Retrace Docs

Quick Start

Get Retrace running and import your first conversations in 5 minutes.

What you need

  • A Mac running macOS 12 or later
  • Conversations to import (WhatsApp exports, Messenger archives, etc.)

Install Retrace

  1. Download the latest .dmg from GitHub Releases
  2. Open the .dmg and drag Retrace to Applications
  3. Launch Retrace from Applications

Import your first conversations

  1. Open Retrace and go to Settings
  2. Click the Data Sources tab
  3. Choose a source (e.g., WhatsApp) and follow the import guide
  4. Your conversations will appear on the Home page

What happens next

Once imported, Retrace automatically:

  • Segments conversations into meaningful chunks
  • Extracts topics, sentiment, and key facts using a local LLM
  • Generates embeddings for semantic search
  • Links people across platforms

All processing happens on your machine. Nothing is sent anywhere.

Next steps

Retrace Documentation

Learn how to set up Retrace, import your data, and explore features.

API Reference

REST API endpoints exposed by the Retrace server.

On this page

What you needInstall RetraceImport your first conversationsWhat happens nextNext steps