General

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What is sideBar?

sideBar is an AI assistant for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and web. It gives you a single place to take notes, manage tasks, save websites, and work with files, all alongside an AI that can read your content, help you think, and get things done.

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What makes sideBar different from ChatGPT or Claude.ai?

Most AI assistants start fresh with every conversation and know nothing about you. sideBar builds a persistent picture of you from your notes, tasks, saved websites, files, and memories, and brings that context into every conversation automatically. You also bring your own API key and choose your provider, so you are not locked into one company or model. The Skills Store lets you extend sideBar with capabilities that can take actions, connect to external services, and go well beyond simple question and answer.

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What can I use sideBar for?

Practically anything you would ask a knowledgeable assistant. Common examples include drafting and editing writing, researching topics and summarising articles, planning your day and managing tasks, brainstorming ideas, organising notes across projects, saving web pages for later reference, getting quick answers from your own files and documents, and automating tasks through skills like web search, email, or audio transcription. Because sideBar knows your content, it can connect the dots across your notes, tasks, websites, and files in ways a generic chatbot cannot.

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I just signed up. What should I do first?

Four things will get you the most out of sideBar quickly:

1. Fill out your profile in Settings. Your name, job, and location help sideBar tailor its responses from the start.
2. Start a conversation in Chat. Ask sideBar anything to see how it works.
3. Save a website or upload a file, then ask sideBar about it. This is where the context advantage becomes obvious.
4. Browse the Skills Store and install anything useful to you. Skills extend what sideBar can do, from web search to email to transcription.

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What platforms does sideBar run on?

iPhone, iPad, Mac, and in your browser. Your content syncs across all of them in real time.

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Do I need to bring my own API key?

Yes. sideBar works with Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google. You choose the provider and add your own API key in Settings. Your key is encrypted before being stored and only the last four characters are ever shown back to you.

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How does pricing work?

There is no subscription fee for sideBar itself. You connect your own API key from Anthropic, OpenAI, or Google and pay that provider directly for the AI usage you generate. Costs depend on which provider you choose and how much you use the app.

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Which AI provider should I use?

All three supported providers (Anthropic, OpenAI, Google) work with sideBar’s core features. The best choice depends on your existing accounts and preferences.

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Will I lose my memories and personalisation if I switch provider?

No. Your memories, notes, tasks, saved websites, files, and all other content are stored in sideBar, not with your AI provider. Switching from one provider to another has no effect on any of that. You can swap freely at any time from Settings and everything carries over.

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What is the Skills Store?

The Skills Store is a library of optional capabilities you can add to sideBar. Skills can search the web, transcribe audio and video, send emails, connect to third-party services, and more. Once installed, sideBar uses them automatically during conversations when they are relevant. See Skills Store for the full list and setup instructions.

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How does sync work across devices?

Your content syncs in real time across every device where you are signed in. Create a note on your iPhone, and it appears on your iPad and Mac within seconds. Complete a task on the web, and it updates everywhere else immediately. Sync is automatic and there is nothing to configure. If you make changes while offline, they queue up and sync as soon as your connection returns. You can see pending changes in Settings under the User tab.

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Does sideBar work offline?

Reading your existing notes, tasks, websites, and files works offline. Sending chat messages, saving new content, or syncing changes requires a connection. If something isn’t saving, check your connectivity first.

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What does sideBar store?

sideBar stores your notes, tasks, saved websites, files, chat conversations, memories, and settings. Everything syncs across your devices via your account. See our Privacy Policy for full details.

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What file types does sideBar support?

sideBar accepts a wide range of formats: PDFs, Word documents, plain text, images (JPG, PNG, and others), audio files, video files, spreadsheets (Excel and CSV), and presentations (PowerPoint and similar). See Files for the full breakdown.

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Does sideBar have its own personality?

Yes. sideBar has an identity (a name, a tone of voice, a set of values, and boundaries it holds) and a soul (a sense of purpose, operating principles, and an understanding of how it should grow with you over time). These shape every response and make sideBar feel consistent rather than generic. You can view them in Settings under the sideBar tab. See Personality for the full explanation.

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Can I control how sideBar communicates with me?

Partly. sideBar manages its own identity and soul, but there are two settings you control directly in Settings under the User tab: communication style (how formal or casual sideBar is with you) and working relationship (whether sideBar acts as a partner, a coach, a teacher, or something else). These work alongside sideBar’s personality rather than overriding it.

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Does sideBar change over time?

Yes. As sideBar learns more about you through conversations and the content you create, it updates its soul to stay aligned with who you are and what you need. Each update is versioned and timestamped. You can ask sideBar to update its identity and soul at any time, but cannot edit them directly; they belong to sideBar.

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Is sideBar accessible?

sideBar follows standard iOS and macOS accessibility conventions. The app works with VoiceOver and Dynamic Type, and you can adjust the text size in Settings under the App tab (System, Small, Medium, or Large). Biometric lock (Face ID or Touch ID) is available if your device supports it.

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How do I report a bug or request a feature?

Just tell sideBar in Chat, for example “I found a bug with X” or “I’d love a feature that does Y”. sideBar will file a report automatically and send you a link to the issue. See Getting Help for more.