Getting started with DocsAgent
Two ways to begin: try the built-in demo library in about two minutes — no setup at all — or import your own Zotero library from your Mac. Either way, you end up with your papers in your pocket, ready to chat.
Quick start
Try it in minutes with the demo library
No Zotero setup, no desktop app — the fastest way to see what DocsAgent does. The demo library contains 200 real papers from arXiv, and it downloads straight to your phone over the internet.
Download DocsAgent from the App Store
Get DocsAgent on the App Store and install it on your iPhone (free, iOS 16.0 or newer — not yet available in mainland China and the EU). No account, no sign-in — the app works entirely on your device.
Scan the demo pairing code
Tap Import from Computer, then point the camera at the QR code on demo.docsagent.app — open that page on any screen (a laptop, a tablet, or even another phone).
The 200-paper demo library (about 55 MB) downloads in under a minute and is verified automatically.
Add your API KEY
Go to Settings and add an API KEY of any of the latest SOTA models from OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, DeepSeek, or a LLM service you host yourself. Your API KEY stays on your phone; AI requests go directly to the official LLM you chose.
Start chatting
Tap any paper to ask it questions — summaries, methods, that one detail you half-remember. Or ask your whole library a question and let AI search surface the papers that answer it.
Real-world setup
Import your own Zotero library
The demo shows the mechanics — the real payoff is carrying your collection. You'll need a Mac with Zotero installed and your library in it.
Install the DocsAgent Mac app
Download DocsAgent for Mac (free, 42 MB) and open it on the computer where your Zotero library lives. It requires macOS 13 or newer and works on both Apple silicon and Intel Macs. Your phone and your Mac just need to be on the same network — either works:
- join your Mac's Wi-Fi network on your iPhone, or
- turn on Personal Hotspot on your iPhone and join it from your Mac.
Let it pack your library, then scan
The Mac app compresses your Zotero library into a compact copy ready for your phone — you'll see progress as it works. When it finishes, a QR pairing code appears on screen. Scan it with DocsAgent on your iPhone.
Transfer over your own network
Your library transfers directly from your Mac to your phone over local Wi-Fi — never through our servers. Keep both devices awake until the transfer finishes; larger libraries take a few minutes.
Add your API key and go
Add your model key in Settings, and you're set: chat with any single paper, or ask your whole Zotero library a question — on the train, between meetings, wherever you are.
A few things worth knowing
- Privacy. Your library and chats live on your device. Imports travel over your own network, and AI requests go only to the provider you configure.
- Your key, your costs. DocsAgent doesn't add a markup or a middleman — you connect the provider you already use.
- Not a PDF reader. DocsAgent is built for asking and searching, not reading — that focus is what makes it fast.
Hit a snag? The support page covers common questions, or email support@docsagent.app.