Getting started

From zero to a searchable knowledge graph of your entire digital life. Three steps, about 30 minutes of hands-on time. The GDPR exports take longer (1-3 days), but you only request them once.

Step 1 Request exports Step 2 Run installer Step 3 Import data

1 Request your data exports ~30 minutes hands-on, then 1–3 days waiting

Under GDPR (and similar laws worldwide), every platform is legally required to give you your data in a machine-readable format. Each platform's flow is slightly different. Below are step-by-step instructions, accurate as of April 2026, with the direct links you need.

Do all of these first. Most exports take a few hours to a few days to arrive. Request them all now in one sitting; by the time you run the installer in Step 2, they will be ready in your inbox.

LinkedIn · web only · arrives in ~24 hours

LinkedIn does not let you request a data archive from the mobile app. You must use a desktop browser.

  1. Open linkedin.com/mypreferences/d/download-my-data in a desktop browser. Sign in if you are not already.
  2. Choose "The works: All of the individual files we have available" for the most complete export.
  3. Click Request archive.
  4. Re-enter your LinkedIn password to confirm.
  5. An email arrives within 24 hours with a download link. Save the ZIP file to ~/Downloads.

Facebook · web recommended (also works in app) · arrives in minutes to hours

Facebook moved data exports into Meta's Accounts Center in 2024. The flow below is the current one.

  1. Open accountscenter.facebook.com/info_and_permissions/dyi. Sign in if needed.
  2. Click Download or transfer information.
  3. Select your Facebook account, then click Next.
  4. Choose All available information (or pick specific categories if you prefer).
  5. Choose Download to device.
  6. Format: JSON (more parseable than HTML). Media quality: Low (keeps the export size manageable). Date range: All time.
  7. Click Create files.
  8. When the export is ready, you will get a notification in Facebook plus an email. Click the download link and save the ZIP file to ~/Downloads.

Instagram · same Accounts Center flow as Facebook

Instagram exports go through the same Meta Accounts Center as Facebook. If you already started a Facebook export above, you can request Instagram from the same screen at the same time.

  1. Open accountscenter.facebook.com/info_and_permissions/dyi as above.
  2. When asked which account, choose your Instagram account.
  3. Same options as Facebook: All available information, Download to device, JSON, Low media quality, All time.
  4. Click Create files. Save the ZIP to ~/Downloads when it arrives.

If you prefer the Instagram mobile app: Profile > menu > Accounts Center > Your information and permissions > Download your information. Same final flow.

WhatsApp · phone app only · arrives in ~3 days

WhatsApp exports can only be requested from the WhatsApp app on your phone. There is no web flow.

  1. Open WhatsApp on your phone.
  2. Go to Settings (bottom right on iOS, three dots top right on Android) > Account > Request account info.
  3. Tap Request report.
  4. Wait. WhatsApp takes about 3 days. The notification appears inside the WhatsApp app at the same Account > Request account info screen.
  5. When ready, tap Download report. The ZIP saves to your phone's local storage.
  6. Transfer the ZIP to your Mac. The simplest way on iPhone is to share to Files > iCloud Drive, then open it on your Mac and copy to ~/Downloads. On Android, AirDrop, USB cable, or Google Drive all work.

Twitter / X · web preferred · arrives in 24–48 hours

  1. Open twitter.com/settings/download_your_data (or the equivalent x.com URL). Sign in if needed.
  2. Click Request archive.
  3. Re-enter your password.
  4. Confirm via email or SMS verification when prompted.
  5. Wait 24–48 hours. An email arrives with a download link, and the link also appears at the same settings page when ready.
  6. Save the ZIP to ~/Downloads.

Google Mail (Takeout) · web only · arrives in hours to days

We use Google Takeout for Gmail content. Calendar, contacts and photos come from Apple Calendar, Contacts and Photos directly during install – no Google OAuth needed.

  1. Open takeout.google.com. Sign in if needed.
  2. Critical first step: click "Deselect all" at the top of the list. Takeout defaults to exporting everything, which can take days for a full Google account. We only need Mail.
  3. Scroll down the list and tick the box next to Mail only.
  4. Scroll to the bottom and click Next step.
  5. Choose Send download link via email. Frequency: Export once. File type: .zip. File size: 50 GB (or whatever fits your mailbox).
  6. Click Create export.
  7. Wait. For small mailboxes (under 5 GB), it takes hours. For large ones, up to a day or two.
  8. When the email arrives with the download link, save the ZIP to ~/Downloads.

