Getting started with PocketPhantom

1. Install PocketPhantom

Download the installer from the download page and run it. PocketPhantom is a Windows 10 and 11 application, 64-bit only. The installer is one-click and installs for the current user, so there is no wizard to click through and no administrator prompt.

Windows SmartScreen may show a "Windows protected your PC" notice on first launch, because the installer is not yet code-signed. Choose More info, then Run anyway. Code signing is on our roadmap and will remove this notice.

2. Activate your licence key

On first launch PocketPhantom opens the activation screen. Paste the licence key you received by email — it looks like XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX — and confirm. The app checks the key with our licensing server and binds it to this computer.

Your plan covers a set number of devices. If you replace a machine, release the old device slot from Settings → Licence, or from the self-service portal. Lost your key? Recover it by email from the same portal — no login needed.

Once activated, the app re-checks your licence quietly in the background and keeps working offline using a cached result, so a dropped connection will not lock you out mid-session.

3. Meet the toolbar

PocketPhantom lives in a small always-on-top pill. Everything else opens from it:

• Chat — a dropdown panel for typed questions and streamed answers.
• Screen — captures your main monitor and asks about what is on it.
• Voice — dictate a question instead of typing, with a live level meter.
• Settings — General, Context, Usage, Licence, Appearance, Display, Hotkeys, and Tickets.

Press Ctrl + Shift + A at any time to show or hide the whole interface. You can rebind that and every other action — see the hotkeys and profiles guide.

4. Ask your first question

Open Chat and type a question. Answers stream back as formatted markdown, so code blocks, tables, and lists render properly. You can also attach a file or paste an image directly into the chat box.

Every plan includes hosted AI, so this works immediately with no API key and no setup — Claude Sonnet is the default model. If you would rather use your own Anthropic, OpenAI, or Google key, see hosted AI vs. bring your own key.

Watch your remaining monthly allowance any time under Settings → Usage.

Where to go next

• Load your notes into Context so answers use your own material.
• Set up hotkeys and profiles for keyboard-driven use.
• Read the setup docs for the condensed five-step version.

Stuck on something? Open a support ticket — you can also file one from inside the app under Settings → Tickets.

Frequently asked questions