keep working. Apioni optimizes itself for your machine, so there's nothing to configure.
Does it work on a low-spec PC?
Yes. It runs with a lighter setup that fits your machine, and switches to higher quality automatically when you have more memory.
For anything else, reach us on the support page.