Quickstart — Your Own AI Assistant in 3 Minutes

Free · No account · No credit card

Your own AI chat, on your computer, in 3 minutes

One command and you’ll have an AI chat running on your own machine. No cloud, no subscription, no sending data to anyone. It’s like having ChatGPT, but private and free.

What you need

• Docker — a free program that installs everything for you (download here)
• 8 GB RAM — most recent computers have this
• 5 GB of disk space — less than a Netflix movie

Don’t have Docker? On Mac install Docker Desktop; on Linux follow the guide for your system. That’s all you need, really.

Step 1 — Download the app

Open a terminal (or command line) and run:

git clone https://git.d0a1.es/d0a1/quickstart
cd quickstart

This downloads everything you need: configuration, models, and scripts. One command, zero manual setup.

Step 2 — Start it up

One more command and you’re ready:

docker compose up -d

The first time takes a couple of minutes while it downloads the components. After that, it starts in seconds.

Problems? Check Docker is running with docker info. On Linux without Docker Desktop, make sure your user is in the docker group.

Step 3 — Start chatting

Open your browser at:

http://localhost:3000

You’re in. No registration, no API key, nothing to configure. Just type your first message and go.

Which model should I pick?

The stack comes with several AI models. Here are the best ones to start with:

Model	Size	RAM needed	Best for
llama3.2:3b	~2 GB	4 GB	Quick try, light conversation
gemma3:4b	~3 GB	8 GB	Great at multiple languages, fast and precise
llama3.1:8b	~5 GB	8 GB	The all-rounder: writing, code, questions
mistral:7b	~4 GB	8 GB	Straight-to-the-point answers
qwen2.5:7b	~5 GB	8 GB	Code, analysis, and multilingual

To switch models, use the dropdown at the top of the chat. The first message with a new model takes a few seconds; after that, it’s instant.

Frequently asked questions

Is it really free?

Yes, really. Models run on your computer. No per-message charge, no subscription, no limit. The only cost is your electricity.

Can it read my files?

Only if you want it to. You can upload a document to the chat for the AI to analyze, but nothing goes to the internet. If you close the chat, the files are gone from the session.

What if I want more?

The d0a1 stack includes much more than a chatbot:

• Qdrant — search your own documents with AI
• n8n — automate tasks without code
• SearXNG — search the internet without being tracked
• Hermes Agent — your AI assistant with a desktop app

Explore the documentation or check use cases by industry.