Getting Started
Download to first conversation in under 5 minutes. Salmex I/O is a personal AI operations platform that runs on your Mac. It connects to the AI models you choose, searches the web, remembers everything across conversations and channels, and answers to no one but you.
The entire platform works at $0 for personal use. No trial, no credit card, no time limit. You can run Salmex I/O with your own API keys and your own database — forever. Pro and credit packs are optional upgrades for users who want managed inference, multi-channel, and commercial use.
1. Install
Grab the latest .dmg from salmex.io. Requires macOS 15 (Sequoia) or later on Apple Silicon.
Open the DMG, drag Salmex I/O to Applications, double-click to launch. macOS will ask you to confirm — click Open.
If macOS blocks the app, go to System Settings > Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway. This only needs to happen once.
2. Set up your database
Salmex I/O stores your conversations, memories, and tasks in PostgreSQL. The onboarding wizard gives you two options:
Built-in storage
Salmex I/O manages a local PostgreSQL database for you. Zero configuration — click Continue and it's ready. Your data stays on your Mac.
Bring your own database
Already have PostgreSQL running? Click I have my own database and enter your connection details. Works with local installs (Postgres.app, Docker, Homebrew) or cloud databases (Neon, Supabase).
Most users should choose built-in storage. It starts automatically with the app, handles migrations, and stores everything locally. If you want full control or already run PostgreSQL, see the detailed database setup guide.
3. Choose your AI
The onboarding wizard asks how you want to run AI inference. This is separate from your plan — every option below works on the Free tier.
Salmex I/O managed inference
Free trial · then credit packs from $5
- No API keys needed — sign in and start chatting immediately
- 5 managed open-source models (Everyday, Fast, Reason, Code, Think)
- Brave Search bundled — web research works out of the box
- Auto-routing picks the best model for each task
- 5-21x cheaper than calling Claude or GPT-4o directly
- Falls back to your own keys when quota runs out
Click Sign in during onboarding. Trial starts immediately — no credit card. See token pricing.
Bring your own key
Free — pay your provider directly
- Use Anthropic (Claude), OpenAI (GPT-4o, o3), or Google (Gemini)
- Paste your API key — the app verifies it instantly
- Switch providers any time without losing memory
- Add multiple providers and choose per conversation
Click Add key during onboarding. You'll need an API key from your provider.
Ollama (100% local)
Free forever — runs on your Mac
- Run open-source models locally — zero data leaves your machine
- No API key, no account, no internet required
- Works with any model Ollama supports (Llama, Mistral, Gemma, etc.)
Install Ollama first, then select it during onboarding.
These aren't mutually exclusive. Use managed inference for most tasks, add your own Anthropic key for Claude, and run Ollama locally for privacy-sensitive work — all in the same app, all sharing the same memory. Change any time in Settings > AI.
4. Search (optional)
Give your agent the ability to research the web.
| Inference choice | Search setup |
|---|---|
| Managed inference | Brave Search included — nothing to configure. You can add your own Perplexity or Google key for more. |
| BYOK / Ollama | Add your own search API key. Supported: Perplexity (AI-powered, best for research), Brave (privacy-focused), Google (Custom Search). You can skip and add later. |
5. Start chatting
That's it. You're in.
Open the Chat view and send your first message. Your agent can search the web, read and write files, run shell commands, manage tasks, and remember everything you tell it — across every conversation, every channel, and every AI model.
A few things to try:
- Ask it to remember something — "Remember that I prefer TypeScript over JavaScript" — then start a new conversation and ask what it knows about you.
- Give it a research task — "Find the latest pricing for AWS Lambda in eu-west-2 and summarise it."
- Schedule something — "Every weekday at 9am, check Hacker News for AI news and send me a summary."
- Connect a channel — Add Telegram so your agent reaches you on your phone. Same memory, same brain.
Trial & pricing
The platform and the inference are priced separately. The platform (Free or Pro) controls features like channels, remote access, and commercial use. Inference (managed or BYOK) controls how your AI runs.
| Free | Pro — $9/mo | |
|---|---|---|
| Memory, safety | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Schedules | 3 active | Unlimited |
| Channels | Desktop + 1 | Unlimited simultaneous |
| Remote access | DIY (bring your own tunnel) | Managed, zero-config |
| Commercial use | Personal only | Permitted |
| BYOK inference | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Managed inference | 14-day free trial, then credit packs from $5 (100 queries included with Pro) | |
When your trial or credit pack runs out, the app falls back to your own API keys — you're never locked out. See Plans for the full comparison.