Using StratoSort

Install Guide

One download. No command line. No extra software. No API keys.

StratoSort Stack uses AI that runs entirely on your computer. Your files are not sent to the cloud unless you turn on optional cloud AI with your own API key. You download one installer, let the app grab its AI models on first launch, and you are ready to go.

What You Need

Step 1 -- Download One File

Go to StratoSort Stack Releases and download the single file that matches your operating system.

Which file do I pick?

Replace X.X.X with the version number shown on the Releases page (e.g. 5.0.0). The Windows arm64 build ships without bundled FFmpeg, so audio/video analysis there needs FFmpeg on your PATH.

Windows -- installer vs portable

Linux -- AppImage vs .deb

On arm64 the files end in -linux-arm64.AppImage and -linux-arm64.deb. Linux artifacts are optional and may not be attached to every release. The AppImage updates itself in the app; for the .deb, download the next version from Releases when one is available.

Step 2 -- Install and Launch

Windows

1. Double-click StratoSortStack-Setup-X.X.X.exe.
2. If Windows SmartScreen says "Windows protected your PC":
   • Click More info.
   • Click Run anyway.
3. The installer opens. Accept the license agreement, then click Install.
   • The app installs to your user profile (no admin required).
   • A Start Menu shortcut and a Desktop shortcut are created automatically.
4. When the installer finishes, leave "Run StratoSort Stack" checked and click Finish.

macOS

1. Double-click the .dmg file.
2. Drag StratoSort Stack into the Applications folder.
3. Eject the DMG (right-click in Finder sidebar, select Eject).
4. Open StratoSort Stack from Applications.

v4.0.0 and later: macOS builds are signed with Developer ID Application and notarized by Apple. A normal double-click open should work on first launch.

5. If macOS still blocks the app (older unsigned preview builds, or a download that failed notarization):
   • Easiest: Right-click the app in Applications, click Open, then click Open again.
   • Alternative: Go to System Settings > Privacy & Security > scroll down > click Open Anyway.

Linux (AppImage)

chmod +x StratoSortStack-X.X.X-linux-x86_64.AppImage
./StratoSortStack-X.X.X-linux-x86_64.AppImage

Or double-click the file in your file manager after making it executable.

Linux (Debian package)

sudo dpkg -i StratoSortStack-X.X.X-linux-amd64.deb

Then launch StratoSort Stack from your application menu. The .deb version does not auto-update; download the next version from Releases when available.

Step 3 -- First Launch: AI Model Setup

The first time you open StratoSort, a Model Setup Wizard appears. This downloads the AI models the app needs to analyze and organize your files. It is a one-time download; after this the app works fully offline.

3a. Choose a profile

The wizard shows two profiles:

The wizard reads your RAM and GPU memory and marks the profile this computer can carry; pick either one and click Download models. Both profiles include the same LLaVA vision model (about 5 GB with its projector), which is most of the download.

The wizard also has a Start in Advanced mode checkbox. Leave it off to start in Simple mode, which hides the advanced Settings panels; you can switch between Simple and Advanced in Settings at any time.

3b. Wait for downloads

You will see progress bars for each model file. There are three models:

• Embedding model -- converts text into vectors for semantic search (required).
• Text analysis model -- reads documents and generates descriptions (required).
• Vision model -- analyzes images and screenshots (optional).

All models are GGUF files stored locally on your computer. Nothing is sent anywhere.

3c. Done

When all downloads finish, click Continue, then Get started. You are now on the Welcome screen.

Can I skip this? Yes. Click Continue with limited AI to explore the app immediately. AI features activate once the models finish downloading in the background. If you skip before downloading, the Welcome screen offers Open model setup until you dismiss it; you can always download the models later from Settings > AI Configuration > Download recommended models.

Step 4 -- Start Organizing

From the Welcome screen you have three options:

A typical first session: click Configure smart folders and add a few folders with plain-language descriptions (the built-in Uncategorized folder does not count), then go to Discover, drag in a folder, and let the AI analyze the files. StratoSort never moves a file without your approval.

