The instruction you need is often buried in one of several product manuals. OGAD (Off Grid AI Desktop) can keep those manuals in a searchable project on your computer. Ask about a model number or a task, then return to the supporting manual without uploading the library to a cloud AI service.
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Use it to find routine setup or troubleshooting information. Keep the original manufacturer’s instructions available, especially when a task has safety conditions.
What makes a useful manual library?
Use readable PDFs or text files with clear product and revision names. A filename such as printer-model-a-user-guide-2026.pdf is easier to check than download-4.pdf. Put related equipment in one project and keep unrelated products separate.
Install OGAD on a supported Mac or Windows computer and download a local text model. Projects and document search are free core features. Complete the first import and local search setup before relying on offline access.
Scanned manuals without a text layer need a searchable version first. Diagram labels and complex tables may not survive plain-text extraction accurately.
How do you add the manuals?
Create a project, import the manuals, and wait for indexing. Start with two known manuals so you can check that the app distinguishes the products.
- Open Projects > New project, enter a name such as “Workshop manuals,” and press Enter.
- Open Knowledge & settings > Knowledge base > Add files.
- Choose the local manual files.
- Wait until they are indexed and keep their retrieval switches enabled.
- Open the project’s Chats > New chat.
The desktop extraction code reads document text for local retrieval. Keep your source files: the generated answer is a guide to the instructions, not a replacement for the manual.
How should you ask for an instruction?
Name the product and task. Ask for the source and any conditions that belong with the steps.
For printer Model A, how do I change the paper size? Use its uploaded manual. Name the source file and keep any prerequisites with the steps. If the passage is unavailable, say so.
Check that the returned filename is for Model A, not a similar product. Compare the steps with the original before following them.
If the answer includes a diagram reference, open the manual at that section. The text-search workflow does not guarantee that the model sees or correctly interprets the diagram.
Check that the library distinguishes similar products
Before adding a large collection, use two manuals for products you know. Choose a harmless setting that differs between them, such as a display preference or paper-size menu. Ask the same question twice, naming a different product each time.
For each answer, check the filename, the exact model number, and the cited instruction. Similar product names are not enough. If one answer borrows a control from the other manual, ask for the relevant passage from the intended file before trying the setting.
You can make the first request more precise:
Find the paper-size setting for Model A in its user guide. List the menu labels in order. Do not substitute steps from Model B. If the guide only refers to a diagram, tell me which section to open.
The useful outcome is a quick route to the right instruction. It does not require the model to rewrite an entire manual. When the text refers to an illustration, keep the original open and use the picture for orientation.
Use the same check after replacing a manual with a newer revision. An old answer in the chat can remain convincing even when the new document changes the process. Begin a fresh conversation, name the current revision, and confirm one familiar instruction before depending on the revised library.
How do you keep old manuals from confusing answers?
When you add a newer revision, disable the older file’s retrieval switch if it should no longer contribute. Keep the original file elsewhere if you need a historical copy.
Start a fresh project chat after a major revision. Old answers already in the conversation can still influence follow-ups, even after the old document is disabled.
Include the model and revision in questions when similar devices share a library. For large collections, separate product families into projects so each question has a smaller relevant source set.
What if the answer seems plausible but wrong?
| Check | Action |
|---|---|
| Wrong product model | State the exact model and verify the source filename. |
| Outdated instructions | Disable the old revision for retrieval. |
| Missing diagram or table detail | Open the original manual and inspect it directly. |
| Unsupported instruction | Ask for the short supporting passage; reject an answer with no source. |
| Search misses a section | Use a more specific heading, error code, or task name in the question. |
Each answer uses selected passages, not every page of every manual. For hazardous work, follow the original manufacturer’s procedure and required expertise; do not improvise from a generated summary.
Can the library work offline?
After files are indexed and the local models are ready, disconnect internet and ask a different question. The local project search and answer generation should remain available.
Keep remote models and web tools outside this check. If Pro captured memory is enabled, turn off Include captured memory for a manuals-only project and select Save. Configured sync can copy project files to paired devices separately.
Install OGAD, add two manuals, and check one familiar instruction from each before growing the library.