Download and install

Option 1: download an installer (recommended)

Get the build for your system from GitHub Releases:

System	File
macOS (Apple silicon, M-series)	ilearnassist-…-mac-arm64.dmg
macOS (Intel)	ilearnassist-…-mac-x64.dmg
Windows 64-bit	ilearnassist-…-win-x64.exe
Linux 64-bit	ilearnassist-…-linux-x86_64.AppImage or ilearnassist-…-linux-amd64.deb

Or use the download page, which detects your system and highlights the right row.

The builds are not code-signed

This project has not bought a code-signing certificate, so your OS will stop you once. Nothing is wrong — the system simply does not recognise the developer:

• macOS: right-click the app → Open → click Open again. Once only.
• Windows: in the SmartScreen prompt, click More info → Run anyway.
• Linux: chmod +x the AppImage before running it.

Why there is no auto-update

On macOS, one-click self-update requires a paid signature. All three platforms work the same way instead — download the new installer and install over the old one; your data lives in the data folder, which is untouched. That is more honest than a button that only works on two platforms.

Option 2: run from source

Requires Node.js ≥ 20 and pnpm ≥ 9.

git clone https://github.com/waychan23/ilearnassist.git
cd ilearnassist
pnpm install

# Configure: where data lives, and at least one model key
cp .env.example .env
# edit .env and set DEEPSEEK_API_KEY (or another provider's key)

# A fresh data folder has no administrator — create one first
pnpm --filter @ilearnassist/server cli create-admin --username <you> --generate

pnpm dev

Open http://localhost:5173 and sign in. The backend listens on 127.0.0.1:3720.

ILA_DATA_DIR is required

.env.example sets it to ./data relative to the project root. There is deliberately no default in the code — that directory decides where your data lives and whether it survives an uninstall.

Once it is installed, see First run.