SensibleDB Explorer Quick Start

A step-by-step guide to get started with SensibleDB Explorer — your personal knowledge assistant.

What You'll Need

• A Mac computer (macOS 12.0 or later)
• SensibleDB Explorer app

Step 1: Download and Install

1. Visit the Releases page
2. Find the latest explorer-v* release
3. Download the .dmg file
4. Open the .dmg file
5. Drag "SensibleDB Explorer" to your Applications folder
6. Important: Right-click the app in Applications and select "Open" to bypass Gatekeeper (the app is not signed yet)

Step 2: Add Your Documents

When you first open the app, you'll see the home screen. Follow these steps:

1. Click "Add Folder" button
2. Navigate to the folder containing your documents
3. Select the folder and click "Open"

Supported Documents

SensibleDB Explorer can process: - 📄 PDF files - 📝 Text files (.txt) - 📋 Markdown files (.md) - 📃 Word documents (.doc, .docx)

Step 3: Wait for Processing

After adding a folder, the app will: 1. Scan all documents in the folder 2. Extract text and key information 3. Create embeddings (vector representations) 4. Build a knowledge graph

This may take a few minutes depending on folder size. You'll see progress in the app.

Step 4: Chat with Your Documents

Now you can ask questions about your documents!

Example questions to try:

• "What is this document about?"
• "Summarize the main points in the meeting notes"
• "Find all mentions of [topic]"
• "What decisions were made in the project folder?"

Step 5: Explore Your Knowledge Graph

The graph view shows connections between concepts across your documents. You can: - Click on nodes to see related information - Zoom in/out to explore different areas - Click on any item to see more details

Tips for Best Results

1. Organize your files — Put related documents in the same folder
2. Be patient — First-time indexing takes time
3. Ask specific questions — "What did John say about X?" works better than vague queries

About App Signing

⚠️ Note: The app is currently not signed by Apple, which is why you need to right-click > Open.

Why Is It Not Signed?

Full code signing requires an Apple Developer Program membership ($99/year). We're working on securing proper signing.

Workaround: How to Open the Unsigned App

1. Right-click on "SensibleDB Explorer" in Applications
2. Select "Open"
3. Click "Open" again in the dialog box
4. The app will now launch!

This is a one-time step. After first opening, the app will work normally.

Alternatives We're Exploring

We researched alternatives to paid Apple Developer account:

Option	Status
Ad-hoc signing	❌ Doesn't pass Gatekeeper on modern Macs
Free Apple Developer	❌ No signing certificates
Third-party services	Requires trust + still costs
Homebrew	❌ Requires signed apps

The only reliable solution is Apple Developer Program ($99/year) for Developer ID + notarization. This is an industry requirement for all macOS apps distributed outside the App Store.

For now, the right-click > Open workaround works perfectly!

Privacy

✅ 100% Local-First: All your data stays on your computer ✅ Works Offline: No internet required after installation ✅ No Cloud: Nothing is sent to external servers

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Need Help? Open an issue or email founders@sensibledb-db.com