- A Mac with Apple Silicon
- RAM: 8 GB or above
- macOS: 15.0 or above
- Download the disk image from Releases, and open it.
- Open the disk image
- Drag the application icon into the Applications folder. 
Click here to launch Sidekick. Alternatively, navigate to the applications folder, then double click to launch it.
Upon launching Sidekick for the first time, you will be greeted with a setup screen.
To use Sidekick, you need to configure a model:
To download a local model, click the Download Default Model button. This will automatically find and download the optimal model according to your Mac's specifications.
If you already have a model, click Use GGUF model to select it. To configure a remote model, refer to this page.
After the download completes, you will be redirected to Sidekick's main interface.
To create a new conversation, click the New Conversation button in the lower left corner. Alternatively, use Command + N to create a new conversation.
To send a message, click the prompt bar, then enter your message. Use Option + Return to add a new line.
The chatbot should respond within a few seconds.
Congratulations, you have now learnt the basics! To read more about Sidekick's advanced capabilities, click the Next button below.