This guide takes you from zero to your first AI automation in Skales. We assume no technical background and no prior AI tool experience. Follow the steps in order and you will have a working AI agent on your desktop in under 10 minutes.
Step 1: Download and Install (2 minutes)
Go to getskales.app/download and download the installer for your platform (.exe for Windows, .dmg for macOS). Run the installer. On macOS, drag Skales to your Applications folder. On Windows, follow the standard installer flow. Launch Skales. You will see the welcome screen — choose your language (English, Deutsch, Español, or Français) and click Continue.
Step 2: Connect an AI Provider (3 minutes)
Skales needs an AI model to work. The easiest starting point is OpenRouter, which gives you access to multiple models on a pay-as-you-go basis with a free tier. Create a free account at openrouter.ai, copy your API key, paste it into Skales' API Key field, and select a model (we recommend starting with a free model like Llama 3.1 8B via OpenRouter). Click Save. For fully offline operation, install Ollama separately, then select Ollama as your provider and pull a model from within Skales.
Step 3: Your First Automation (5 minutes)
Open the main chat window. Try: "Draft an out-of-office email reply saying I'm unavailable until next Monday." Skales will generate a draft. Review it, edit if needed, click Send to your email client. Then try the Desktop Buddy — click the gecko icon in your taskbar, say "Remind me to check the Skales documentation in 30 minutes," and watch it create a calendar reminder. You have just completed your first automations. Everything from here is building on this foundation. Explore all features.