Chat with your documents without uploading them.
PortableRAG lets you ask questions across your files using local AI, hybrid search, and source citations — without sending your documents to the cloud.
macOS first. Windows coming soon. Everything stays local.
No cloud by default. No API keys. Your documents stay on your computer.
The privacy problem
Your most useful documents are often the ones you cannot upload.
Most people don't have an AI problem. They have a privacy problem. The files where AI would help most are exactly the ones you'd never paste into a cloud chatbot.
You want the help. You just can't take the risk. Until now, that's been the trade-off.
The local alternative
PortableRAG brings AI to your documents — locally.
Instead of sending files to a server, PortableRAG runs the AI on your own computer. Every answer comes with a citation back to the exact source. It never leaves your machine.
Everything stays on your machine.
Under the hood (for technical readers)
PortableRAG combines semantic (meaning-based) search and keyword search, merges the results, reranks them for relevance, and hands the best evidence to a local AI model — which writes an answer grounded in, and cited to, that evidence.
See it in action
Watch PortableRAG turn a folder into an answer.
See PortableRAG create a private project, index documents, and answer with citations.
The privacy promise
Built for documents you would never upload.
Local by default
Your documents and questions stay on your computer unless you choose otherwise.
No API key required
Works out of the box with local AI models — no third-party account needed.
Offline mode
Once set up, run PortableRAG without an internet connection.
Source citations
Every answer links back to the exact passage it came from.
Hybrid search
Combines meaning-based and keyword search to find the most relevant passages.
Private, deletable projects
Each project is a self-contained bundle you control — delete it any time.
Built for the work you can't risk uploading
Whatever you do, your documents come with real stakes.
Lawyers
Search across case files, contracts, and discovery documents without sending privileged material to a third party.
Doctors
Reference patient records, research, and clinical notes locally — nothing leaves the room.
Researchers
Ask questions across papers, datasets, and notes, with every claim traceable to its source.
Students
Turn a semester of readings and lecture notes into a study partner that cites its sources.
HR teams
Search policies, case files, and employee records without exposing sensitive personnel data.
Finance teams
Query forecasts, statements, and reports without putting confidential numbers in someone else's cloud.
Founders
Keep pitch decks, cap tables, and board notes searchable — and private — as you move fast.
Small businesses
Get AI help across contracts, invoices, and internal know-how without a compliance review.
A different default
The difference is where the work happens.
For the documents where the answer has to stay on your machine.
Documents stay local
No API key required
Works offline
Source citations
Local model support
Built for sensitive data
Start with your first private project.
Requesting early access. macOS first — Windows and Linux planned.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
PortableRAG is built around common document formats such as PDF, Word, and plain text, with more formats being added — see the Roadmap page for what's next.
Windows is planned next. The first early-access build is focused on macOS, but you can join the Windows waitlist now and I'll reach out when the Windows test build is ready.
I'm starting with macOS to validate the desktop experience and privacy workflow quickly on one platform, rather than shipping two half-finished apps. Windows support is a committed part of the roadmap, not an afterthought.
Yes. The goal is the exact same local-first experience: no cloud by default, no API keys required, and your documents stay on your computer.
Yes. Choose Windows on the early-access form, or use the “Join Windows Waitlist” button — it preselects Windows for you.
Linux is planned for later. If you want updates, join the waitlist and choose Linux so we know there's demand.
Yes — PortableRAG is designed for exactly this kind of sensitive, high-stakes work. That said, it's not a substitute for professional legal, medical, or financial advice — always verify important answers against the source and consult a qualified professional.
Everything lives on your computer, in a project folder you control. Deleting a project removes the local data PortableRAG generated for it (its search index and project files) at any time — see the Privacy page for exactly what that does and doesn't affect.