Help Center

System Requirements

Librariness is currently available for Windows 10 and Windows 11 (64-bit). macOS support is planned for a future release.

Minimum Requirements

• OS: Windows 10 (64-bit) or newer
• RAM: 4 GB (8 GB recommended for large libraries)
• Disk Space: 500 MB for the application
• Internet: Required for cloud sources, AI classification, and license validation
• AI API Key: Required for classification — OpenAI, Anthropic (Claude), or Google (Gemini)

Installing Librariness

1. Download the installer from librariness.com — the file is named Librariness-Setup.exe.
2. Double-click the installer. If Windows shows a SmartScreen warning saying "Windows protected your PC," click More info → Run anyway. This warning appears because the app is new and not yet code-signed — it is safe to proceed.
3. The installer will complete automatically in about 30 seconds. Librariness will launch when done.
4. On first launch, Librariness will start the backend service — a small Python process that handles file classification. This may take 10–15 seconds the first time.

Running Your First Sort

Your first sort takes about 2 minutes to set up. Here's how:

1. Add a Source: Click "Add Source" in the sidebar. Choose a local folder (like your Downloads folder) or connect a cloud account.
2. Add your AI key: Go to Settings → AI Provider. Paste in your OpenAI, Anthropic, or Google API key. Librariness uses your key directly — we never store it on our servers.
3. Choose a Taxonomy: Select "Dewey Decimal" to use the built-in system, or click "Custom" to define your own category structure.
4. Preview (optional): Click "Preview Sort" to see where Librariness intends to place each file before committing. This is great for your first time.
5. Sort: Click the Sort button. Librariness will read each file and move it to the correct folder. You'll see real-time progress in the status bar.

How long does a sort take?

Sort speed depends on how many files you have and which AI provider you use. As a rough guide:

• Under 500 files: Usually 2–5 minutes
• 500–2,000 files: Usually 5–15 minutes
• 2,000+ files: Can take 30 minutes or more — let it run in the background

Librariness runs the sort in the background so you can keep using your computer. You'll get a notification when it's done.

Connecting Google Drive

1. In Librariness, go to Settings → Connected Accounts → Add Account → Google Drive.
2. A browser window will open asking you to sign in to your Google account. Sign in with the Google account that has the Drive you want to connect.
3. Google will show a permissions screen — Librariness requests access to read and organize your Drive files. Click Allow.
4. You'll be redirected back to Librariness automatically. Your Drive should now appear in the sidebar under Connected Sources.

Troubleshooting Google Drive Connection

• "This app isn't verified": Click "Advanced" → "Go to Librariness (unsafe)" — this warning appears for apps during early access and is safe to proceed through.
• Browser doesn't redirect back: Close the browser tab and check if Librariness already shows the connection in settings. Sometimes the handoff happens but the tab doesn't close.
• Wrong account: Disconnect the account in Settings and re-connect — make sure you sign in with the correct Google account when the browser opens.

Connecting OneDrive

1. In Librariness, go to Settings → Connected Accounts → Add Account → OneDrive.
2. A browser window will open with a Microsoft sign-in page. Sign in with your Microsoft account (personal, Outlook, or work/school).
3. Microsoft will ask to grant Librariness access to your files. Review the permissions and click Accept.
4. You'll be redirected back to Librariness. Your OneDrive will appear in the sidebar.

Connecting Box

1. In Librariness, go to Settings → Connected Accounts → Add Account → Box.
2. A browser window will open with the Box login page. Sign in to your Box account.
3. Box will show an authorization screen — click Grant Access to Box.
4. You'll be redirected back to Librariness. Your Box account will appear in the sidebar.

Taxonomies Explained

A taxonomy is the folder structure Librariness uses to organize your files. Think of it as the blueprint — you define the categories, and Librariness fills them.

The Default (Dewey Decimal)

The built-in taxonomy is inspired by the Dewey Decimal Classification system used in libraries. It organizes files into broad categories like:

• 000 — General Works (computer files, software, reference)
• 100 — Philosophy & Psychology (personal journals, self-development)
• 300 — Social Sciences (business, law, government)
• 500 — Science (research papers, data, technical docs)
• 600 — Technology (manuals, engineering, medical)
• 700 — Arts (design files, photos, creative work)
• 800 — Literature (writing, scripts, documents)
• 900 — History & Geography (archives, records)

Each main category contains subcategories for more specific placement. This works well for most people right out of the box.

Custom Taxonomies

If the default doesn't fit your workflow, you can define your own. Common examples:

• By client: Client A / Client B / Client C → with subfolders for Invoices, Contracts, Deliverables
• By year: 2024 / 2025 / 2026 → with subfolders by project type
• By project: Active Projects / Archived / Templates
• By file type: Images / Documents / Spreadsheets / Audio / Video

To create a custom taxonomy: go to Settings → Taxonomies → New Taxonomy. Add your top-level categories and nest subcategories as deep as you need.

Using Danny the Librarian

Danny is your AI-powered library assistant. Instead of navigating folders, you just ask Danny where something is — or what you have on a topic.

How to Open Danny

Click the chat icon in the left sidebar. A panel will open where you can type your question.

What to Ask Danny

Danny understands natural language — just talk to him like you'd talk to a person. Examples:

• "Find my contract with Acme Corp"
• "Show me all invoices from last year"
• "What files do I have about machine learning?"
• "Find the presentation I was working on last Tuesday"
• "Do I have anything related to tax returns?"