You don't need every export to start. The installer is fine with whichever exports have arrived; it just skips the ones that aren't there yet. You can re-run the import later when more arrive (Step 3 is repeatable).

2 Run the installer 10 minutes

Open Terminal on your Mac and paste:

curl -fsSL https://ostler.ai/install.sh | bash

The installer checks your hardware, installs Docker and Ollama if needed, starts the database services, downloads the embedding model, and sets up the import pipeline. It also walks you through security setup: creating a strong passphrase (this encrypts your databases) and saving a recovery key.

What you need:

  • Mac with Apple Silicon (M1 or later) – laptop or desktop, your call
  • 24 GB RAM recommended (16 GB works but limits AI model size; 8 GB is not recommended)
  • 35 GB free disk space
  • Internet connection (for initial downloads only – Ostler works offline after setup)

Which Mac should be your Hub?

Mac Mini or Mac Studio (always-on desktop) is the tidiest experience. Lives on a shelf, plugged in, always ready. Your iPhone always reaches it. Morning briefings fire at 9am whether you remembered or not. Marvin replies in real time, not after you open your laptop.

Your MacBook is the same product, portable. Take it to a coffee shop and the Hub goes with you. When you close the lid, Ostler goes to sleep with it. Captures queue locally and catch up the moment the lid opens. Docker and your local model pause on battery so your laptop is not cooked by the time you reach the office. Your iOS companion shows a live Online / Catching up / Offline status, so you always know the state.

Both Macs? One license, one Hub. Pick the Mac that wears the Hub hat. The other can reach the Hub’s web UI (wiki, Doctor dashboard) from Safari over your LAN or Tailscale, just like your iPhone can. A dedicated macOS companion app is on the roadmap.

macOS permissions the installer will request:

  • Contacts – reads your name (to pre-fill setup) and exports your contacts into the knowledge graph
  • Files & Folders – scans your Downloads folder for GDPR data exports
  • Full Disk Access – instant data from Safari history, iMessage, Apple Notes, Calendar, Photos face labels, Reminders, and Mail (optional but recommended – this is how you see value in minutes, not days)

You can decline any permission – that feature is skipped and everything else still works. These are standard Apple security prompts that every Mac app must use.

Docker Desktop takes a minute to start. If the installer says Docker is not running, the installer will open it automatically and wait.

3 Import your data 5-15 minutes

Once your GDPR exports have arrived, download them all and put them in one folder:

# Create a folder for your exports mkdir -p ~/gdpr-exports # Move your downloaded exports there # (LinkedIn/, Facebook/, Instagram/, etc.) # Run the import ostler-import ~/gdpr-exports/ --verbose

The importer scans for available exports and runs the appropriate parser for each platform. Missing exports are skipped gracefully. You will see a summary at the end showing how many contacts were imported from each platform.

What happens during import:

  • Contact names, companies, and positions are extracted and matched across platforms
  • Relationship signals are stored (when you connected, how often you messaged, who endorsed whom)
  • Calendar events are imported with attendee matching
  • Phone numbers are cross-referenced across WhatsApp, Twitter, and your address book
  • Instagram close friends are tagged as close connections

Message content is not stored. LinkedIn message metadata (who, when, how many) is imported, but the actual message text is not. This is a deliberate privacy choice.

After import

Your knowledge graph is live. You can explore it via:

  • Qdrant dashboard: http://localhost:6333/dashboard – see your vector database
  • Oxigraph: http://localhost:7878 – query your knowledge graph with SPARQL
  • Ostler Doctor: local diagnostics and health dashboard (launched from the Ostler menu bar icon) – coming soon

The personal wiki and AI assistant (Marvin) are coming in the next phase. For now, your data is imported, connected, and searchable.

Troubleshooting

Once Ostler Doctor ships, it will check all services, identify problems, and give you copy-paste fix commands. Until then, the common fixes below cover 90% of cases.

Common issues:

  • Docker not running: Open Docker Desktop from Applications, wait for it to start
  • Ollama not responding: Run ollama serve in a separate Terminal window
  • Import errors: The --verbose flag shows which parser failed and why. Re-run individual parsers from the README
  • Disk full: Remove unused Docker images (docker system prune -f) and Ollama models

If none of the above solves it, email support at support@ostler.ai.