Skip to main content
Get jo running on your Mac and ask your first question in less than 2 minutes.
jo requires a Mac with an M-series chip (M1, M2, M3, or M4) and 16GB of RAM. Check system requirements if you’re not sure your Mac is compatible.

​
Get started

1

Download and install jo

Download jo for Mac and move it to your Applications folder.The app is free to download and use. No account required.

Download jo for Mac

Free for Mac M-series (M1, M2, M3, M4)
First launch:
  1. Open jo from your Applications folder
  2. Grant necessary permissions when prompted
  3. jo will appear in your menu bar
2

Grant permissions and index your data

When you first launch jo, you’ll be asked to grant permissions so jo can index your data.Required permissions:
  • Files and Folders — Access to Documents, Desktop, Downloads
  • Full Disk Access — Required for local AI to search your files
Optional permissions (you can enable these later):
  • Email — IMAP access to search your inbox
  • Browser History — Index browsing activity
  • Messages — Search iMessage and SMS conversations
  • Notes — Search Apple Notes
  • Photos — Search photo metadata and content
jo only requests the permissions you choose to grant. You have full control over what data jo can access.
Initial indexing:After granting permissions, jo will begin indexing your data. This happens in the background and typically takes:
  • Small libraries (< 10,000 files): 5-15 minutes
  • Medium libraries (10,000-50,000 files): 30-60 minutes
  • Large libraries (50,000+ files): 1-3 hours
You can start using jo immediately—results will improve as indexing progresses.
3

Ask your first question

Click the jo menu bar icon or use the keyboard shortcut (⌘⇧J by default) to open the search interface.Try one of these example queries:
Example queries
"Did my landlord ever get back to me about the leak?"

"What was that productivity podcast I started last week?"

"Where's that W-9 from my accountant?"

"What came out of my 1:1 with Sarah?"
jo understands natural language—no need for keywords or special syntax. Just ask like you’re talking to a person.What you’ll see:When jo answers your question, you’ll see:
  • The answer in natural language
  • Sources showing where jo found the information
  • Confidence level indicating how certain jo is about the answer
  • Related results for additional context
jo searches across all your data sources simultaneously. A single question might pull from emails, notes, browser history, and files to give you a complete answer.
4

(Optional) Connect cloud models

jo’s local AI is fast and private, but for complex questions you can optionally use cloud models like GPT, Claude, or Gemini.To add a cloud model:
  1. Click the jo menu bar icon → Settings
  2. Go to Cloud Models
  3. Choose a provider (GPT, Claude, Gemini, or Grok)
  4. Enter your API key
  5. Set spending limits (optional but recommended)
When to use cloud models:
  • Complex reasoning or analysis
  • Creative writing tasks
  • Technical questions requiring specialized knowledge
  • Multi-step problem solving
Privacy with cloud models:When you use a cloud model, only that specific conversation is sent to the provider. Your indexed data (emails, files, notes) never leaves your Mac unless you explicitly include it in your query.
Cloud models are pay-per-use. Most users spend $5-10/month, but costs vary based on usage. Set spending limits in Settings to avoid surprises.
Learn more in the cloud integration guide.

​
Success checklist

After completing the quickstart, you should be able to:
  • ✅ Launch jo from your menu bar
  • ✅ Grant permissions for data sources you want to search
  • ✅ Ask natural language questions and get relevant answers
  • ✅ See source references for where information came from
  • ✅ (Optional) Connect cloud models for advanced queries

​
Common issues

Possible causes:
  • Indexing is still in progress (check Settings → Indexing Status)
  • Files are in a location jo doesn’t have permission to access
  • Files are in excluded directories
Solutions:
  1. Wait for indexing to complete (check menu bar icon for progress)
  2. Grant Full Disk Access in System Preferences → Privacy & Security
  3. Check Settings → Data Sources → Files to verify included directories
Possible causes:
  • Email account not connected
  • IMAP credentials incorrect
  • App-specific password required but not set
Solutions:
  1. Go to Settings → Data Sources → Email
  2. Add your email account with IMAP settings
  3. Use an app-specific password (required for Gmail, iCloud, Yahoo)
  4. Check email setup guide for provider-specific instructions
Possible causes:
  • Initial indexing in progress
  • Large number of files being processed
  • Insufficient RAM (jo requires 16GB minimum)
Solutions:
  1. Let initial indexing complete (it’s CPU-intensive but only runs once)
  2. Pause indexing in Settings if you need immediate performance
  3. Exclude large directories you don’t need to search (e.g., node_modules, system files)
  4. See performance optimization for tips

​
Next steps

Learn query best practices

Discover how to write queries that get better results

Manage permissions

Control exactly what data jo can access

Understand privacy

Learn how jo keeps your data private and secure

Optimize performance

Tips for faster indexing and search performance

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get started for freeTalk to us