Documentation

Getting Started with Typilot

New to AI? No problem! This guide will walk you through everything step by step, even if you've never used AI before.

⏱️ Setup takes approximately 10-15 minutes • Perfect for beginners

1

Download & Install Typilot

Get Typilot for your operating system. Installation is quick and easy.

  • Visit the Download page on our website
  • Choose your operating system (Windows, macOS, or Linux)
  • Download the installer file
  • Run the installer and follow the on-screen instructions
  • Launch Typilot after installation completes
2

Install Ollama (Required)

Ollama is a free tool that runs AI models on your computer. Think of it as the "engine" that powers Typilot's AI features.

Beginner Tip

Ollama is simply a program that runs AI models on your computer instead of sending your data to the internet. This keeps everything private and secure.

  • Don't worry - Ollama is completely free and safe
  • Visit ollama.com/download in your web browser
  • Download the installer for your operating system
  • Run the installer - it's like installing any other software
  • Ollama will run in the background (you might see it in your system tray)
  • Typilot will automatically detect when Ollama is running
Download Ollama
3

Download Your First AI Model

AI models are like "brains" that understand what you want. You need to download one to get started.

Beginner Tip

Think of AI models like different "assistants" - some are faster, some are smarter. The "3b" in llama3.2:3b means it's a smaller, faster model perfect for getting started.

  • Open Typilot and go to the "Models" page (in the sidebar)
  • You'll see a list of available AI models
  • For beginners, we recommend starting with "llama3.2:3b" - it's fast and works well
  • Click the download button next to the model
  • Wait for the download to complete (this may take a few minutes)
  • The model will be saved on your computer and ready to use
4

Configure Your Settings

Customize Typilot to match how you work. Don't worry - you can always change these later.

Beginner Tip

Keyboard shortcuts are just quick ways to trigger Typilot. Ctrl+Space is like a "magic button" that activates AI assistance anywhere on your computer.

  • Go to the Settings page in Typilot
  • Choose your default AI model (select the one you just downloaded)
  • Your keyboard shortcut is already set to Ctrl+Space (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Space (macOS)
  • You can change shortcuts if you want - click to customize
  • The send key is set to "period" (.) - press this after typing a command
  • Everything else can stay as default for now
5

Start Using AI!

You're all set! Now you can use AI assistance in any application on your computer.

Beginner Tip

Commands are simple shortcuts. "gen:" means "generate", "exp:" means "explain", "fix:" means "fix errors", and "img:" means "analyze image". Start with "gen:" to create new content.

  • Open any application where you type - a text editor, email, browser, or chat app
  • Press Ctrl+Space (or Cmd+Space on Mac) to activate Typilot
  • You'll see a small indicator that Typilot is ready
  • Type a command like: gen: write a hello world program
  • Press the period key (.) to send your request
  • Watch as AI generates the response right where you're typing!

What You Need to Install (Don't Worry, It's Easy!)

Typilot needs a couple of free programs to work. Think of them like plugins - they add functionality. Here's what each one does:

Ollama

Required

Ollama is a free program that runs AI models on your computer. It's like having a mini-AI server running on your machine.

Why you need this: Ollama is what actually runs the AI models. Without it, Typilot can't generate responses. Think of Ollama as the "engine" and Typilot as the "car" - you need both.

Windows: Download from ollama.com/download
macOS: Download from ollama.com/download or use Homebrew
Linux: Run: curl -fsSL https://ollama.com/install.sh | sh
How to check if it worked: Run: ollama --version

Tesseract OCR

Optional

Tesseract OCR reads text from images. You only need this if you want to use the "img:" command to analyze screenshots.

Why you need this: OCR stands for "Optical Character Recognition" - it converts images of text into actual text that the AI can read. Only needed for the img: command feature.

Windows: Download from GitHub: UB-Mannheim/tesseract/wiki
macOS: Install via Homebrew: brew install tesseract
Linux: sudo apt-get install tesseract-ocr (Ubuntu/Debian)
How to check if it worked: Run: tesseract --version

Keyboard Shortcuts Explained

Ctrl+Space (or Cmd+Space on Mac) activates Typilot. Think of it like a "walkie-talkie button" - press it when you want AI help. The period key (.) sends your command, like pressing Enter. You can change these in Settings if they conflict with other apps.

Your Privacy is Protected

Everything happens on your computer. Your text, your prompts, and AI responses never leave your machine. Even if you're offline, Typilot works perfectly (once models are downloaded).

Understanding AI Models

AI models are like different "assistants" with different skills. Smaller models (like llama3.2:1b) are faster but simpler. Larger models are smarter but need more computer power. Start with a smaller model, then try bigger ones as you get comfortable.

Your First-Time Setup Checklist

Follow this checklist in order - check off each item as you complete it!

Download and install Typilot for your platform
Install Ollama (required - see instructions above)
Verify Ollama is running (check the Monitoring page in Typilot)
Launch Typilot for the first time
Go to the Models page and download llama3.2:3b
Wait for model download to complete
Go to Settings and select your downloaded model
Test it out: Open a text editor, press Ctrl+Space, type "gen: hello world", press period (.)
Optional: Install Tesseract OCR if you want to use img: command

Need Help Getting Started?

If you get stuck during setup, we're here to help! Check our troubleshooting guide or contact support.