# Jan Desktop: a first local project and model source

Create a first Jan Desktop project and distinguish conversation organization from the local or remote source of generated answers.

Author: Retrivium team
Updated: 2026-11-03
Canonical URL: https://retrivium.ai/journal/jan-first-local-project/
Language: en

A first Jan project should establish which conversations belong together and where the selected model runs. A project name is organizational state; it does not establish that generation is local or that another tool can access the same conversation.

## The concrete application boundary

Project organization helps a person return to a topic, while model selection determines the generator used for a particular conversation. These choices should be checked independently in Jan Desktop. A useful project has a clear purpose and recognizable conversations rather than an assortment of unrelated experiments. Begin with text pasted directly into the chat, because file processing and tools introduce additional configuration. The local engine must support the selected imported or downloaded model on the actual computer. A remote model entry is another source option, not proof of local execution. Do not use the existence of a project as evidence of model loading or external API availability ([Jan Desktop documentation](https://docs.jan.ai/desktop)).

## A practical route

Create a project for one bounded activity, such as preparing release notes from a supplied change list. Select an available local model and verify a short response before adding material. Keep a separate note for the model source. If you choose a configured remote provider instead, label that decision explicitly rather than describing the session as offline.

## A worked example

Use a fictional change list containing a fixed spelling mistake and an updated help message. Ask for a draft announcement, then ask which change affects existing users. Save a conversation under the project and reopen it. A fresh conversation can test whether project organization and the supplied context match your expectations without involving external files or tools.

| Check | Record |
| --- | --- |
| Project | Release-note practice with fictional source material and a clear purpose. |
| Model source | The chosen local engine or remote provider, recorded independently of the project name. |
| Reopening | The conversation remains findable and the follow-up refers to its supplied change list. |

## Reading the failure correctly

If the answer describes a feature absent from the change list, treat it as an unsupported model assumption. If the wrong conversation opens, inspect organization before changing inference parameters. If an external client fails, move to the API server check rather than treating project creation as proof of connectivity ([Jan Local API Server](https://docs.jan.ai/desktop/api-server)).

## What completes the check

The completed setup note explains the project purpose, selected model source, and location of the conversation. Jan Agent has separate project and session behavior; do not promise that a Desktop project automatically becomes an agent workspace ([Jan Agent documentation](https://docs.jan.ai/agent)).

Related background: [llama.cpp server: a local API from a GGUF model](/journal/llama-cpp-server-launch/), [VRAM for LLMs: why model size is only part of the calculation](/journal/vram-and-models/).