Setup tutorial by Sriram

Flint and Ollama Setup Guide

Install Flint, connect Ollama for local AI, and turn your notes into a practical productivity system.

  • Practical setup
  • Beginner-readable
  • Business workflow focus
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Local knowledge base

Use Flint as a private digital brain on your computer.

Flint is a local-first desktop knowledge base. It gives you Markdown notes, wiki-style links, tags, daily notes, a visual graph, an infinite canvas, and an optional AI agent that can use your notes as context.

The clean setup is simple: install Node.js, Python, Git, and Ollama, run the Flint installer, pull one Ollama model, then verify that the Flint AI agent can see the model.

What you are setting up

Flint desktop appThe Electron app for notes, graph view, canvas work, and local vault management.
Flint AI agentAn optional Python service that runs locally and talks to the app on your computer.
OllamaThe local model runtime Flint can use for chat and note-aware answers.
Your vaultYour notes, links, tags, and canvas work stored locally on your device.

Requirements

  • Node.js 18 or newer.
  • npm, which installs with Node.js.
  • Git.
  • Python 3 if you want the AI agent.
  • Ollama if you want local model chat.

Flint can still be useful as a local notes app without AI, but Ollama is the recommended path if you want private local answers from your own vault.

Windows install

  1. Install Node.js 18 or newer from the official Node.js website.
  2. Install Git for Windows and keep the option that lets Git work from PowerShell.
  3. Install Python 3 if you want to use the Flint AI agent.
  4. Open PowerShell and confirm the tools work.
node --version
npm --version
git --version
python --version
  1. Run the Flint PowerShell installer.
irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Chintanpatel24/flint/main/install.ps1 | iex

After installation, open Flint from the Start Menu or run flint from a new terminal if the installer added it to your user PATH.

macOS install

  1. Install Homebrew if you do not already have it.
  2. Install Node.js, Git, and Python.
brew install node git python
  1. Confirm the versions.
node --version
npm --version
git --version
python3 --version
  1. Run the Flint installer.
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Chintanpatel24/flint/main/install.sh | bash

After installation, open Flint from your app launcher if it appears there, or run flint from Terminal.

Set up Ollama

  1. Install Ollama for your operating system.
  2. Open a new terminal and confirm Ollama works.
ollama --version
  1. Download a local model. The Flint README gives llama3.2 as the example model.
ollama pull llama3.2
  1. Start Ollama if it is not already running.
ollama serve

Ollama normally listens at http://localhost:11434. Flint's local agent checks that address and lists the models available on your machine.

Verify Flint AI connection

  1. Start Ollama and make sure llama3.2 is downloaded.
  2. Open Flint.
  3. If you are using the agent manually, start it from the terminal.
flint-agent
  1. Open the Flint AI panel and ask a small test question.
Summarize my current note in three bullet points.

If Flint says the model is disconnected, check that Ollama is running, then run ollama list to confirm the model exists locally.

First productivity workflow

  1. Create a note called Inbox for quick thoughts, links, and tasks.
  2. Create a note for one active project, such as Website Redesign.
  3. Link notes with [[Project Name]] so Flint can build a graph.
  4. Add tags like #todo, #idea, or #meeting.
  5. Use daily notes for work logs and quick summaries.
  6. Ask the AI agent to summarize, find related notes, or clean up a rough note.

This gives you a repeatable system: capture quickly, connect related information, review the graph, then use AI to turn scattered notes into next actions.

Useful Flint habits

ResearchSave sources and observations in one topic note, then ask Flint to summarize the pattern across connected notes.
MeetingsKeep one note per meeting, tag action items, then link each meeting back to the project note.
PlanningUse canvas cards to map ideas visually before turning the best parts into structured notes.
WritingCollect rough ideas in Markdown, ask Flint to organize them, then edit the final version yourself.
ReviewOpen the graph view to find isolated notes, missing links, and important topics that need follow-up.

Final checklist

  • Node.js is version 18 or newer.
  • npm works from the terminal.
  • Git works from the terminal.
  • Python 3 is installed if you want the AI agent.
  • Flint opens as a desktop app.
  • Ollama is installed and running.
  • ollama list shows your model.
  • The Flint AI panel can answer using your notes.

Troubleshooting

Installer failsCheck Node.js and npm versions first, then rerun the installer in a new terminal.
AI does not answerStart Ollama, pull a model, then restart Flint so the agent can detect the local model service.
Python agent missingInstall Python 3, then reinstall Flint or run the agent setup from the installed Flint folder.
Windows command missingOpen a new PowerShell window after install so the updated user PATH is loaded.

Source links

Sriram Varadarajan Sriram VaradarajanReplies personally

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