Helix AI Labs — Getting startedAbout 5 minutes · No account needed
NEW HERE? Start at the top and follow along
From install to your first chat, one calm step at a time.
Valence is a private AI that lives on your computer. This guide walks you through it in plain language — no jargon, nothing to sign up for. Install it, say hello, make it yours, and — if you have kids — set up a space that's safe for them.
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01Install Valence
Download, double-click, done.
Valence installs like any normal Windows app. There are two downloads — pick whichever line you like. Both are the same app with the same privacy; they only differ in how much they download up front.
Two ways to get it
Not sure which one? Pick the small one.
The slim installer is a small download that grabs only the pieces your computer needs. The all-in-one installer is larger but includes everything, so it works even fully offline afterward.
Slim (~300 MB) — quickest to download, fetches the right graphics support for your PC
All-in-one (~810 MB) — everything bundled, nothing to fetch later
Double-click the downloaded file and follow the prompts — that's it
✻ Tip: Each install updates itself in its own lane, so you never have to think about it again.
Valence is brand new, so Windows hasn’t seen it enough times to recognise it yet. You’ll meet a few warnings the first time — not because anything is wrong, but because that’s how Windows treats every new app until it becomes well-known. Here is every screen you’ll see, and exactly what to click. Click any picture to enlarge it.
A While it downloads
1Your browser warns you
Edge says the file “isn’t commonly downloaded”. Don’t delete it — click the … button on the right.
2Choose Keep
In the little menu that opens, click Keep.
3Confirm once more
Windows asks again. Open the Delete dropdown and choose Keep anyway.
B When you open it
4A red screen appears
“Windows protected your PC.” There’s no Run button yet — click the small More info link.
5Now click Run anyway
The app name appears along with a Run anyway button. Click it and the installer opens.
✓ After the first time, these prompts stop — Valence opens like any other app. “Publisher: Unknown” simply means the app isn’t code-signed yet; it doesn’t mean anything is wrong. To be certain you have the genuine file, the SHA-256 fingerprint for each download is published on the download page.
02Your first run
Valence sets itself up for you.
The first time you open Valence, a short guided setup runs. It takes a quick look at your computer — right there on your machine, nothing is sent anywhere — and gets your own private AI ready to go. No account. No key. No settings to wrestle with.
1Your machine
Valence takes one quick look at your computer — processor, memory, graphics, free space. This happens entirely on your PC; nothing is sent anywhere. It then tells you plainly what it found.
2Download
Your on-device AI model arrives — a one-time download. Valence fetches only what your machine actually needs, with honest progress for each item rather than a spinner.
3Ready
It shows you what's running and where — your graphics card doing the work if you have one — and hands you the chat. You're all set.
Two choices on the very first screen
You're not locked in.
Prefer an online account? You can connect ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini instead of using the built-in AI — the setup offers that right at the start, and you can change your mind later. Want maximum privacy? A Local-only toggle switches off every optional online feature from the very beginning. (It won't block the things you explicitly ask for, like downloading your model or importing old chats.)
03Say hello
Type a message. Press send. That's chatting.
The main screen is a chat. Type in the box at the bottom and your AI replies. A small badge up top always tells you, in plain words, which AI you're using and where it's running.
The basics
Everything you need is one line of the screen.
Send a message, attach a file or an image, or click the microphone to talk instead of type. Your reply appears cleanly formatted — want to watch it write in real time? One click.
Send — type and press Enter, or click the send arrow
Your AI badge — reads Private · Ready when it's running on your computer
Attach or speak — the paperclip adds files & images; the mic lets you talk
✻ Good to know: With the built-in on-device AI, your conversation never leaves your machine.
welcome — running locally
Click to enlarge
04Save & find chats
Keep the good conversations. Find them later.
Any chat can be saved, organized into folders, and reopened whenever you want. Nothing is saved to a server — it all lives on your computer.
Conversations
A tidy home for every chat.
