Docs · install
Installing PAVONA
Install the Windows beta, see which models fit your computer and choose your shortcuts. Setup reports missing requirements before you start.
What you need
- Windows 10 or 11. That is the supported desktop today; for Linux, follow the separate setup below. A native Mac installer is not available.
- About 8 GB of free disk space, covering the installer, the model runtime and a first model of 1 to 5 GB; more models need more room. The release page lists the current installer size.
- About 8 GB of memory. A model needs roughly its own file size in free memory, plus about a gigabyte for the conversation. It uses the graphics card's memory when it fits there and system memory when it does not.
- A graphics card is optional. Supported NVIDIA, AMD or Intel hardware can help. Compatibility depends on the model runtime, card and drivers; review the model-fit results in Setup.
- An internet connection for the install. It downloads 2 to 7 GB, about 5 to 20 minutes on a 50 Mbps line. After that, installed local models can work offline. Cloud models and connected tools still need a network connection.
- Local setup needs no cloud account or API key. Cloud models may require your own provider account and key.
You do not have to work any of this out before you start. The installer measures this machine first and says, for each model it offers, whether it runs well, runs acceptably, runs with limitations or cannot run here. Where it could not measure something, it says so instead of guessing.
Who can use it
PAVONA is for everyone aged 6 and up. If you are under 13, use it with a parent, guardian or teacher. The installed app collects nothing about who is using it. Cloud model providers and some models carry their own age terms; check those before a child under 13 uses a cloud model or a paid seat. See the privacy page for what the website does and does not collect from a child.
Run the installer
Download PriestAI Setup.exe from the release page and run it. The installer measures as it goes and reports what it found: whether Ollama answers, which models it holds, whether another runtime (LM Studio, or any OpenAI-compatible server) is answering on your network, and whether the panel's port is free. Anything missing is reported by name.
If Windows warns before Setup starts
The installer is not code-signed yet, so the first time it runs Windows may show a blue box titled Windows protected your PC. Check the file before you go on: its SHA-256 should match the one on the release page. In PowerShell, run Get-FileHash -Algorithm SHA256 "PriestAI Setup.exe" in the folder you downloaded it to.
- Select More info.
- Check that the app name reads PriestAI Setup.exe.
- Select Run anyway.
If there is no Run anyway button, this computer's settings block unsigned apps; ask whoever manages the computer.
You choose: the install folder, a desktop shortcut for the app, one for the console, and whether to put the priestai command on your PATH (on by default, so the command works right after the install).
After the install
Setup can add these shortcuts and commands:
| Thing | Where | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Priest AI | Desktop shortcut | The panel: the main window for chat, models, machines and spending. |
| Priest AI | Start menu entry | The same panel, listed under Priest AI in the Start menu. |
| PriestAltar | Desktop shortcut | The console: the same engine in a terminal. |
| priestai | app\bin\priestai.cmd, on your PATH | The command-line entry point, used like ollama. See the console page. |
The same screen also offers to open Priest AI when you sign in — off by default, since adding itself to your login is your call, not the installer's.
The command
PAVONA> priestai resume # continue your newest conversation
PAVONA> priestai --status # what is running, what is not, which model is selected
Linux setup
Download the ZIP from Releases, compare its SHA-256 with the published value and extract it into a folder you own and will keep. The Windows EXE does not run on Linux. You need Python 3.11 or newer and its venv package; on Mint and Ubuntu these are python3 and python3-venv.
Open a terminal in the extracted folder and run:
python3 linux/install.py --desktop ~/.local/bin/priestai ~/.local/bin/priestai --console ~/.local/bin/priestai --cli --help
The installer creates a private Python environment and user launchers. It does not use sudo, install system packages or edit your shell settings. Omit --desktop for terminal commands only. Keep the extracted folder in place. To register website app links, run the installer with --protocol.
Installer, CLI, desktop links and panel checks have run on Linux Mint 22.3 Cinnamon in an isolated virtual machine. Other distributions, GPUs and optional integrations need their own checks. Install a model runtime separately for local inference. The panel stays on this computer at 127.0.0.1:7666; close it with Ctrl+C in the terminal that started it. The ZIP's linux/README.md covers updating, uninstalling and remaining limits.
Uninstalling on Windows
The uninstaller removes the shortcuts it made, the priestai command and its PATH entry. Two more boxes on that screen, both unticked by default, offer to also take the program folder and your conversations — ticking one moves that folder beside the install rather than deleting it, so it can still be recovered by hand. Leave both unticked and your conversations and settings are left exactly where they are, so uninstalling does not delete your work.
When it finishes, the uninstaller lists what it kept and where: your conversations with their count, your settings, sign-ins, notes and attachments. Run Setup into the same folder later and it says which of them it found and uses them again.
Current release status
The release page lists the current public version and verified download hashes. Read the release status for validation scope and work still in development.