Getting started

Start small. Ask something useful.

Install Talavine, connect one account or import a source, and choose a supported AI. Ask a question about your own information, open the records behind the answer, and add more sources when you are ready.

After setup, add notes, documents, and selected AI conversation exports through Imported Sources. Your data stays in Talavine when you change supported AI models.

Use Dot? Connect Dot to Talavine with the screenshot guide.

Install

Pick the installer that matches your computer.

The Download page always has the current release buttons and checksums. The one-line commands do the same manifest lookup from a terminal.

Windows

Installer or PowerShell

iwr -useb https://talavine.com/install.ps1 | iex

Installs Talavine, creates a launcher, and opens the app. You can also use the Windows button on the Download page.

macOS · Apple Silicon

Package or Terminal

curl -fsSL --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 https://talavine.com/install.sh | bash

Downloads the signed Apple Silicon package, installs Talavine.app, and opens it. Use Applications as the stable app path, especially for Apple Messages access.

First run

The setup path that keeps the first day boring, in the good way.

You don't need to connect everything at once. The best first install is small: one profile, one account, one useful question.

01 step

Download and install Talavine

Use the Windows installer, the Apple Silicon macOS package, or the one-line commands below. When the app opens, let the welcome flow create your first profile.

Why it matters: You can stop here and look around. Nothing is connected or indexed until you add an account.

02 step

Use the default local profile folder

Accept the default local storage location unless you have a reason to move it. Avoid iCloud, OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive, network shares, and other folders that sync live files.

Why it matters: Talavine stores SQLite databases locally. Cloud-synced folders can create conflicted copies and broken database files.

03 step

Connect one account or channel first

Pick the history you most often need to search. Outlook and Microsoft 365 connect with one Sign in with Microsoft; for Gmail, Talavine's guided setup walks you through a one-time app of your own with Google; IMAP accounts use the normal server settings; Slack, Telegram, and Discord use guided bot-token setup inside the app.

Why it matters: Starting with one source keeps the first sync easy to understand. You can add more inboxes, chats, calendars, and devices later.

04 step

Choose how AI is allowed to run

Already pay for ChatGPT or Claude? Sign in with that subscription from AI setup. For local-only use, connect a local model runtime such as Ollama. For API access, add your own provider key and set caps with that provider before heavy use.

Why it matters: Cloud model calls are optional and provider-billed. The app's routing and Spend Guard controls help keep sensitive work and costs under your rules.

05 step

Let the first sync and index pass run

Keep the app open while mail downloads and indexing begins. Search starts becoming useful as the index fills; the Today page and sync status show what's still catching up.

Why it matters: Indexing happens on your machine. The point is to make your own history searchable, not to upload it to a hosted inbox.

06 step

Keep automation conservative at first

Use Manual or Assisted behavior while you learn the app. Let agents summarize, find sources, and prepare drafts before you trust any recurring rule.

Why it matters: Drafts don't send themselves. High-stakes sends, deletes, and broad rules stay in your review flow unless you deliberately promote a narrow pattern.

Connect one source

Start with the account where useful history already lives.

Gmail and Microsoft accounts connect through an app of your own with Google or Microsoft, so your sign-in stays between your computer and your provider. Talavine's guided setup opens each page with you and points to every click; the walkthroughs below show the same steps.

Try these first

Two use cases that show the value quickly.

Use real mail if you can. The assistant is most useful when it can cite the exact source messages behind the answer.

Find the promise you only half remember

Goal: Use the AI Assistant as a source-grounded search tool instead of hunting through old threads by hand.

Try asking: What did I promise Alex about the renewal deadline? Show the exact messages you used.

  1. Open the AI Assistant after the first mailbox has indexed a useful slice of history.
  2. Ask about a real person, project, invoice, appointment, or deadline you remember vaguely.
  3. Open the cited messages before relying on the answer, then refine the question if the scope was too broad.
See assistant workflows

Build a small timeline from a thread

Goal: Turn a messy conversation into dated events, decisions, promises, and open questions you can verify.

Try asking: Build a chronological timeline for the warranty dispute with dates, claims, promises, and source links.

  1. Start with a sender, project name, subject line, or search result set that has enough messages to matter.
  2. Ask for a timeline, not a summary, and require source links for each important claim.
  3. Use the result as a draft: check the citations, remove weak claims, and ask for a tighter version if needed.
See timeline workflows
A good first session

Install it, connect one inbox, and ask one question you actually care about.

After that, decide whether to add calendars, more accounts, local models, Telegram, MCP, or supervised helpers. The first win should come from your own history.