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GETTING_STARTED

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sohamsans edited this page Nov 3, 2026 · 2 revisions

Getting Started & Installation Guide

ResearchLoom is distributed across multiple platforms: standalone Android APK, desktop binaries (Windows & macOS), and local development environments.

📱 Android Tablet Installation (Xiaomi Pad 7, Galaxy Tab, Pixel Tablet)

  1. Download the latest ResearchLoom-android-tablet.apk from Releases.
  2. On your tablet, enable Install unknown apps for your browser or file manager in Android Settings.
  3. Tap the downloaded APK to install.
  4. Seamless Upgrades: When a new version is released, install the updated APK directly over the existing app. Because the release keystore signature is permanent and android:hasFragileUserData="true" is enabled, your research papers, notes, and local settings are preserved automatically without uninstalling.

💻 Standalone Desktop (Windows, macOS & Linux)

Windows

  1. Download ResearchLoom.exe or ResearchLoom-windows-x64.zip.
  2. Extract and run ResearchLoom.exe.
  3. Standalone mode automatically boots the local FastAPI backend and SQLite database under %APPDATA%\ResearchLoom.

macOS (Apple Silicon M1/M2/M3)

  1. Download ResearchLoom-macOS-arm64.dmg.
  2. Drag ResearchLoom.app into your Applications folder.

Linux (Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Arch)

  1. Download ResearchLoom-linux-x86_64.AppImage (or ResearchLoom-linux-x86_64.tar.gz).
  2. Make the AppImage executable and launch: 
    chmod +x ResearchLoom-linux-x86_64.AppImage
./ResearchLoom-linux-x86_64.AppImage
  3. Desktop Integration (Optional): If using the .tar.gz distribution, extract it and run ./install-linux.sh to install desktop icons and .desktop launcher to ~/.local/share/applications.
  4. Standalone mode stores your papers, models, and SQLite vault under ~/.local/share/ResearchLoom according to XDG standards.

🛠️ Local Development & Source Setup

Prerequisites

  • Node.js 20+
  • Python 3.12+
  • Git

Steps

# 1. Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/sohamsans/researchloom.git
cd researchloom

# 2. Setup backend
cd backend
python -m venv venv
# On Windows:
venv\Scripts\activate
# On Linux/macOS:
source venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
uvicorn app.main:app --reload --port 8000

# 3. Setup frontend (in a separate terminal)
cd ../frontend
npm install
npm run dev

Navigate to http://localhost:5173 in your browser.

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