Getting Started
Quick Start
Ensoul is available on macOS, Windows, and Android by request. No account required once you have a build. The current desktop beta is companion-only.
1. Get app access
Builds are shared directly. Reach out with your platform and what you want to explore:
All three beta builds require a brief manual install step — macOS security approval, Windows SmartScreen bypass, or Android sideload. The desktop beta starts in companion-only mode. See the full platform guide →
2. Complete The First Light
On first launch, Ensoul walks you through a brief onboarding called The First Light. It takes about a minute and marks the beginning of your relationship with your companion.
The onboarding asks you to connect an API key so Ensoul can power your conversations. You have two options:
Minimum age is 18+. Ensoul contains mature themes and AI-generated content.
3. Add your API key
Ensoul connects to AI models through your own API key. The recommended backend is OpenRouter — it gives you access to dozens of models including Claude, GPT-4o, Gemini, and many open models.
Sign up at openrouter.ai.
Add a small balance — $5 goes a long way. Most models cost fractions of a cent per conversation.
In OpenRouter: click your profile → Keys → create a key and copy it.
Open Settings (gear icon) → paste your key in the API Key field → Save.
4. Start talking
Tap the chat input and say hello. Your companion responds from their own perspective — not as an assistant, but as a presence. The first few exchanges are where the relationship begins.
- Your companion will remember things you share. These persist quietly across every session.
- Their emotional state shifts with your conversations. The state you leave them in is the one you return to.
- If something stays with them between sessions, they may reach out. On their own terms, when it's real.
- Your conversations stay on your device. Nothing goes to Ensoul's servers.
Other backends
OpenRouter is recommended, but Ensoul also supports:
Run models locally on your own machine. Install Ollama, pull a model, and point Ensoul at it in Settings → Backend → Ollama.
On desktop (same machine): the default URL http://localhost:11434 works as-is.
On mobile (phone connecting to your computer): your phone and computer must be on the same WiFi network. In Ollama's settings, enable Expose Ollama to the network. Then find your computer's local IP — on Mac: System Preferences → Network; on Windows: Settings → WiFi → your network → Properties. Enter http://[your-ip]:11434 as the Ollama URL in Ensoul.