Try on Your Computer | AIDA by Autafy Docs

You can run AIDA on your own Windows or Mac computer before setting up a server. It takes about 5 minutes and doesn't cost anything.

This is a great way to explore AIDA's features — chat, Knowledge Base, Skills, Plugins, and more — without renting a server first.

What You Need

A Windows 10/11 PC or a Mac (2019 or newer)
At least 8 GB of RAM
6 GB of free disk space
An internet connection

Step 1 — Install Docker Desktop

Docker Desktop is a free app that lets your computer run AIDA. It's free for businesses with fewer than 250 employees.

Windows: Go to https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop — click "Download for Windows", run the installer, and restart your computer when prompted.

Mac: Go to https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop — click "Download for Mac". Choose "Apple Chip" if you have an M1/M2/M3/M4 Mac, or "Intel Chip" for older Macs. Drag Docker to your Applications folder and open it.

Wait until Docker Desktop shows "Engine running" (green icon in the system tray or menu bar). This can take a minute on first launch.

Step 2 — Start AIDA

Open a terminal:

Windows: Open PowerShell (search "PowerShell" in the Start menu)
Mac: Open Terminal (search "Terminal" in Spotlight)

Paste this command and press Enter:

docker run -d --name aida -p 3000:3000 ghcr.io/autafyai-code/aida:latest

The first time, it will download AIDA (about 2 GB). This takes a few minutes depending on your internet speed. You only download it once — after that, AIDA starts in seconds.

Step 3 — Open AIDA

Open your browser and go to:

http://localhost:3000

You will see the setup wizard. Create your admin account, enter your email, and your 7-day free trial starts automatically.

Step 4 — Add an AI Provider

AIDA works with any AI provider — OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, or even local models like Ollama. You just need an API key from one of them.

We recommend OpenRouter (https://openrouter.ai) because one API key gives you access to hundreds of models from every provider — Claude, GPT, Gemini, Llama, and more. Create a free account, copy your API key, and paste it in AIDA under Settings.

Pick a model to get started (we recommend Claude Haiku 5.5 or GPT-6-luna) and start chatting!

What Works on Your Computer

Everything works exactly like it does on a server:

Chat with any AI model
Upload documents to Knowledge Base
Create Skills and Plugins
Connect Google Workspace (Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Contacts)
Connect Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Calendar, OneDrive)
Connect MCP tools (Notion, Slack, Shopify, Stripe, and more)
Web search (with Tavily or SearXNG)
Appointment booking and calendar management
Code execution

What Needs a Server

These features require AIDA to be running 24/7, which means a server:

WhatsApp, Telegram, and Discord bots — your phone sends messages any time, AIDA needs to be awake to reply
Scheduled tasks (Cron Jobs) — morning briefings, weekly reports, automated emails
Custom domain with HTTPS — localhost only works on your own computer
Mobile access from anywhere — on a server, you can open AIDA from your phone on any network

Useful Commands

Stop AIDA:

docker stop aida

Start AIDA again:

docker start aida

Update to the latest version:

docker stop aida && docker rm aida
docker pull ghcr.io/autafyai-code/aida:latest
docker run -d --name aida -p 3000:3000 ghcr.io/autafyai-code/aida:latest

Note: updating removes your local data (chats, settings, uploaded documents). This is fine for trying things out. When you move to a server, the full install script preserves your data across updates automatically.

Remove AIDA completely:

docker stop aida && docker rm aida

Ready for 24/7?

When you are ready to run AIDA around the clock, follow the full server setup guide in Getting Started. You can use any cloud provider — a $5-7/month VPS is all you need. Your license key works on both your computer and your server (one at a time).

Try AIDA on Your Computer