Use Naidan offline as a PWA

Naidan’s hosted edition is a progressive web app (PWA): your browser can save its app files while you are online and open Naidan again without a connection. To get an AI answer offline, also prepare a model that runs on your device.

While connected, open Naidan in your browser. Keep using the same browser and site address for the checks below.

Open the app online and let it prepare

Open Naidan while connected and give the browser time to save its application files. The PWA setup runs after the app first appears; adding it to your home screen is optional. Keep the browser’s site data if you want to use this saved copy later.

The browser saves the hosted app’s files for a later offline launch. This diagram shows browser storage, not an in-app progress indicator.

On a first visit, you can also look in Debug Events → System Events for “App ready to work offline”. That event is informational and may not appear again on a prepared return visit. The offline reload below is the practical check.

Prepare a local model before disconnecting

Choose a browser-run model, such as a GGUF model for llama.cpp. While using this same site address, download its files if the edition permits the source, or import a GGUF you already have. Local-only cannot download from Hugging Face. Select the model for the chat and send a short message while still online. A completed download alone does not prove the model loads on this device.

Follow the GGUF setup guide for the model manager, default selection and browser support. An app file cache does not include an unprepared model.

The app files and the chosen model have separate preparation steps. Check a real response before relying on it offline.

Disconnect, reload, and ask again

Turn off the connection, then reload the same hosted address in the same browser. Confirm that Naidan opens. In the chat using the prepared local model, send another short message and wait for an answer. This checks both the saved app and local inference.

A successful offline launch confirms the app files; an answer from the prepared model confirms this chat works without a connection.

A remote API, a model file that has not been saved, and features that fetch remote content still need a connection. Browser-provided models and other browser runtimes have their own availability and preparation steps.

Apply an update when you reconnect

When a new app version is available, expand the sidebar if it is closed. During preparation, it may show Update found — preparing… or already offer Reload to Update with a warning below it. Wait until Reload to Update appears without that warning, then select it. Naidan applies the prepared version and reloads the page after your action.

The same reload label can appear during preparation. The network warning below the button identifies that earlier state; the prepared state has the reload label without the warning.

The warning beneath Reload to Update says the switch will use the network and offline use may be temporarily unavailable. The button label alone does not mean the new version is ready for offline use. Wait for the warning to disappear if you want the prepared offline update.

What stays in the browser

A PWA still uses the browser’s permission and storage boundaries; adding a home-screen icon does not give it native app access. Clearing site data can remove the saved app files and browser-stored models. You would need a connection to prepare them again.

If you prefer opening extracted local files with file://, use the separate Standalone guide. That edition has a different launch and update path.