Skip to content
Conversation Simulator Conversation Simulator

Installation

Conversation Simulator runs entirely on your computer — no cloud inference, no account, no telemetry. You need a local model before any conversation can start; the app downloads one on first run after you accept its license.

There are exactly two ways to get it:

SteamBuild from source
Cost$9.99Free
You getA ready-to-run app: code-signed, notarized, auto-updating via Steam, Steam Deck–verified. The AI engine is bundled, so there is nothing to install separately.The same software, built by you from the Apache-2.0 source.
Best forAlmost everyone.Developers, and anyone who wants to inspect or modify the code.

System requirements

Section titled “System requirements”
RequirementMinimumNotes
OSmacOS 13+, Ubuntu 22.04+, Windows 10macOS 12 Monterey is no longer supported (app minimum is macOS 13)
CPUAny 64-bit x86 or Apple SiliconApple Silicon recommended for CPU inference
RAM8 GB16 GB recommended for standard-tier models
GPU VRAM0 GB (CPU fallback available)4 GB+ for the starter model; see Choosing how to run the AI
Disk20 GB free3–15 GB for model weights plus app data

1. Steam — the ready-to-run build

Section titled “1. Steam — the ready-to-run build”

Install Conversation Simulator from Steam on Windows, macOS, Linux, or Steam Deck. Steam handles installation and updates; there is nothing else to download and nothing to verify by hand.

The Steam build is code-signed on Windows, signed and notarized on macOS, and ships with the AI engine bundled — so your first conversation can start while the model is still downloading.

That is the whole procedure. Skip to First launch.

2. Build from source — free

Section titled “2. Build from source — free”

The engine is Apache-2.0 and the four official scenario packs are CC BY 4.0, so you can always build and run the app yourself at no cost. It is the same software; you are supplying the build instead of paying for one.

Check out a release tag rather than main — tags are the versions we test and ship:

Terminal window
git clone https://github.com/outrightmental/ConversationSimulator.git
cd ConversationSimulator
git checkout v0.2.3        # latest release tag

Then follow the developer install, which covers prerequisites (Node, pnpm, Python, Rust) and building the desktop app.

Note that a source build is not code-signed. macOS Gatekeeper will warn about an unidentified developer on first launch: right-click the app → Open → Open. On Windows, SmartScreen may show “Windows protected your PC” — click More info → Run anyway. This is expected for software you built yourself; the signed builds are the ones distributed through Steam.

3. Set up your AI (first launch)

Section titled “3. Set up your AI (first launch)”

However you got the app, the first launch is the same. The app starts its local conversation engine automatically; if the home screen reports that the engine did not start, see Troubleshooting.

On first launch the app shows the welcome screen. The Set me up card names the recommended model for your hardware and shows its download size and license. Click Set me up to begin — the download starts right away.

  • A progress screen shows each installation stage (engine check → model download → verification → warmup).
  • While the model downloads you can click Start now on the Have your first conversation card to try the simulator with scripted, non-AI responses.
  • When all stages complete, click Continue to Home to start playing.

No model weights are bundled with the app. The one-time download is the only step that requires an internet connection — after it completes, everything works offline.

Want to use Ollama or a custom model file instead? See Choosing how to run the AI.

Updates and rollback

Section titled “Updates and rollback”

On Steam, Steam handles updates. Beta builds are published to the Steam beta branch — opt in from the app’s Properties → Betas in your Steam library. To roll back, pick an earlier build from that same menu.

There is no in-app updater and no direct-download beta channel: the app never polls GitHub for a new version, because no binaries are published there.

From source, update by checking out a newer release tag and rebuilding; roll back by checking out an earlier one. Data created in a newer version is forward-compatible with older versions at the same schema version (see Schema versioning).

Data locations

Section titled “Data locations”
PathPurpose
~/.convsim/db/Session database (SQLite)
~/.convsim/data/Exported data and pack cache
~/.convsim/logs/Runtime logs
~/.convsim/models/llm/Downloaded model weights

Override any of these with environment variables: CONVSIM_DB_DIR, CONVSIM_DATA_DIR, CONVSIM_LOG_DIR, CONVSIM_MODELS_DIR.

Next steps

Section titled “Next steps”