Projelli is a desktop app you install on your computer. It runs locally, your files never go to our servers, and your AI conversations go directly from your computer to whatever AI provider you choose. This guide walks you through installation, setup, and your first workflow.
.exe installermacOS support is being added in week 3 of our launch ramp. Watch the releases page for the first macOS build.
Linux support is on the post-launch roadmap. We'll ship AppImage and .deb builds for Ubuntu/Debian once macOS is stable.
The first time you launch Projelli, it asks you to pick a workspace folder. This folder is where ALL your work will live, every document, every AI conversation, every file is just a regular file inside this folder.
Pick a folder that's easy to find and easy to back up. Common choices:
~/Documents/Projelli on MacC:\Users\YourName\Documents\Projelli on WindowsClick "Create Workspace" and choose your folder. Projelli will set up the folder structure (a few subdirectories for your files, audit log, and trash).
Projelli works with three AI providers: Anthropic Claude, OpenAI ChatGPT, and Google Gemini. You bring your own API key for at least one of them. This is how Projelli stays local-first and private, your AI requests go directly from your computer to the provider, never through us.
You only need ONE provider to get started. Most people use Claude (Anthropic) because it's the best at long-form writing and follows instructions well. But all three work.
To get an API key, see our API Keys Guide. The short version:
Once you have a key, in Projelli go to Settings → API Keys and paste it in. Keys are stored in your operating system's secure keychain, Keychain on Mac, Credential Manager on Windows, Secret Service on Linux. They're never written to a file or sent to us.
Now the magic. Click the Workflows button in the sidebar. You'll see a list of templates, start with "New Business Kickoff".
The workflow asks you a series of questions about your business idea (the problem, the customer, the unique angle, the go-to-market). Answer them with whatever level of detail you have, even rough ideas work.
When you click "Generate," Projelli sends your answers to your chosen AI provider and produces a set of real, editable Markdown files in your workspace:
VISION.md, your business visionPROBLEM.md, the problem statementCUSTOMER.md, your target customer profileSTRATEGY.md, go-to-market strategyNEXT-STEPS.md, concrete actionsThese are real files. You can open them in Projelli's editor, edit them inline, link them together with [[wiki-style links]], and back them up however you want.
This is where it gets interesting. Open one of the generated files. Use the AI chat panel on the right to ask for changes: "rewrite this paragraph more concisely," "add a section about pricing," "what am I missing about competitors?" Each AI response either updates the existing file or creates a new linked file.
Every change is versioned. You can undo, see diffs, and recover deleted files from the trash. Every AI action is logged in the audit log so you have a complete record of what was generated, when, and from which prompt.
You're set up. From here:
[[document-name]]) to connect your documents into a knowledge graphRead the FAQ for answers to common questions, or email [email protected] if you're stuck.
Next: How to get your API keys →