Installation Guide

Get SnapThink running on your system in just a few steps.

System Requirements

Minimum Requirements

• RAM: 8GB (16GB recommended for larger models)
• Storage: 5GB free space (plus space for AI models)
• OS: macOS 10.15+, Windows 10+, or Ubuntu 18.04+

Recommended Setup

• RAM: 16GB or more
• Storage: 20GB+ free space
• GPU: Optional but improves AI model performance

Download SnapThink

Option 1: Download Pre-built Releases (Recommended)

1. Visit the SnapThink Releases page
2. Download the version for your operating system:
   • macOS: SnapThink-macos.dmg or SnapThink-macos.zip
   • Windows: SnapThink-windows.exe or SnapThink-windows-portable.exe
   • Linux: SnapThink-linux.AppImage

Option 2: Build from Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/snapthinkllm/SnapThinkLibrary.git
cd SnapThinkLibrary

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build and package
npm run make

Installation Steps

macOS Installation

1. Download the .dmg file
2. Open the downloaded file
3. Drag SnapThink to your Applications folder
4. Launch SnapThink from Applications
5. If you see a security warning, go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy and click “Open Anyway”

Windows Installation

Option A: Installer (NSIS)

1. Download the .exe installer
2. Run the installer as administrator
3. Follow the installation wizard
4. Launch SnapThink from the Start Menu

Option B: Portable

1. Download the portable .exe file
2. Create a folder for SnapThink (e.g., C:\SnapThink)
3. Move the portable exe to this folder
4. Run the executable directly

Linux Installation

1. Download the .AppImage file
2. Make it executable:

   chmod +x SnapThink-linux.AppImage
   

3. Run the AppImage:

   ./SnapThink-linux.AppImage
   

Post-Installation Setup

1. Install Ollama (Required for AI Features)

SnapThink uses Ollama to run AI models locally.

macOS/Linux:

curl -fsSL https://ollama.com/install.sh | sh

Windows:

1. Download Ollama from ollama.com
2. Run the installer
3. Restart your computer

2. Download Your First AI Model

After installing Ollama, download a model:

# Lightweight model (good for most uses)
ollama pull llama3.2:3b

# More powerful model (requires more RAM)
ollama pull llama3.2:8b

# Coding-focused model
ollama pull codellama:7b

3. Verify Installation

1. Launch SnapThink
2. Create a new notebook
3. Type a message to test the AI chat
4. If everything works, you’re ready to go! 🎉

Troubleshooting

“No models found” Error

• Make sure Ollama is installed and running
• Download at least one model using ollama pull
• Restart SnapThink

Permission Errors (macOS)

• Right-click SnapThink and select “Open”
• Go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy
• Click “Open Anyway” when prompted

Antivirus Issues (Windows)

• Add SnapThink to your antivirus exclusions
• Some antivirus software may flag Electron apps

Linux AppImage Issues

• Make sure the file is executable: chmod +x SnapThink.AppImage
• Install FUSE if needed: sudo apt install fuse

Next Steps

Once installed, check out:

• First Steps Guide - Create your first notebook
• AI Chat Features - Learn about AI capabilities
• Document Analysis - Upload and analyze files

Need help? Check our Troubleshooting Guide.