What local-first means for an AI desktop app

For a desktop app, “local-first” is useful only when the developer explains which data stays on your computer and which features send data elsewhere. Local storage, local search and local AI processing are separate things to check.

An app can store your history locally while sending selected material to a cloud model to write an answer. That can be an intentional choice, but the label alone does not describe the full flow.

Ask where the original content lives

Identify the stored material: documents, screen captures, extracted text, activity records and search indexes. Then check whether the app stores the originals locally, copies them to a service or does both.

CiteSilo stores captured activity, screenshots, extracted screen text and its file index on your computer. Local file search works with the supported documents in folders you choose. The app’s website signup is separate: it saves an email signup record in Azure for beta follow-up.

Separate retrieval from generation

Retrieval finds relevant evidence, such as a matching paragraph or recorded moment. Generation asks a model to write a new answer or summary using context. These features can run in different places.

In CiteSilo 0.1.7, Local mode provides document search, local screen-text search, source excerpts and counted reports without a cloud API key. It does not bundle a general-purpose language model for interpretive answers. A separately installed compatible Ollama model is an option for local generation, with its own setup and memory requirements.

New installations start in Local mode. An existing installation retains the provider you previously selected, so check the setting after upgrading.

Check what each cloud feature sends

If you enable a cloud provider, find out what context it receives and what triggers the request. A user-submitted question and an automatic background summary can have different triggers.

CiteSilo sends selected context for supported cloud answers or summaries. Depending on the feature, this can include text, window titles and sampled screenshots. Screenshot selection depends on the settings, provider and available sources. Titles-only mode prevents images from being attached to those summaries, although titles themselves can reveal sensitive information.

Review background-summary settings and the provider’s own terms before using sensitive material. Local storage does not turn cloud processing into local processing.

Understand capture and deletion controls

Look for practical controls: pausing, excluded apps or keywords, capture modes and retention. In CiteSilo, screen rewind and meeting capture have separate controls to review.

Consider a simple example: you search a retained work record and get a source reference, but its screenshot has already been removed. The reference cannot restore that deleted image. Keeping a searchable description and retaining an original source are different capabilities.

Local data also remains subject to access on your computer and any backups you choose to maintain. A local-first label is not a guarantee of encryption, complete confidentiality or compliance with a particular workplace policy.

Choose the mode for the task

For finding a document or reviewing recorded counts, local retrieval may be sufficient. For a written interpretation, decide whether a local model or selected cloud processing fits the material and your requirements.

Read CiteSilo’s storage and capture details for the current behavior, and how CiteSilo works for the full workflow. The free beta signup requests access by email; it does not upload your desktop history.