This guide takes you from installing BACR to sending your first message. It takes about five minutes, plus the time to download a model if you choose to run one on your own device.
Important
BACR runs on your desktop and on Android. Both apps use the same BACR engine. The desktop app has the full feature set: Agent mode with your project folders, the Files mode for PDFs, the Email assistant, and Phone access. The Android app focuses on Chat, Agent, Automations, and controlling your computer remotely. Each guide tells you when a feature is desktop-only.
What you can do with BACR
- Chat with an AI model that runs on your device, through your own OpenRouter key, or through BACR Inference.
- Hand off tasks to the agent, which plans the work, uses tools, and asks for your approval before acting.
- Ask questions about your PDFs and get answers grounded in the passages it found.
- Keep useful context across conversations with Memory, which you can always inspect and edit.
- Connect your apps (Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Notion, GitHub) and schedule read-only briefings.
1. Install BACR
Desktop
- Sign in on bacr.app and open your Dashboard.
- Go to Download and pick the build for your operating system.
- Run the installer, then open BACR.
Note
On Linux, BACR keeps your sign-in and API keys in the system keyring. Make sure a keyring service such as GNOME Keyring or KDE Wallet is installed and unlocked, otherwise sign-in can't be saved.
Note
On Windows, Microsoft Defender SmartScreen may show "Windows protected your PC" when you run the installer. Click More info, then Run anyway.
Android
BACR for Android is installed from an APK file. Open the file on your phone and, if Android asks, allow installation from that source. The app needs Android 9 or later.
2. Sign in
BACR uses your Google account to activate the app. You only need to do this once per device.
- Desktop: choose Continue with Google. BACR opens your browser to complete sign-in, then returns to the app.
- Android: choose Continue with Google and pick your account in the system sheet.
Your sign-in is stored in your system's secure credential store (the keychain on desktop, Android Keystore on your phone). It is never kept in plain text.
Tip
If you were signed in before and lose your connection, you can keep chatting with a model on your device. Cloud models and web search come back once BACR can verify your account again.
3. Choose where your model runs
The first time you open BACR, a short welcome screen asks how you'd like to work. You can choose any of these, and switch at any time from Settings → AI provider:
| Option | What it means |
|---|---|
| Local | A model downloaded to your device. Works offline, and your messages never leave the device. |
| OpenRouter | Use your own OpenRouter API key to reach hundreds of cloud models. |
| BACR Inference | Models managed by BACR and connected to your BACR account. No key needed. |
explains each option in detail.
4. Find your way around
Desktop
- Sidebar (left): start a new conversation (Ctrl+N / Cmd+N), open Automations, Email, and Games, and search your conversations, which are grouped by project. Your account at the bottom opens Settings.
- Conversation (center): where you type and read replies. The mode switch at the top chooses Chat, Agent, or Files. The composer at the bottom has the + menu (attachments, web search, skills, tools) and the model picker.
- Workspace panel (right): open it with the panel button at the top right to choose a project folder for the current conversation, browse its files, and use the built-in Terminal. See .
Android
A bottom bar gives you Chat, Remote, Automations, and Settings. Your past conversations are in the drawer at the top left of Chat.
5. Send your first message
Type in the composer and press Enter to send (Shift+Enter adds a new line). Replies stream in as they're written, and you can press Stop at any time.
New conversations get a short title automatically after the first reply. You can rename or delete a conversation from the sidebar (desktop) or the conversation drawer (Android).
Tip
Not sure where to start? Try Chat for questions and writing, and switch to Agent when you want BACR to do something, like reading files in a project or preparing an email draft.