Installing Nectar

This guide walks you through installing Nectar on your computer.

Quick Install

macOS

1. Download Nectar from GitHub Releases
2. Open the .dmg file
3. Drag Nectar to your Applications folder
4. Important: Open Terminal and run:

   xattr -cr /Applications/Nectar.app
   

5. Launch Nectar from Applications
6. Follow the setup wizard

Windows

1. Download Nectar from GitHub Releases
2. Run the .exe installer
3. Windows SmartScreen may warn about an unrecognized app—click “More info” → “Run anyway”
4. Follow the installation wizard
5. Launch Nectar from Start Menu

Linux

Debian/Ubuntu (.deb):

# Download from GitHub Releases
sudo dpkg -i Nectar.deb
sudo apt-get install -f  # Install dependencies if needed

AppImage:

chmod +x Nectar.AppImage
./Nectar.AppImage

Download from GitHub Releases.

Setup Wizard

When you first launch Nectar, the setup wizard will guide you through:

1. Create Your Account

• Choose a username
• Set up passkey authentication (biometrics or security key)
• No passwords to remember!

2. Connect to Ollama

Nectar will automatically detect Ollama. If it doesn’t:

• Make sure Ollama is running
• Check that you have at least one model installed
• Click “Retry Detection”

3. Select Default Model

Choose which AI model Nectar should use by default:

• The wizard will show models you’ve installed
• You can change this anytime in Settings

4. Create Your First Honey Jar

A Honey Jar is where your knowledge lives. Start with:

• Personal Notes - For general documents
• Work Projects - For professional files
• Or skip and create one later

Verify Installation

After setup, verify everything is working:

Check Services Status

Open Settings → System Status. You should see:

• ✅ Nectar Services: Running
• ✅ Ollama: Connected
• ✅ AI Model: [Your model name]

Test Bee Chat

1. Click on Bee in the sidebar
2. Type: “Hello, can you help me?”
3. You should get an AI response

If you get a response, congratulations! Nectar is working.

What’s Installed

Nectar installs the following on your computer:

Your data is stored locally and never leaves your machine unless you explicitly connect to a STING Server.

Next Steps

Now that Nectar is installed:

1. First Steps Guide - Learn to use Honey Jars and Bee chat
2. Import Documents - Add your existing files
3. Connect to STING Server - (Optional) Link to a team server

Troubleshooting

Nectar won’t start

Mac:

If right-click → Open doesn’t work, run this in Terminal:

xattr -cr /Applications/Nectar.app

If you still have issues, check System Settings → Privacy & Security—there may be an “Open Anyway” button for blocked apps.

Windows: Run as Administrator the first time. If SmartScreen blocks it, click “More info” → “Run anyway”.

Linux: Check Docker is installed and running:

docker --version
docker compose version

“Cannot connect to Ollama”

1. Make sure Ollama is running: ollama serve
2. Verify a model is installed: ollama list
3. Restart Nectar

“No AI models found”

Install a model first:

ollama pull llama3.3

Then restart Nectar.

Need more help?

• Full Troubleshooting Guide
• GitHub Issues
• Discord