From download to your first useful answer.

1. Install the Mac app

1. Download Zimac.dmg. The current universal installer supports Intel and Apple Silicon Macs running macOS 13 or newer.
2. Open the disk image and drag Zimac to Applications. The public build is Developer ID signed, notarized by Apple, and stapled. You should not need to bypass Gatekeeper.
3. Open Zimac from Applications. The 30-day Pro trial starts on first launch. It unlocks app features; it does not include model or inference credits.

2. Choose where model calls go

Your chats and long-term memory are stored locally. A model still has to process each model request, so the prompt and selected context for that request leave the device by the route you choose:

Hosted proxy: account → credits → token

1. Choose “Zimac hosted” in setup and continue in your browser. Sign in or create an account. Browser sign-in is also your team identity; it is different from the proxy token used for paid model calls.
2. Create or select an organization. If you joined someone else’s org, its owner controls billing. Ordinary members can mint only within the owner’s limits.
3. Fund the org before testing. The owner opens Billing and buys prepaid credits. The app trial includes no inference credit, and a token cannot spend from a zero balance.
4. Mint a token for the correct person. Open Tokens, choose the seat and budget, then copy the one-time zmc-… secret. Multiple tokens for one person share that seat’s enforced spending cap.
5. Return it to Zimac. The browser handoff fills the app when available. If the handoff is blocked, paste the token into the hosted setup screen. Never paste an Anthropic Console key into the hosted-token field.

Direct Anthropic

1. Choose Anthropic directly. Zimac uses https://api.anthropic.com and the Anthropic Messages protocol.
2. Create a key in your Anthropic Console and paste the sk-ant-… value. It is stored in the macOS Keychain and sent only to Anthropic.
3. Anthropic usage and limits belong to your Anthropic account. Zimac org credits and budgets do not apply to this route.

Local or another OpenAI-compatible endpoint

1. Start the model server first. For example, LM Studio commonly exposes http://localhost:1234.
2. Choose OpenAI-compatible, enter the server base URL, and add a key only if that server requires one.
3. Select a model that the server actually exposes. A local setup can keep the model call on your machine; a remote OpenAI-compatible service receives it under that service’s terms.

3. Verify, then choose the first action

• Use Test connection. A successful test checks authentication, an available model, and a minimal model response—not merely whether a URL exists.
• If hosted, confirm the org balance and selected model are available. A 401 means the key is invalid or expired; a budget error means an owner must add credits or raise the cap.
• Finish setup, then pick a starter task. Zimac does not spend model tokens merely because the main window opened.

4. Pair an iPhone

Install the iPhone beta through TestFlight. Account sign-in alone does not copy your Mac’s memory.

1. Put the Mac and iPhone on the same Wi-Fi network and open Zimac on both.
2. On the Mac, open the pairing/share flow and show its QR or invite. Scan or enter it on iPhone.
3. Allow Local Network access on iPhone, then explicitly approve the device on the Mac.
4. Only after approval does encrypted setup and memory sync begin. If the connection hangs, open iPhone Settings → Privacy & Security → Local Network and enable Zimac.

5. Trial, license, billing, and cancellation

Subscribe and activate

Checking current plan prices…. Model usage is separate. After Stripe verifies the checkout, the confirmation page reveals the license key and sends a copy to the email collected by Stripe. Copy and save it there or in the delivery email. If issuance is still pending, the Copy button remains disabled.

Loading current plan prices from Zimac’s Stripe configuration…

In Zimac, choose Enter License and activate immediately—you do not have to wait for the trial to end. A current subscription key can activate up to three computers. Renewals extend the term automatically.

Recover or move a key

Keep the Stripe receipt and delivery email. If the key is lost, use self-service email recovery. For standalone purchases, that verified-email message includes a one-hour m1|… management code for Stripe billing and the device roster; the license key alone cannot manage either. Account-linked purchases are managed by their organization owner in the Hub. Never post a key or management code publicly.

Cancel, refund, and credits

• Manage or cancel the app subscription from the Zimac Hub or the Stripe management link in your receipt. Cancellation stops renewal; access continues through the paid term unless a refund is issued.
• App charges are refundable within 14 days. A completed refund revokes the refunded license term.
• Unused proxy credits are refundable within 14 days of purchase; already-consumed usage is not. Credits and the app subscription are separate purchases.
• Deleting an organization is permanent. Withdraw refundable credits and settle billing first; the confirmation screen lists what will be removed.

6. Export, erase, and uninstall

Zimac’s live data is under ~/Documents/Zimac. Use the app’s export/backup tools before deleting anything you may want later.

For a complete local removal:

1. Export anything you want, revoke hosted proxy tokens in the Hub, and—if the license service is reachable—deactivate this Mac so you can reuse its slot. Local deletion is still available offline.
2. Open Settings → Privacy → Erase all local data, type the exact confirmation phrase, and wait for Zimac to quit and finish cleanup. This removes live data, backups, plugins, local configuration, pairing, cached activation, and Zimac’s Stitcher Keychain entries.
3. When Zimac reopens at setup, quit it and remove it from /Applications. If the in-app cleanup reported a retained license slot, remove that device later from Hub or with the management link in your verified-email recovery message.
4. If an older build cannot run the complete erase, quit it, delete ~/Documents/Zimac and any configured Zimac backup/plugin folders, then remove its Stitcher generic-password items in Keychain Access.
5. Deleting the app does not delete a hosted account, organization, Stripe records, or subscription. Handle those first in Hub → Account & privacy; use [email protected] if you cannot sign in.

7. Support and common errors

• 401 / authentication failed: choose the matching credential type. Hosted uses zmc-…; direct Anthropic uses sk-ant-…. Re-mint or rotate it instead of retrying forever.
• Budget or balance exhausted: open Billing; an org owner must add credits or change the relevant seat/org cap.
• Model not found: select a model the configured endpoint actually exposes.
• Network/offline: confirm the endpoint is reachable. Permanent 401/403/404 failures are not queued as offline work.
• License missing or checkout stuck: keep the Stripe receipt/session URL and email [email protected]. Do not send a full API token in email.

Open the support center for response expectations and the right recovery route. Direct contacts: [email protected] · Privacy/deletion: [email protected] · Enterprise: [email protected].