First launch
What you see the first time, and the one setting that unlocks the model-backed features.
In short
The first screen is Home: a box to describe an idea, a folder button, an upload button and a "Start debating" button. You can use the app immediately; the parts that call an AI model stay disabled until you connect an engine.
1Look at the header
The top bar has the Thesivor mark, a home button, the stage tabs (Boardroom, Literature vault, Notebook, LaTeX draft) and icons for offline state, engines, git changes, downloads, Tracker, Proposal, Commit and Settings. On Home, Notebook and LaTeX are visible but disabled until you open a project.
2Connect an engine (optional now)
Open Settings → AI engines. The quickest start is OpenRouter: paste a key, then use Fetch free models. Nothing here is required to browse the app or open a project. See Set up AI engines.
3Pick your theme
Settings → Appearance switches between Light, Dark and System. The app follows the system by default.
For technical users
Engines are detected and listed; a CLI engine uses its own sign-in and Thesivor never reads its credentials. Keys are stored in the OS secure storage through Electron safeStorage, never in a file or the renderer. The header's engine dot shows the worst state among the engines in use. Settings saves as you change it, except a typed key, which has its own Save button.