First launch
After signing in, you land on the new-conversation screen. Three choices shape how the app works for you: which assistant you talk to, which model powers it, and how much it may do on its own.
Sign in first
Section titled “Sign in first”The desktop app asks you to sign in to a Pavii account before you can use it.
- Click Sign in on the welcome screen.
- Your normal browser opens
pavii.tech/login. Sign in or create an account there. - The browser hands the session back to the app and the welcome screen clears.
If the handover does not happen — some browsers block the return link, and it cannot work at all if you opened the login page in a different browser profile — use copy the sign-in link on the welcome screen and paste it into the browser you are actually signed in to.
The WebUI has its own separate login and does not use this gate.
Pick an assistant
Section titled “Pick an assistant”Assistants are the personalities you chat with; each is backed by an agent. Out of the box:
- OpenCode — the default coding agent. It ships inside the installer, so it works in your very first session with nothing else installed.
- Pavii CLI — the built-in general assistant.
- Other CLI agents — if you already use Claude Code, Codex, or Gemini CLI, Pavii.Ai detects them on your machine and offers them as assistants too.
You can switch assistants at any time — type /agents in the composer or use
the assistants page.
Connect a model
Section titled “Connect a model”Open Settings → Models to choose what powers your assistant:
- Your own API key — add a key for your preferred model provider and your conversations go directly from your machine to that provider.
- Free providers — the model picker also lists free options, so you can try the app before bringing a paid key.
Credentials you enter are stored locally on your machine.
Set the permission mode
Section titled “Set the permission mode”Agents can read files, edit code, and run commands. The permission selector in the composer controls how independent they are — from asking before every action to working autonomously. Start conservative; you can raise it per conversation once you trust the flow.