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How it works Features Docs Blogs Download Now
How it works Features Docs Blogs Download Now
⚡ Fast · Offline · 100% Private

Your documents,
found by meaning

CtrlSense uses a local AI model to search your PDFs and text files by what they mean — not just the words they contain.

Download Now See how it works →
ctrlsense
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Library
12 docs indexed
Searching…
How it works

From file to answer
in eight steps

Every search goes through the same AI pipeline — plus three system-level upgrades that make it feel like magic. Here's exactly what happens.

STEP 01
You drop in a file
Drag a PDF or TXT file into the app. CtrlSense saves it locally and queues it for processing.
pypdf · UTF-8 text reader
PDF
Q3_Invoice.pdf
Drop files here
Extracting text…0%
Q3_Invoice.pdf indexed
// Reading Q3_Invoice.pdf
extracted = ""
Reading page 1 of 3…
STEP 02
Text is extracted
The extractor reads every page of the PDF and returns one clean string of all content — ready to be embedded.
up to 10,000 chars per doc
STEP 03
AI converts it to a vector
The text is fed into all-mpnet-base-v2. The gold-standard 420MB model outputs 768 numbers encoding the document's deep semantic meaning with far greater accuracy than smaller models.
768-dimensional embedding
PDF
Q3_Invoice.pdf
Encoding meaning…
vector[768]0 / 768
[…]
// chroma_data / documents 0 vectors
Saved to ChromaDB ✓
STEP 04
Stored in ChromaDB
The vector is saved in ChromaDB — a local embedded database. No server needed. Every dot on the map is one of your documents, placed by meaning.
persists in /chroma_data on disk
STEP 05
Your query finds the match
Your query is embedded the same way. ChromaDB finds the nearest vectors by cosine similarity and returns ranked results in under 100ms.
cosine similarity · <100ms
// Opening matched document…
Total amount due: £4,820.00 · Payment terms: Net 30 days
Jumped to matched paragraph · keywords highlighted
STEP 06
Golden highlight & auto-scroll
When you click a result, the original file opens instantly. The app scrolls straight to the matched paragraph and applies a pulsing golden glow to the exact keywords — no hunting required.
all-mpnet-base-v2 · paragraph chunks
STEP 07
Zero-click auto-indexing
A background thread watches your dedicated folder at Documents\Ai Assistant Input. The moment you drop a file in — even from another app — CtrlSense wakes up, extracts text, and injects it into the vector brain. No button clicks needed.
watchdog · background thread
Watching Documents\Ai Assistant Input
new_contract.pdf detected → indexing…
Ctrl
+
Shift
+
D
CtrlSense Spotlight · always ready
Works from any app — Chrome, Word, games
STEP 08
Global Spotlight hotkey
Press Ctrl + Shift + D from anywhere on your computer — mid-game, mid-browser, mid-document — and the CtrlSense overlay instantly snaps to the front, ready for a semantic query. No minimizing windows needed.
keyboard · pygetwindow · system overlay
Built for professionals

Goodbye Ctrl+F

I used to spend 20 minutes hunting for specific indemnity clauses across 50-page vendor contracts. Now I just type 'what happens if they get sued' and it drops me on the exact paragraph. Incredible time saver.
SJ
Sarah Jenkins
Legal Counsel
The background folder watching is genius. I drop invoices from my email straight into the folder. By the time I switch to CtrlSense, they are already indexed and searchable. Zero friction workflow.
MR
Marcus Reed
Operations Manager
Finally, an AI tool that actually respects privacy. As an accountant, I can't upload client financials to web APIs. Having an accurate semantic search run entirely offline on my local machine is a game changer.
EL
Elena Lin
Senior CPA
I used to spend 20 minutes hunting for specific indemnity clauses across 50-page vendor contracts. Now I just type 'what happens if they get sued' and it drops me on the exact paragraph. Incredible time saver.
SJ
Sarah Jenkins
Legal Counsel
The CtrlSense Difference

Why semantic search wins

Capability Standard Ctrl+F Basic Search App CtrlSense
Understands meaning?
Finds synonyms automatically?
Works offline? (Zero cloud)
Auto-indexes background folders?
Global hotkey (Ctrl+Shift+D)?
Highlights exact match in doc?
Pricing Plans

Simple, Transparent Pricing

Choose the tier that fits your knowledge base needs.

Free Plan

Standard offline local desktop search for individuals.

$0 / forever
  • 25 Documents Packets
  • Local Semantic AI Search
  • 100% Private Offline Processing
  • Desktop Trigger Shortcut
  • Custom backgroundWatch Folder
Get Started
RECOMMENDED

Pro Plan

The ultimate power solution for advanced power users.

$25 / one-time
  • Unlimited Documents
  • Local Semantic AI Search
  • 100% Private Offline Processing
  • Desktop Trigger Shortcut
  • Custom Background Watch Folder
Upgrade to Pro

Advanced Semantic AI

Search documents by what they mean, not just keywords. Smart local vector parsing understands synonyms automatically.

Total Privacy

Your files never leave your machine. The AI model runs entirely on your local CPU. Zero cloud API calls.

Instant Hotkey

Hit Ctrl+Shift+D from anywhere to bring up the search overlay instantly. Built for power users.

Auto Watch Folder

Save files to the dedicated input folder and background threads process it automatically within seconds.

Golden Highlighting

Click a result and instantly open the document, scrolled exactly to the matched text with a golden glow.

Beautiful UI

A modern, clean interface built with dark mode in mind. Fast, responsive, and a joy to use daily.

Ready to find what you mean?

Download the standalone Windows executable. It comes bundled with the local AI model, so everything works out of the box.

v1.2.0 420MB model included Requires Windows 10/11

By downloading, you agree to run awesome local AI.
Read the documentation for advanced setup details.

Questions?

Frequently Asked Questions

Does CtrlSense send my documents to the cloud?

No. 100% of the extraction and AI vector indexing happens locally on your desktop node CPU. It works completely without an internet connection.

What file types are supported?

The current version fully supports PDFs and Text (.txt) documents. Support for more document nodes is coming in future cycles.

How does the $25 Pro model activation work?

Once bought, you receive an activation string. You paste it right inside the desktop Settings dashboard and it permanently unlocks unlimited indexed files for that computer offline instantly.

Will it slow down my computer background?

No. It operates using highly memory-efficient background thread monitors that sleep until they detect dropped nodes, avoiding high CPU drain loads.

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