Docs & PDF Q&A
fully-local-pdf-chatbot
Chat with a PDF without anything leaving the browser tab
★ 1.8k
December 2025
MIT
Docs & PDF Q&A
What we checked ourselves
Not copied from the project's own blurb. These are things we opened and verified, with the date.
- 9 Sept 2026We checked that the link to the project still resolves.
- 14 Aug 2026We read the licence text itself (LICENSE). No unusual restrictions were stated.
- 2 Sept 2026We read the project's own documentation and found signs that it may no longer be maintained.
Where this sits among the 63 tools we list in Docs & PDF Q&A
- No API key required32 of 63
- Keeps your data on your own machine20 of 63
- Commercial use confirmed as allowed52 of 63
- Requires terminal commands20 that do not →
Only 17 of the 63 meet all of the conditions above.
Counted from our own checks: every tool we list is examined against the same criteria.
What it does
Three ways to run the same document chat: weights downloaded into the browser via WebLLM, a local Ollama instance, or Chrome's built-in model. The first option means genuinely no server and no network — and correspondingly heavy dependence on the device, with large PDFs feeling it. A hosted demo lets you try the browser path immediately. Answer quality tracks whatever model your machine can carry. MIT.
Summary based on the project's own description. The Japanese page has a fuller beginner guide: setup difficulty, what to prepare, and a step-by-step start.
Screenshots & visuals
Before you start
- Setup difficultySome setup needed
- Command lineRequired
- API keyNot required
- Sends data onlineNo
Judged automatically from the project's own metadata. Always confirm on the official page.
fully-local-pdf-chatbot FAQ
- Is fully-local-pdf-chatbot free?
- Yes. It runs on your own machine, so there is no usage-based cost either.
- Do I need to install anything or write code to use fully-local-pdf-chatbot?
- It needs the command line. If you are not comfortable typing commands, expect to get stuck during setup.
- Does fully-local-pdf-chatbot work on a phone?
- No. It needs a computer.
- Can I use fully-local-pdf-chatbot commercially?
- The licence is MIT, which permits commercial use. Conditions such as keeping the copyright notice still apply, so read the licence text before shipping it inside something.
How it compares
The conditions that decide whether you can actually use it, side by side.
| Tool | Command line | API key | Sends data out | Phone | Commercial use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| fully-local-pdf-chatbot (this page) | Required | Not needed | No | No | Yes |
| OCRmyPDF | Required | Not needed | No | No | Yes |
| zerox | Required | Required | Yes | No | Yes |
| paper-qa | Required | Required | Yes | No | Yes |
"Sends data out" means your input is uploaded to someone's server. Pick "No" when the material cannot leave your organisation.