Getting Started with Avocation Domains

Welcome to Avocation Domains - your privacy-first personal knowledge management system. This guide will help you get up and running in minutes.

What is Avocation Domains?

Avocation Domains is a desktop application that helps you organize, search, and interact with your personal documents using AI - all while keeping your data completely private on your own computer. Think of it as your personal research assistant that never shares your data with anyone.

Installation

System Requirements

  • Windows: Windows 10 or later (64-bit)
  • macOS: macOS 11 Big Sur or later
  • Linux: Ubuntu 20.04+ or equivalent
  • RAM: 8GB minimum, 16GB recommended
  • Storage: 2GB for application + space for your documents

Download & Install

  1. Download the installer for your platform:
    • • Windows: Download the .msi installer
    • • macOS: Download the .dmg file
    • • Linux: Download the .AppImage, .deb, or .rpm package
  2. Run the installer:

    Windows

    Double-click the .msi file and follow the installation wizard

    macOS

    Open the .dmg file and drag Avocation Domains to your Applications folder

    Linux

    • • AppImage: Make it executable (chmod +x) and run
    • • DEB: sudo dpkg -i avocation-domains.deb
    • • RPM: sudo rpm -i avocation-domains.rpm
  3. Launch the application from your applications menu or desktop

First Launch

1. Welcome Screen

When you first open Avocation Domains, you'll see a welcome screen with options to:

  • • Start with the free version (3 knowledge bases)
  • • Enter a Pro license key
  • • Learn more about features

2. Choose Your AI Provider

Avocation Domains works with multiple AI providers to give you flexibility:

Local AI (Free - Recommended for Privacy)

  • • Ollama: Runs completely on your computer
  • • No internet required after initial model download
  • • Your data never leaves your device
  • • Includes models like Llama 3, Mistral, and Phi-3

Cloud AI (Pro - Faster & More Powerful)

  • • Claude (Anthropic): Best for complex analysis
  • • GPT-4 (OpenAI): Great for general purpose
  • • Grok (xAI): Good balance of speed and capability

Privacy Note: With local AI, your documents and queries never leave your computer. With cloud AI, only the specific context needed for your question is sent (encrypted) to the provider.

3. Install Local AI (Optional but Recommended)

If you choose local AI:

  1. 1. Click "Install Ollama" when prompted
  2. 2. The installer will download (~500MB)
  3. 3. Select your preferred model:
    • • Mistral 7B (Recommended): Good balance of speed and quality
    • • Llama 3.2: Latest and most capable
    • • Phi-3: Fastest, best for older computers

Creating Your First Knowledge Base

What is a Knowledge Base?

A knowledge base is a collection of related documents - think of it as a smart folder that understands the content inside it. For example:

  • • "Work Projects" knowledge base for all your work documents
  • • "Research Papers" knowledge base for academic materials
  • • "Personal Finance" knowledge base for bills and statements

Steps to Create a Knowledge Base

  1. 1. Click the "+ New Knowledge Base" button
  2. 2. Give your knowledge base a descriptive name (e.g., "PhD Research")
  3. 3. Choose a folder on your computer where these documents live
  4. 4. Select the AI model for this knowledge base (can be different per knowledge base!)
  5. 5. Click "Create Knowledge Base"

Adding Documents

Method 1: Drag and Drop

Simply drag files from your file explorer and drop them onto the knowledge base card.

Method 2: Upload Button

  1. 1. Click on a knowledge base to open it
  2. 2. Click "Upload Documents"
  3. 3. Select multiple files at once
  4. 4. Click "Open" to upload

Method 3: Auto-Watch Folder

  1. 1. In knowledge base settings, enable "Watch Folder"
  2. 2. New files are automatically imported
  3. 3. Perfect for download folders

Supported File Types

  • • Documents: PDF, Word (.docx), Text (.txt), Markdown (.md)
  • • Spreadsheets: Excel (.xlsx), CSV
  • • Presentations: PowerPoint (.pptx)
  • • Code: All programming languages
  • • Images (Pro): JPG, PNG, diagrams with text
  • • More coming: Audio transcripts, video subtitles

Searching Your Knowledge

Basic Search

  1. 1. Click on a knowledge base to open it
  2. 2. Type in the search box at the top
  3. 3. Results appear instantly as you type
  4. 4. Click any result to view the document

AI-Powered Questions

  1. 1. Navigate to the "Chat" tab (Ctrl/Cmd + 4)
  2. 2. Select which knowledge base to search
  3. 3. Ask questions in natural language:
  • • "What did the Q3 report say about revenue?"
  • • "Summarize the main points from yesterday's meeting"
  • • "Find all mentions of Project Apollo"

Search Tips

  • • Use quotes for exact phrases: "quarterly revenue"
  • • Ask follow-up questions - the AI remembers context
  • • Combine multiple knowledge bases for comprehensive search (Pro)

Keyboard Shortcuts

  • Ctrl/Cmd + N Create new knowledge base
  • Ctrl/Cmd + O Open knowledge base
  • Ctrl/Cmd + F Focus search box
  • Ctrl/Cmd + 1-4 Navigate between tabs
  • Ctrl/Cmd + , Open settings
  • Esc Close dialogs

Privacy & Security

Your Data is Yours

  • • All documents stored locally
  • • No account required (free)
  • • No telemetry or tracking
  • • Delete everything instantly

Encryption

  • • API keys: AES-256-GCM
  • • Local database in user profile
  • • Full DB encryption (Pro)

Backup

  • • Knowledge bases are just folders
  • • Export creates archives
  • • Sync with any cloud storage

Getting Help

Troubleshooting Quick Fixes

App won't start?

  • • Windows: Run as administrator once
  • • Mac: Check Security & Privacy settings
  • • Linux: Ensure AppImage has execute permissions

Documents not processing?

  • • Check the knowledge base is "Active" (green indicator)
  • • Ensure Ollama is running (if using local AI)
  • • Try re-uploading the document

Search not working?

  • • Wait for "Processing complete" notification
  • • Check if documents are indexed (progress bar)
  • • Try rebuilding the index in knowledge base settings

Free vs Pro

Free Version (Forever Free)

  • Up to 3 knowledge bases
  • Unlimited documents per knowledge base
  • Local AI with Ollama
  • All document types
  • Basic search and chat
  • No time limits

Pro Version ($9.99/month)

  • Unlimited knowledge bases
  • Cloud AI providers (Claude, GPT-4, Grok)
  • Image and diagram search
  • Advanced embeddings for better accuracy
  • Cross-knowledge-base search
  • Priority support
  • Early access to new features

What's Next?

Now that you're set up, try these:

  1. 1. Create 2-3 knowledge bases for different areas of your life
  2. 2. Upload some documents you frequently reference
  3. 3. Ask questions about your documents in the chat
  4. 4. Explore settings to customize your experience
  5. 5. Set up auto-watch on your Downloads folder

Tips for Success

  1. 1. Start small: Don't upload thousands of documents at once. Start with a focused set.
  2. 2. Name knowledge bases clearly: "Tax Documents 2024" is better than "Stuff"
  3. 3. Use local AI first: It's private and works offline
  4. 4. Regular cleanup: Remove old documents to keep searches fast
  5. 5. Experiment: Try different models to see what works best for your content

Welcome to your new knowledge management system!

Your documents have never been this accessible.