Setup guide

Install PromptTax and make it yours.

A step-by-step walkthrough of installing PromptTax on Windows, creating your local vault, configuring your settings, and choosing how AI runs — on your machine or through your own provider.

Install Settings Features AI models

Installation

Get PromptTax running

Download the Windows installer

From the download panel, choose Windows and confirm the secure download prompt. PromptTax verifies your device is a desktop, then saves the signed installer (PromptTax-Setup.exe) to your Downloads folder.

ScreenshotThe secure download confirmation dialog with platform, file name, and source shown before the download starts.

Run the installer

Double-click PromptTax-Setup.exe. If Windows SmartScreen appears, select More info, then Run anyway — the build is code-signed. Follow the installer to choose an install location and finish setup.

ScreenshotThe PromptTax installer window on the install-location step, with the Install button visible.

First launch and your Financial Vault

On first launch, PromptTax asks where to create your local Financial Vault — a folder on your own computer where every document and result is stored. Nothing is uploaded; the vault never leaves your machine.

ScreenshotThe first-run welcome screen prompting you to create or choose a local Financial Vault folder.

Point PromptTax at your documents

Add the folders you already keep statements, K-1s, and returns in. PromptTax only reads the folders you choose, and you can add or remove them at any time.

ScreenshotThe watched-folders screen with one or more folders added to the vault.

Configuration

Walk through your settings

Everything is opt-in

Open Settings from the sidebar. Each control is designed so PromptTax only does what you allow — you decide which folders it reads and whether anything ever leaves your computer.

Watched folders — choose exactly which folders PromptTax may read, and exclude anything private.
Privacy controls — keep everything on-device, and decide what (if anything) is ever sent to a cloud model.
AI model — pick a local model through Ollama, or add your own API key for a cloud provider.
Notifications — control when PromptTax alerts you about new documents, changes, or items that need review.

ScreenshotThe Settings panel showing watched folders, privacy controls, AI model, and notifications.

Feature tour

What you can do next

ScreenshotThe vault view with documents grouped by entity and tax year.

Document vault

A private, organized library of every financial document, sorted by entity and year automatically.

ScreenshotA K-1 opened with extracted fields highlighted next to the original document.

K-1 extraction

Line-by-line extraction from every K-1, with each number linked back to the source page.

ScreenshotThe memory panel showing entities and remembered facts across years.

Tax memory

PromptTax remembers your entities, elections, and prior-year figures so nothing gets re-explained.

ScreenshotA copilot answer expanded to show its cited sources and reasoning.

Explainable copilot

Ask a question and get an answer with the document, calculation, and IRS guidance behind it.

AI models, your way

Bring your own intelligence.
Local or cloud — you decide.

PromptTax never locks you into one model or sends your documents to a black box. Run everything offline on your own machine, or connect a provider you already trust.

Local models with Ollama

Install Ollama and run open models entirely on your computer. No internet, no API key, and no data leaving your desktop — ideal for your most sensitive returns.

Bring your own API key

Prefer a frontier model? Paste your own OpenAI, Anthropic, or compatible key. PromptTax uses it directly, and your key and usage stay under your control.

Local vs cloud, made clear

Local models keep every document on-device. Cloud models send only the text needed to answer a question — and PromptTax always shows which mode is active before anything leaves your machine.

Set up a local model with Ollama

Install Ollama from ollama.com and let it finish setting up.
Pull a model, for example run: ollama pull llama3.1
In PromptTax Settings, choose AI model, then Local (Ollama).
Select the model you pulled — PromptTax now runs fully offline.

Add your own API key

Open Settings, then AI model, and choose Cloud provider.
Select your provider (OpenAI, Anthropic, or compatible).
Paste your API key — it is stored locally and used directly.
PromptTax shows the active mode before anything leaves your machine.

Download PromptTax See how it works