Guide
A private assistant on your own computer for sensitive files
For this guide and its prompts we recommend:
- Gamma puts your rule on which files stay local onto one page you can share with the team. Free plan (source)
Offers checked 21 Oct 2026
You can now summarise private files without the internet.
A local assistant that summarises a sensitive file without sending it to the internet.
What you need
- A computer with enough memory for a small local model
- A local model app and a local document chat app
- Any AI chat assistant in the cloud, for the comparison
- One sensitive file you need summarised, and one file that is not sensitive
Recommended AI tools
GammaA laid-out deck or page from an outlineFree plan
Steps
Install a local model and check its licence
Install a local model app and download one small model that fits your computer's memory. Read the model's licence for business use; if it is unclear, check with a professional.
Summarise the sensitive file offline
Turn off the internet connection, open the file in a local document chat app and ask for a summary with the page or section each point comes from. Check the points against the file. Local does not mean free of errors.
WeakSummarise this.
BetterSummarise this contract in at most 10 points. For each point, give the section number. List every date, amount and notice period exactly as written.
Compare with a cloud assistant on a non-sensitive file
Give the same task and a file that is not sensitive to both the local model and a cloud assistant. Note which one is more accurate and which one is fast enough. For a fair comparison method, see /guides/test-chatbots-on-your-own-ten-tasks/.
ExampleSame 5-page public price list, same prompt. Local: missed one table row, slower. Cloud: complete. Decision: local for contracts and staff files, cloud for public documents.
Write down which files stay local
Write a one-page rule for yourself and your team: which files only go to the local assistant, which can go to cloud tools and who to ask when unsure.
The full instruction
Copy it into any AI chat assistant and change only the first line.
Change only this line: FILE_TYPE = [a supplier contract] You help me summarise my FILE_TYPE on my own computer, with no internet connection. First ask me what I need from it (for example dates, obligations, risks) and how many pages it has. Do three things: 1. Summarise it in at most 10 points, each with the section or page it comes from. 2. List every date, amount and deadline exactly as written in the file. 3. List anything you could not read or are unsure about, marked [CHECK?]. Do not guess. If a point is not in the file, say so. After my answers, start with the summary.
What you end up with
A local assistant that summarises sensitive files without sending them anywhere, a fair comparison with a cloud tool and a written rule for which files stay local.
Common mistakes
- Assuming a local model makes no mistakes because it is private.
- Forgetting to check the model licence for business use.
- Testing the cloud assistant on the sensitive file to compare.
Processes that need more than one tool
Each process below uses several tools, each for the job it does best. Any AI chat assistant works where one is named.
Install a local model
Tools, in order: a local model app → a local chat window
- Install a local model app and download one small model that fits your computer's memory, after reading its licence.
- Open it in a local chat window and test it on a simple question with the internet switched off.
The prompt for this process
Help me choose a small local model for my computer. My computer: [operating system, memory, graphics card if any] What I want to do: [e.g. summarise contracts and staff files] Explain in plain words which model sizes fit my memory, what to look for in the model's licence for business use and how to check that the app works with the internet switched off. Do not name a model as best; give me what to compare. Start with the model sizes.
Summarise a sensitive file offline
Tools, in order: a local model app → a local document chat app
- Switch off the internet and load the file into a local document chat app connected to your local model.
- Ask for a summary with section numbers and check every date and amount against the file.
The prompt for this process
Summarise the file I loaded, using only its text. File type: [e.g. lease contract] What I need: [e.g. obligations, dates, notice periods] At most 10 points, each with the section or page number. Then list every date, amount and deadline exactly as written. Mark anything you could not read or are unsure about with [CHECK?]. If something I asked for is not in the file, say so. Start with the summary.
Compare with a cloud assistant on a non-sensitive task
Tools, in order: a local model app → any AI chat assistant
- Give the same prompt and the same non-sensitive file to the local model and to a cloud chat assistant.
- Score both answers in the same way and write down where the local model is good enough.
The prompt for this process
I am comparing a local model and a cloud assistant on the same non-sensitive task. Task: [paste the prompt] Local answer: [paste] Cloud answer: [paste] The source file text: [paste or describe] For each answer, list what is correct, what is missing and what is wrong, checked against the source only. Then say for which kinds of files the local answer would be good enough. Do not judge on style. Start with the local answer.
Write the team rule on local files
Tools, in order: any AI chat assistant → Gamma
- Ask the chat assistant to turn your comparison notes into a short rule on which files stay local.
- Put the rule on one Gamma page and share it with your team.
The prompt for this process
Write a one-page rule for my team on which files go to which AI tool. Our file types: [list, e.g. contracts, staff files, customer complaints, public price lists] What I learned from my comparison: [paste notes] Make three lists: only on the local assistant, fine for cloud tools, ask first. Add who to ask when unsure: [name]. At most 150 words. Add a line that the local assistant can still make mistakes. Start with the local-only list.
For this result we recommend these tools
This guide describes a result. These tools are one way to get there faster. Whether one pays for itself depends on your work, and we promise no result.
From Ema’s story: Ema designs invitations that spell correctly
ToolGamma
AI tool for creating presentations, documents and simple websites from prompts.
From $9 per seat per month, $108 per seat billed annually (Plus) (source, checked 2026-10-07)
Gamma is an AI tool that builds slide decks, one-page documents and simple web pages from an outline. In this guide it is used in “Write the team rule on local files”. People use it for proposals, lesson slides and reports, and it stands out because the result is shared as a link that reads well on a phone.
Free plan (source, checked 21 Oct 2026)
We recommend a specialised tool for each process rather than one tool that does everything. Tools that try to do everything rarely do any one job really well, because no single function gets perfected. It is the same in life, in business and in relationships: spread your attention over ten places and nothing gets done properly.
Forward, without brakes
Now that the Kailiniai Heroes exist, you can have your own. Create one hero or several, and use them for goals that used to need a whole team or a big budget.
