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Sets (Libraries)

Use Sets to keep multiple libraries (sources, items, and chat history) separate.

What a Set is

A Set is a separate library inside pinakea. Think of it as a self-contained workspace: it has its own sources, its own timeline of items, its own search results, its own chat history, and its own AI preferences. Switching Sets changes everything you see — timeline, search, summaries, and chat all reflect the new library.

Each Set keeps its own:

  • Connected sources (folders, web clippings, Mail, Obsidian vaults, Feedbin)
  • Items in the timeline
  • Search results and filters
  • Chat sessions and history
  • AI settings — mode (Online vs Mixed), output language, and chat model selection

Common use cases

Sets are flexible enough to organize however you work:

  • Work / Personal — keep your professional research separate from personal reading
  • One Set per client — useful for consultants or freelancers juggling multiple engagements
  • One Set per project — “Thesis,” “2026 Planning,” “Research” each get their own library
  • A clean Set for experimenting — try new sources or AI settings without affecting your main library

Switching, creating, and managing Sets

The fastest way to switch is the toolbar: click the button showing your current Set name and pick another from the dropdown. Switching happens instantly — no restart needed, and pinakea cleanly stops any background processing from the previous Set.

For full Set management (creating new Sets, renaming, or deleting), go to Settings (⌘,) → Sources and use the Set picker at the top.

The Demo Set

New installations include a bundled Demo set alongside your Main set. The Demo comes pre-processed with sample items from different source types (folders, Browser Clips, and Obsidian-style notes), so you can explore the timeline, summaries, and chat right away without waiting for your own content to process.

Demo is a normal Set container, but its bundled sample items are protected and its AI mode is fixed to Online. You can still add your own items to Demo, but if you want to test Mixed mode, use or create another Set.

You can remove the Demo set whenever you like, and add it back from Settings → Sources → Add Demo Set if you want it again. Your own Sets are never affected by adding or removing the Demo.

What belongs to a Set vs what’s shared

Almost everything in pinakea is per-Set: sources, items, search, chat, and most AI settings. AI mode, output language, remote model, and Background processing are stored for each Set. The OpenRouter API key is global (shared across all Sets) — you set it once and it works everywhere. Settings → AI separates Global controls such as the API key, local model installs, semantic match strictness, and cost total from Set-Specific controls for the current Set.

Browser Clips and Sets

Browser Clips always go into whichever Set is currently selected when you clip a page. If you notice a clip ended up in the wrong library, you can move it between Sets from inside pinakea — no need to re-clip.

Current limitations

There is no cross-Set view — you can’t search or chat across all Sets at once. Browser access, the local MCP bridge, and the Raycast extension also operate on the currently selected Set only.

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