Open the menu and choose Save chat. Later, Load chat opens a friendly browser — search, pin your favorites, and sort chats into folders like Work, Personal, or Research.
Save — Menu → Save chat (or Save as new to keep both)
Find — Menu → Load chat, then search or browse folders
Edit & branch — hover any message you sent to fix it and try a different path
Export & share — save as PDF or Markdown, or share a snapshot
conversations
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05Make it yours
Profiles: save a setup once, switch in a click.
A profile is a saved way of working — a name, a personality, and a preferred AI. Keep one for work and one for home, or one that always answers briefly and one that explains in detail.
Profiles & personas
Different jobs, different setups.
Open the profile menu up top and choose + New. Give it a name and an icon, and — if you like — a few lines telling the AI how to behave. Switch anytime from the same menu.
Create — profile menu → + New → name, icon, and a personality note
Switch — click a profile in the menu, or press Ctrl+P
Share a setup — export a profile to a file and import it on another PC
✻ For a child, use the Kids Mode wizard instead of a normal profile — it's built for exactly that. See step 07.
edit profile
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06Memory
Let Valence remember — on your terms.
Turn on Local Memory and Valence can carry what matters from one conversation to the next. Every memory is stored on your computer, and you can read, search, or delete any of it whenever you want.
Local memory
Pick up right where you left off.
In Settings → Memory, switch on Enable Local Memory. Valence quietly saves short summaries as you chat and brings them back when they're relevant. Open the Memory Browser anytime to see everything it holds.
Turn on — Settings → Memory → Enable Local Memory
Browse & search — open the Memory Browser to read, search, or delete
Bring your history — import past chats from ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini
✻ Moving in? The import tools pull your existing conversations into Valence's memory so it feels familiar from day one.
memory browser
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07Set up for kids
A safe AI space for your child, in minutes.
Kids Mode is a guided setup that creates a protected profile for each child. You set a parent password once; from then on, the things a child shouldn't reach stay locked unless you unlock them.
The Kids Mode wizard
You're in control, from the first screen.
Start from the profile menu → + New → Use the Kids Mode wizard. It walks you through a parent password, adding your children, and choosing the guardrails that fit each one.
Set a parent password — it gates settings, switching, and the dashboard
Add each child — name, age, and an icon; guardrails scale to their age
Private by design — with the built-in AI, a child's chats never leave the PC
kids profile setup
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Guardrails you choose
Gentle by default. Adjustable per child.
Each child gets age-appropriate settings you can tune — how the AI talks, how long they can use it, and how often it reminds them it's a tool, not a friend.
Daily time limit — from 15 minutes to unlimited; extending needs your password
Teaching modes — Socratic questions and multiple perspectives instead of just answers
Reality checks — gentle reminders that the AI isn't a person
Real help in a crisis — worrying language surfaces the 988 lifeline to you
teaching modes
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08The Parent Dashboard
See what matters, without hovering.
The Parent Dashboard gives you a calm overview of each child's activity — and quietly floats anything worth a look to the top, so you don't have to read every message.
Parent Dashboard
The important moments, first.
Open the menu → Parent Dashboard and enter your password. You'll see each child, how much they've chatted, and a Needs attention list surfacing anything sensitive.
Overview — children, conversation counts, and what needs review
Trends — mood and usage patterns over time
Controls — adjust any child's guardrails from one place
Private & on-device — nothing here leaves your PC; it re-locks when idle
parent dashboard
Click to enlarge
✦The quiet promise
However you use it, it stays yours.
You don't have to be technical to trust Valence. Here's what's true no matter which steps above you follow.
It runs on your machine
The built-in AI answers from your own computer. No account required, and it works with no internet at all.
Your words stay put
Chats, memories, and parental settings are saved as files on your PC — never uploaded to us.
Buy once, own it
A free 7-day trial, then a one-time purchase. No subscription, no meter running in the background.
