> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://yvechat.gitbook.io/wp/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://yvechat.gitbook.io/wp/getting-started.md).

# Getting Started

YveChat runs models on your own computer. Setting that up takes three installations and one pairing step.

<figure><img src="/files/s8MwSBp2V7TRiBT57Juu" alt="The four setup steps"><figcaption><p>The same four steps, summarised at <a href="https://yvechat.xyz/#start">yvechat.xyz</a></p></figcaption></figure>

***

### What you are building

```mermaid
graph LR
    B["Your browser<br/>app.yvechat.xyz"] -->|"paired"| L["YveChat Engine<br/>on your computer"]
    L --> O["Ollama<br/>language models"]
    L --> C["ComfyUI<br/>image models"]
    L --> S[("Conversations<br/>stored locally")]
```

The browser shows the interface. YveChat Engine does the work on your machine.

***

### The path

| Step | Page                                                                      | Time                      |
| ---- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------- |
| 1    | [System Requirements](/wp/getting-started/system-requirements.md)         | Read first                |
| 2    | [Install YveChat Engine](/wp/getting-started/install-engine.md)           | A few minutes             |
| 3    | [Install Ollama](/wp/getting-started/install-ollama.md)                   | A few minutes             |
| 4    | [Choose Your First Model](/wp/getting-started/choose-your-first-model.md) | Varies with download size |
| 5    | [Pair Your Browser](/wp/getting-started/pair-your-browser.md)             | About a minute            |
| 6    | [First Conversation](/wp/getting-started/first-conversation.md)           | Immediate                 |

Two further pages cover problems and maintenance:

* [Troubleshooting](/wp/getting-started/troubleshooting.md)
* [Updating and Uninstalling](/wp/getting-started/updating-and-uninstalling.md)

***

### What the setup asks of you

YveChat Engine is the component that makes sovereignty real, and installing it is a deliberate commitment. Reading the requirements first tells you whether your machine suits the models you want to run.

You supply the hardware. You supply the electricity, memory, storage, and processing time that local inference consumes. Those costs stay with you, and so does every conversation.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Public installers for YveChat Engine are pending. Until release artifacts exist, installation follows the developer instructions described on [Install YveChat Engine](/wp/getting-started/install-engine.md).
{% endhint %}

***

### Without YveChat Engine

The hosted interface at `app.yvechat.xyz` is a static browser application. A browser cannot discover software running on your computer on its own, so the hosted interface shows an empty model list until YveChat Engine is installed, running, and paired.

YveChat Engine is the mechanism that turns a web page into a sovereign workspace.


---

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