Run AI on your own computer. Files stay home.
Capable AI that runs on hardware you own — so you can even chat with your own files, fully offline.
Get the Garage guide — free.
Workflows covered in the guide:
- Chat with your own files — contracts, notes, journals — fully offline
- Run capable AI on the computer you already own
- Watch your AI bill drop to the cost of electricity
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Evaluate a local model on your own work
Model comparisons are useful only when they reflect the tasks you need to complete. The guide recommends a repeatable benchmark instead of choosing by a leaderboard alone.
From The Local AI Garage, “Bench & Maintain”
Build a ten-task bench. Ten real tasks from your work (two summaries, two classifications, an extraction, a draft, a code explain, a RAG question with a known answer…). Run them on any new model before it earns shelf space. Your bench beats every leaderboard, because it measures your job.
Check the result before using it
- Use non-sensitive sample documents and write the expected answer or acceptance criteria before the run.
- Keep the same prompts and inputs across models. Record the model version, settings, elapsed time and errors.
- Check omitted facts, incorrect extracted values and unsupported citations. Select a model only if the results meet your task’s requirements.
Continue with Understand AI and coding terminology.
You’re renting intelligence by the word — and handing over your files to do it.
For confidential work, for jobs you run thousands of times, or just for the wish to own the thing outright, the cloud isn’t always the right call. But “run it on your own machine” sounds like a weekend project you keep not starting, and the model pages read like a parts catalog written in a language you never learned.
You’ve looked into it, and the jargon was a wall.
Saw twenty oddly-named versions of the same model and closed the tab
Couldn’t tell whether your laptop could even run anything useful
Assumed local meant worse, full stop, and moved on
The real gap is smaller than it sounds. A small model won’t out-think the big cloud ones, but it’s great at summarizing, sorting, pulling key facts out of documents, and answering questions about your own files — which covers most everyday, high-volume work. You just needed someone to lay out which computers can handle what, and which model to pick, in plain words.
Here’s what the guide covers.
Chat with your own files — contracts, notes, journals — fully offline
from “Chatting with your own files”Run capable AI on the computer you already own
from “Setting up your machine”Watch your AI bill drop to the cost of electricity
from “The honest case for local”Pick the right model for each job without guessing
from “What to run for which job”Plug your private AI into the apps you already use
from “Wiring it into your tools”Keep it fast and trustworthy with 20 minutes a month
from “Keeping it in good shape”Choose a workflow that fits your task, then check the requirements before trying it.
Choose a workflow you can put to use.
Start with one task and the matching chapter. Gather the inputs, try the example, and check the result against your requirements. The guide is a reference for that process. Your tools, access and experience determine what is practical for you.
Two tools, one weekend, your own private setup.
Own the machine by Sunday night. You get the honest case for running it yourself, computer and model picks explained in plain words, and a private way to chat with your own files that never sends them anywhere.
The honest case for running it yourself — and where it falls short
Which computers can run what, in plain English
The model garage: what to run for which job, mid-2026 edition
Chatting with your own files, fully offline
Three steps, and you’re reading in under a minute.
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The guide downloads right away, and we’ll pop a copy in your inbox too, so you’ve always got it when you need it.
Try one thing this week
Open it, pick one idea that fits your week, and actually use it. One small win is all it takes to see what this thing can do.
What will you create?
Examples to consider. Choose one that fits your tools, available time and experience.
Chat with a pile of contracts, fully offline
Build a private journal you can actually ask questions
Sort and summarize thousands of emails for the cost of electricity
Run a research assistant on a plane with no wifi
Set up a household AI every device can reach, privately
Give your code editor an assistant that works offline
Turn an old desktop into an always-on AI server
Pull the key facts out of a stack of PDFs, no cloud
Keep a medical or legal folder private and still searchable
Run a free coding helper that explains any file
Classify and tag a year of notes automatically
Build the cheap 80% of an automation with a local model
…and that’s a fraction of it. Grab the guide and start building.
A few fair questions.
What should I check before using the guide?
Read the chapter list and examples to see whether the guide fits your task. The documents describe a June 2026 snapshot. Product features, access and pricing can change, so confirm any setup instructions against current vendor documentation.
Do I need paid software?
The download is free. Some workflows may require a product account, subscription or hardware. Check the requirements for the workflow you choose before buying or installing anything.
Will a prompt always produce the right answer?
No. Check factual claims, calculations, citations and any output you plan to publish or act on. Use information you are permitted to share and keep consequential decisions under human review.
How do I get the full guide?
Enter your first name and email in the download form. The guide is offered as a download and an emailed copy. No payment card is required. You can unsubscribe from subsequent emails.
Open the garage this weekend.
Grab the Guide, install one tool, and pull your first model Saturday morning. By Sunday night you’ve got a private AI that never phones home. Free, takes a second, yours to keep.
Get the Garage guide — free.
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An independent guide from Prometheus Consulting, for the privacy-minded, the frugal & the curious. Downloadable guide snapshot: June 2026. Landing page revised 2026-10-14. Check product instructions against current vendor documentation. Unofficial: product names are trademarks of their respective owners, none of whom reviewed or endorsed this guide.