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How to use Serena

Serena User Guide — How to Use Serena AI

Your Local-First AI Assistant for Mac

Version 1.7.5 | February 2026 | FolkTech AI

What Makes Serena Different

FeatureCloud AI (ChatGPT, Siri, etc.)Serena

Where AI runsTheir serversYour Mac

Internet requiredYes, alwaysNo — works offline

Response time1–3 secondsUnder 20 milliseconds

Your dataStored on their serversNever leaves your device

Works on airplaneNoYes

Monthly cost$20+/month$20/month Pro (free tier available)

Serena runs entirely on your Mac. Your conversations, your data, and your privacy stay on your device. No cloud. No data harvesting. Just you and your AI.

System Requirements

  • Mac with Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3, M4)

  • macOS 14.0 (Sonoma) or later

  • 16GB RAM recommended (8GB minimum)

  • 5GB free storage for the AI model

Getting Started

Step 1: Download & Install

  1. Visit folktechai.com and click Download Serena

  2. Open the downloaded DMG file

  3. Drag Serena to your Applications folder

  4. Launch Serena from Applications

Step 2: First Launch

  • The AI model loads on first launch — this takes about 30 seconds

  • Serena will ask for permissions (Calendar, Music, Notes, Reminders) — grant these to unlock all features

  • These permission prompts are one-time only

Step 3: Start Talking

Type a message and hit Enter. Serena is ready to help.

What Serena Can Do

Serena integrates directly with your Mac's built-in apps and features. Here's everything at a glance.

📅 Calendar

Create, view, and delete events directly in Apple Calendar.

Say ThisSerena Does

"Create a meeting with John tomorrow at 2pm"Creates calendar event

"Schedule a dentist appointment Friday at 9:30am"Creates event with exact time

"What's on my calendar tomorrow?"Lists your upcoming events

"Delete the dentist appointment"Finds and removes the event

Tips: Serena understands natural language — say "tonight," "next Tuesday," or "this weekend" and she'll figure out the date.

🎵 Music

Control Apple Music playback with natural commands.

Say ThisSerena Does

"Play Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen"Plays the specific song

"Play some Taylor Swift"Plays music by the artist

"Play jazz"Plays genre-based music

"Stop the music"Stops playback

"Pause"Pauses playback

Note: Requires an Apple Music subscription for full catalog access.

📝 Notes

Create, read, and update notes in Apple Notes.

Say ThisSerena Does

"Create a note called Shopping List with milk, eggs, and bread"Creates a new note

"Read my Shopping List note"Reads back the note contents

"Add butter to my Shopping List"Appends to the existing note

✅ Reminders

Create reminders and tasks in Apple Reminders.

Say ThisSerena Does

"Remind me to call mom tomorrow at 5pm"Creates a timed reminder

"Remind me to take out the trash"Creates a simple reminder

🌐 Web & Browser

Search the web and open websites directly from Serena.

Say ThisSerena Does

"Search for best restaurants in Las Vegas"Opens browser with search results

"Open YouTube"Opens the website

"Open google.com"Navigates to the URL

🚀 App Launcher

Open any application on your Mac.

Say ThisSerena Does

"Open Safari"Launches Safari

"Launch Calculator"Opens Calculator

"Open System Settings"Opens Settings

"Open Spotify"Launches Spotify (if installed)

⚡ RTAI — Instant Answers

Serena's signature feature. RTAI (Retrieval-Triggered AI) delivers verified factual answers in under 20 milliseconds — no hallucination, no guessing.

Serena ships with nearly 5,000 prebuilt facts ready to go on day one. But RTAI doesn't stop there — the more you use Serena, the more she learns about you through the Mitosis learning system, which actually expands your personal RTAI library over time. Your Serena literally gets smarter the more you use her.