Below these buttons you can also pick a working style: Guided steps (Setup, Discover, Organize one step at a time; the default) or Dashboard (a single overview screen). Switch later with the Guided / Dashboard toggle in the top bar.

Optional -- Verify Your Download

Download the matching checksum file from the same Releases page:

• Windows: checksums-windows-x64.sha256 (or checksums-windows-arm64.sha256)
• macOS: checksums-macos.sha256
• Linux: checksums-linux.sha256

Then compare:

Windows (PowerShell)

Get-FileHash .\StratoSortStack-Setup-X.X.X.exe -Algorithm SHA256

macOS / Linux (Terminal)

shasum -a 256 StratoSortStack-X.X.X-mac-arm64.dmg

The hash should match the entry in the checksum file exactly.

How Updates Work

There are two kinds of updates -- they are independent of each other:

You never need to re-download models when you update the app.

Where Does StratoSort Store Data?

After the model download, the only network traffic by default is the app update check described above; your files and their contents stay on your computer unless you turn on optional cloud AI. See Network Transparency for every network call the app can make.

Offline and Air-Gapped Install

StratoSort runs without a network connection once its models are on disk. On a machine that can never go online, copy the model files in by hand instead of letting the app download them.

1. On a connected machine, download the installer and these files. Save each one under the name in the first column: the app finds models by exact filename, and some names differ from the file name in the download URL.

These are the default Base (Small & Fast) models. The authoritative list, with every other supported model, is MODEL_CATALOG in src/shared/modelRegistry.js.

2. Check the files. Compare each SHA-256 (see Verify Your Download for the commands) with the checksum for that file in modelRegistry.js. The app verifies the files it downloads itself; it does not re-check files you copy in.

3. Install the app on the offline machine and copy the files in. Put them in the models/ folder listed in Where Does StratoSort Store Data? (create it if it does not exist yet), with the Whisper model in a whisper/ folder inside it. Then launch the app: it finds the files and skips the download.

4. Turn off update checks. In Settings > Application, turn off Background update checks, or start the app with STRATOSORT_ENABLE_AUTO_UPDATES=false to disable the updater entirely. To update, copy the next installer over from a connected machine.

The installers already include the image-analysis runtime and the OCR language data, so nothing else needs a connection. Leave optional cloud AI off.

Troubleshooting

Windows: "This app has been blocked for your protection"

Click More info then Run anyway. If the option is missing, your organization may block unsigned apps -- install on a personal device or contact your IT admin.

macOS: App won't open even after Right-click > Open

Go to System Settings > Privacy & Security, scroll to the Security section, and click Open Anyway next to StratoSort Stack.

macOS: "StratoSort Stack is damaged and can't be opened"

The quarantine attribute may not have been cleared. Run in Terminal:

xattr -cr /Applications/StratoSort\ Stack.app

Then open the app again.

Models failed to download

• Check your internet connection.
• Retry from Settings > AI Configuration > Download recommended models (Simple mode). In Advanced mode, use Settings > AI Configuration > Model management and click Download next to each model.
• Make sure you have at least 12 GB of free disk space.
• If downloads keep failing, check if a firewall or VPN is blocking huggingface.co.

Vision / image analysis not working

Open Settings > AI Configuration and check that the vision model shows as downloaded. If it is missing, download it with Download recommended models, or switch to Advanced mode and use the Model management section.

App feels slow

• Switch to the Base (Small & Fast) profile for lower memory usage.
• Close other memory-heavy applications.
• If you have a dedicated GPU (NVIDIA, AMD, or Apple Silicon), StratoSort uses it automatically.

Security

StratoSort Stack:

• Runs AI locally after the one-time model download (cloud AI is optional and off by default).
• Has no telemetry and does not upload your files. By default its only network call after setup is the app update check; see Network Transparency.
• Is licensed under PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 (personal/noncommercial use is free; commercial use needs a paid license). There is no trial and nothing expires. Source: github.com/iLevyTate/StratoSortStack.

Quick Summary

No terminal. No Python. No Docker. No API keys required. Cloud AI is optional.

Next Steps

• Learn the app: User Guide
• Help test and report bugs: Tester Guide

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