What Danny Searches

Danny searches across all your connected sources — local folders and all cloud accounts. He reads file names, folder names, and the content of documents to find the most relevant results.

Setting Up Your AI Key

Librariness uses AI to read and classify your files. You provide your own API key — this means your files are processed directly between your machine and the AI provider. Librariness never sees your file contents.

Supported Providers

• OpenAI (GPT-4) — fastest, most widely tested. Get a key at platform.openai.com.
• Anthropic (Claude) — excellent for document understanding. Get a key at console.anthropic.com.
• Google (Gemini) — good alternative. Get a key at aistudio.google.com.

Adding Your Key

1. Go to Settings → AI Provider.
2. Select your provider from the dropdown.
3. Paste your API key into the field.
4. Click Save. Librariness will test the key and confirm it's working.

How Much Does It Cost?

Cost depends on how many files you sort and which AI provider you use. As a rough guide, sorting 1,000 files typically costs between $0.10–$0.50 in API credits. Running Danny for searches is essentially free.

Free Trial

Librariness includes a 14-day free trial with full access to all features. No credit card required to start.

How to Start Your Trial

When you first open Librariness, you'll be offered a free trial. Click "Start Free Trial" — that's it. The trial starts immediately and runs for 14 days.

What Happens When the Trial Ends?

When your 14-day trial ends, sorting and Danny the Librarian will pause. Your existing library stays exactly as it is — nothing is deleted or moved. Subscribe to a plan to continue using the app.

Can I Restart the Trial?

No — the trial is once per machine and cannot be restarted. If you need more time to evaluate Librariness, email us at admin@librariness.com and we'll work something out.

Activating a License Key

1. Purchase a Librariness subscription from librariness.com. You'll receive a license key by email from LemonSqueezy.
2. Open Librariness and go to Settings → License.
3. Paste your license key into the field and click Activate.
4. Librariness will verify the key with LemonSqueezy. If successful, your subscription status will update immediately.

Moving to a New Computer

Each license key can be active on one machine at a time. To move Librariness to a new machine:

1. On your old machine: go to Settings → License → Deactivate. This releases the seat.
2. Install Librariness on your new machine and activate with the same key.

Billing & Cancellation

Librariness subscriptions are managed through LemonSqueezy. You can view, change, or cancel your subscription at any time through your LemonSqueezy customer portal.

How to Cancel

1. Find your original purchase receipt email from LemonSqueezy.
2. Click the customer portal link in that email.
3. In the portal, click Cancel Subscription. Your access continues until the end of the current billing period.

Refund Policy

We do not offer refunds for partial billing periods. If you're having trouble with Librariness, please email us before cancelling — we'd love the chance to fix whatever's not working.

Windows Security Warning on Install

When you run the Librariness installer, Windows may show a SmartScreen warning:

"Windows protected your PC — Microsoft Defender SmartScreen prevented an unrecognized app from starting."

Why This Happens

This warning appears for any application from a publisher that doesn't yet have a code signing certificate. It does NOT mean the app is malicious — it means the app is new and Windows doesn't have enough reputation data on it yet.

How to Proceed

1. Click More info on the SmartScreen dialog.
2. Click Run anyway.
3. The installer will proceed normally.

Sort Errors

"API key invalid" or "AI provider error"

• Go to Settings → AI Provider and verify your key is entered correctly — no extra spaces at the start or end.
• Check that your API account has credits or isn't rate-limited. Log in to your provider's dashboard to confirm.
• Try switching to a different provider to isolate whether the issue is with the key or the provider's service.

Sort stops mid-way

• Check your internet connection — Librariness needs internet to reach the AI API.
• If sorting a cloud source, check that your cloud account is still connected (Settings → Connected Accounts).
• Very large files (>50 MB) can sometimes cause timeouts. Try excluding them from the sort for now.

Files not moving / sort completes but nothing changed

• Make sure you're not running in Preview mode — click the Sort button (not Preview Sort).
• Check that Librariness has write permissions to the destination folder.
• On cloud sources, verify the integration still has the necessary permissions in the cloud provider's settings.

Cloud Authentication Issues

Google Drive says "This app isn't verified"

This is expected during early access. Click Advanced at the bottom of the Google warning screen, then Go to Librariness (unsafe). The app is safe — Google shows this for apps that haven't completed their full verification process yet.

OneDrive "Need admin approval"

This means your Microsoft account is managed by an organization (work or school account) and your IT department has restricted third-party app access. You'll need to ask your IT admin to approve Librariness, or use a personal Microsoft account instead.

Authentication window closes but nothing happens

1. Close and reopen Librariness.
2. Go to Settings → Connected Accounts and check if the account is already listed.
3. If not, try connecting again. If the issue persists, email us with a description of what's happening.

Still Need Help?

We're a small team that genuinely cares about making Librariness work for you. If you're stuck on something not covered here, reach out directly:

• Email: admin@librariness.com
• Response time: Typically within 24 hours on business days

When you write in, it helps to include:

• Your Windows version (Win 10 or Win 11)
• Which version of Librariness you're running (visible in Settings → About)
• What you were trying to do and what happened instead
• Any error messages you saw (a screenshot is always helpful)