Installation & first launch

Trace is a desktop app (built on Electron) for macOS and Windows. There's no account required to install or use the free tier.

Download and install

1. Go to the download page and grab the build for your operating system.
2. Run the installer. On macOS you may need to right-click the app and choose Open the first time, since it isn't distributed through the App Store. On Windows, approve the SmartScreen prompt if it appears.
3. Launch Trace like any other app.

System requirements

• 4 GB RAM minimum
• 2 GB free disk space
• Internet connection for first sign-in and for cloud AI providers (not required if you run AI fully locally with Ollama)

First launch

The first time Trace opens, it walks you through a short setup:

1. Sign in or create an account. Free to start, no credit card required.
2. Choose your AI provider. Trace defaults to a self-hosted managed model so the app works immediately, but you can switch to Ollama (local, free), or bring your own OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, or OpenRouter key at any time from Settings → AI. See Choosing your AI for the trade-offs.
3. Start browsing. Trace begins indexing pages automatically as you visit them, and there's nothing else to configure to get memory and search working.

Tip:

If you want everything to stay fully local and free, install Ollama before you open Trace, then switch the provider to Ollama in Settings → AI. Nothing will be sent to Breadcromb's servers.

Next steps

• Take the Quick tour of the interface.
• Read about Memory & search to understand what gets indexed automatically.
• If you get stuck, check the FAQ or Common issues.