Assistia
Table of contents

Chapter 2 - Chat tab

Talk with a local AI, manage conversations, and use web search.

Role of the tab

The Chat tab lets you talk with an AI model installed on your computer. It works with Ollama.

Buttons and elements

Status at the topShows whether Ollama is ready, stopped, or missing. If Ollama is not installed, the chat cannot answer.
InstallAppears when Ollama is missing. It installs the component required for chat.
Model listLets you choose which AI will answer. If the list is empty, download a model from Settings.
Web search indicatorShows whether web search is available. It must be installed and enabled in Settings.
Conversations columnDisplays older conversations saved on disk.
New conversation buttonCreates an empty discussion without deleting older ones.
Delete conversation buttonDeletes the selected conversation from history.
Message areaShows your messages and the AI answers.
Globe buttonEnables web search only for the next message. Use it for questions that need recent information.
Message fieldType your question or request here.
Send buttonSends your message to the selected model.
Web sourcesWhen web search is used, sources appear in the answer. Clicking a source opens it in your browser.

History and password

Assistia can save conversations on disk. If you define a password in Settings, the history is encrypted.

Unlock windowAppears at startup if chat history is password protected.
Password fieldEnter the password chosen in Settings.
Unlock buttonOpens history for the current session. The password stays in memory only until the application closes.
Delete historyAppears after three incorrect passwords. Use it only if you forgot your password.
Deletion confirmationBefore deleting history, Assistia reminds you that the action is irreversible. If you confirm, conversations and the password are removed.

Assistia cannot recover a forgotten password. Without it, the only proposed solution is to delete the entire history.

Model examples

Simple choices
  • Lightllama3.2
  • Generalqwen3:4b
  • Codeqwen2.5-coder:7b

To choose a model that fits your machine, see the Ollama model table.