Getting started with Tayl

Install Tayl

Tayl is a Windows desktop application installed from an .exe. Get the installer from the download page. The page reveals the link after the email form; release details and a checksum are published there when available.

1. Download the installer and verify its SHA-256 checksum if one is published.
2. Open the .exe and follow the installer prompts.
3. Launch Tayl from the Start menu or the installer's finish screen.

Windows SmartScreen may warn about a new or unsigned installer. Only proceed if the file came from this site and the checksum matches. The download page explains how to check.

First-run setup

On first run, Tayl asks you to choose the language model it should use and to add your own API key or local model details. Tayl does not provide an API key.

1. Open Tayl.
2. Choose a cloud LLM or a local LLM.
3. Enter the API key or model details the app requests.
4. Connect a tool or upload a document to give Tayl some business context.

Settings and business data live in the app on your PC. There are no user accounts on this website.

Choose a cloud or local LLM

The choice is yours, and it has a privacy trade-off:

• Cloud LLM: the content of your queries is sent to the provider you chose, using your key. That provider's terms and privacy policy apply to the request. The rest of your business data stays in Tayl's local database.
• Local LLM: question answering can run without sending query content to a cloud provider. Local models have their own hardware requirements.

Whichever you choose, Tayl has no hosted backend for user data. Read the privacy policy and the security overview before choosing a cloud provider.

Connect your tools

Tayl supports four connectors: Google Workspace, Notion, Stripe and Slack. Authorisation happens through each provider's own sign-in flow. Connectors start read-only.

1. Open the connections area of Tayl.
2. Choose a provider and follow its sign-in and authorisation screens.
3. Choose which records or areas Tayl may read, if the app offers a choice.
4. Return to Tayl and wait for the first sync to finish.

The connected account remains yours and stays subject to the provider's terms. See Integrations for what Tayl reads from each tool and the not-affiliated notice.

Upload documents

Tayl accepts PDF, image, CSV, XLSX and DOCX files. Uploaded files are processed on your PC and their extracted context is stored in Tayl's local SQLite database.

1. Open the documents area of Tayl.
2. Choose files from your computer or drop them where the app indicates.
3. Wait for Tayl to read and link what it finds.

Only upload documents you are allowed to use. Avoid uploading secrets, API keys or other credentials.

Ask questions

Ask in plain language, for example about overdue invoices, a supplier contract or what changed in a project. Tayl answers from the connected and uploaded data it has, and attaches the sources behind the answer.

When there is not enough evidence, the honest answer is that Tayl does not know. Treat an answer without evidence as a prompt to add the missing source, not as a fact.

Decisions and evidence

The Decision stage turns context into recommendations you can check. Evidence is part of the recommendation: you should be able to see which records and documents support it before you act.

Execution is currently Coming soon. Tayl does not write to your connected tools unless the stage is available and you explicitly approve an action.

Uninstall and remove local data

Tayl keeps its working data locally. Uninstalling the application and deleting its local data removes that copy from your PC. It does not delete anything in your connected Google Workspace, Notion, Stripe or Slack accounts.

1. Close Tayl.
2. Uninstall it from Windows Settings → Apps → Installed apps.
3. Delete the app's local data folder and SQLite database if you want to remove the business context as well as the application.

To remove an email you submitted on this website, use the contact form and ask for deletion. See the privacy policy.

Troubleshooting

The installer is blocked by SmartScreen

Check that you downloaded it from this site and that the SHA-256 checksum matches. If it does, use More info → Run anyway. If it does not match, delete the file and download again.

A cloud LLM request fails

Check your internet connection, the API key you entered and the provider's status page. Tayl uses the key you supplied; it cannot fix a key that has been revoked or has no credit.

A local model is slow or will not load

Local models depend on your hardware. Try a smaller model, close other demanding applications, or switch to a cloud model if that is acceptable to you.

Tayl says there is not enough evidence

That is usually honest rather than broken. Add the relevant document or connect the tool that holds the missing record, then ask again.

Contacting support

Use the contact form and choose Report a problem. Include what you did, what happened and any error message. Do not include API keys, passwords or confidential documents.