What RTAI covers out of the box:

  • World capitals and geography

  • US state capitals

  • US Presidents (with years in office)

  • Science and math constants (pi, speed of light, periodic table)

  • Unit conversions (temperature, distance, weight)

  • HTTP status codes and tech references

  • NATO phonetic alphabet

  • Roman numerals

  • Days in each month

  • …and thousands more verified facts

Try it: Ask "What's the capital of France?" and watch Serena answer instantly — then ask "Tell me a joke" and notice the difference. RTAI handles facts; the full AI handles everything else. Serena switches between them seamlessly.

💭 Proactive Follow-Ups (Pro)

This is what makes Serena feel like a real assistant, not a chatbot.

Tell Serena something like "I have a meeting with John this afternoon" and move on with your day. Two days later, Serena will reach out on her own and ask you how the meeting went. No reminder set. No prompt from you. She just remembered, decided when to check in, and did it.

How it works:

  • Serena picks up on meaningful events, tasks, and commitments from your conversations

  • She determines the right time to follow up — not immediately, but when it makes sense

  • Follow-ups appear as notifications on your Mac and on your iPhone

  • This works across sessions — you can quit Serena, close your laptop, come back days later, and she still remembers

Example:

You (Monday): "I'm interviewing a new candidate on Wednesday"

Serena (Thursday): "Hey — how did the interview go yesterday? Want to make any notes about it?"

No other local AI does this. Serena doesn't just answer questions — she pays attention to your life.

Proactive Follow-Ups are a Pro feature. Try them free for 7 days.

💬 Conversations

Serena is a full AI assistant. Beyond tools, she can:

  • Answer questions and explain concepts

  • Help with writing, brainstorming, and research

  • Maintain context across your conversation

  • Remember what you've discussed within a session

Offline Mode

Serena works without an internet connection. When you're offline:

  • ✅ AI conversations work perfectly

  • ✅ Calendar, Notes, and Reminders work

  • ✅ RTAI instant answers work

  • ✅ App launching works

  • ❌ Web search requires internet

  • ⚠️ Music may have limited functionality

Free vs. Pro

FeatureFreePro ($20/month)

RTAI instant answers (~5,000 built-in facts)✅✅

Mitosis learning (Serena adapts to you)✅✅

Daily actions (calendar, music, notes, reminders, web)3 per dayUnlimited

Proactive Follow-Ups — Serena remembers what you tell her and checks in later (even days later) to follow up. Get notifications on your Mac and your phone.—✅

Cross-session memory — Serena remembers past conversations—✅

Unlimited conversation history—✅

Advanced personalization—✅

All future Pro features—✅

Try Pro free for 7 days. Upgrade anytime from Settings → Subscription.

How to Activate Pro

  1. Launch Serena

  2. Go to Settings (gear icon)

  3. Find Subscription

  4. Click Upgrade to Pro or Enter License Key

  5. Complete payment through Stripe (or paste your license key)

Tips & Tricks

Natural language works. You don't need exact commands. Say things the way you'd say them to a friend: "What do I have going on this week?" works just as well as "Show my calendar events."

RTAI is your secret weapon. For factual lookups, Serena is 10,000x faster than ChatGPT. Try quick-hit queries like "hydrogen," "http 404," or "nato A" for instant results.

Serena learns. The Mitosis system adapts to your preferences over time. The more you use Serena, the better she gets at being your Serena.

Privacy by design. You can verify Serena processes locally: open Activity Monitor → Network tab, ask a non-web question, and watch — zero outbound traffic.

Troubleshooting

Serena takes a while to respond on first launch

The AI model needs about 30 seconds to load the first time. After that, responses are fast.

Calendar/Music/Notes aren't working

Check System Settings → Privacy & Security and make sure Serena has permission for Calendar, Music, and Reminders.

Music won't play

Apple Music subscription is required for full catalog playback.

Web search isn't working

Web search requires an internet connection. All other features work offline.

Get Help

Built with ❤️ by FolkTech AI — Private AI that lives on your device.

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