Getting Started with AcaMail

AcaMail is a local-first academic productivity suite that brings the power of AI to your email, calendar, and documents—all while keeping your data completely private on your machine.

System Requirements

Before installing AcaMail, ensure your system meets these requirements:

Minimum Requirements

Operating System: Windows 11
GPU: NVIDIA RTX 3060 with 12GB VRAM
RAM: 16GB system memory
Storage: 30GB free space
Microphone: Any USB or built-in (for voice features)

Recommended Specifications

GPU: NVIDIA RTX 4070 or better with 16GB VRAM
RAM: 32GB system memory
Storage: SSD for optimal performance

Installation

Step 1: Install Ollama

AcaMail uses Ollama to run AI models locally. Download and install Ollama from ollama.com.

After installation, pull the required models:

# Main AI model for chat and analysis
ollama pull deepseek-r1:14b

# Embedding model for semantic search
ollama pull nomic-embed-text

Step 2: Download AcaMail

Download the latest AcaMail installer from the releases page. Run the installer and follow the on-screen instructions.

Step 3: Connect Your Google Account

On first launch, AcaMail will prompt you to connect your Google account:

Click “Connect Google Account”
Sign in with your academic Google account
Grant the requested permissions for Gmail, Calendar, and Drive

Privacy Note: AcaMail only accesses your own data through Google’s official APIs. Your data is stored locally and never sent to any third-party AI services.

Step 4: Initial Sync

AcaMail will begin syncing your:

Recent emails (last 30 days by default)
Calendar events
Drive file metadata

This initial sync may take several minutes depending on your data volume.

First Steps

Explore the Email Panel

The left panel shows your unified inbox with AI-powered features:

Priority Badges: Emails are scored 1-5 based on urgency and your academic role
Category Tags: Automatic classification (Urgent, FYI, Academic, Administrative, etc.)
Semantic Search: Use the search bar to find emails by meaning, not just keywords

Try AI Triage

Click the “Triage” button to let AI analyze your unread emails and suggest priorities. This is especially useful during high-volume periods like grant deadlines or conference submissions.

Generate a Meeting Brief

Navigate to Calendar and click on any upcoming meeting. Use the “Generate Brief” button to create a preparation document with:

Attendee profiles and recent correspondence
Related emails and documents
Suggested talking points

Enable Voice Input

Click the microphone icon to activate voice input. Speak naturally—AcaMail uses Whisper running locally on your GPU for transcription.

Understanding Your Academic Role

AcaMail’s learning engine detects your academic role and adjusts behavior accordingly:

Role	Priority Adjustments
Research Faculty	Grant agencies and collaborators elevated
Teaching Faculty	Student deadlines and course emails elevated
Graduate Student	Advisor communications top priority
Administrative Staff	Compliance and process deadlines elevated

You can manually set or adjust your role in Settings > Learning Preferences.

Next Steps

AI Features Guide - Deep dive into AcaMail’s AI capabilities
Reviewer 2 Mode - Using harsh critique for academic writing
Privacy & Security - Understanding AcaMail’s privacy model

Troubleshooting

Ollama Not Detected

If AcaMail shows “AI Offline”, ensure Ollama is running:

ollama serve

Slow Initial Sync

Large inboxes may take time to sync. You can adjust the sync period in Settings > Sync to reduce initial load.

GPU Memory Issues

If you experience crashes or slowdowns, ensure no other GPU-intensive applications are running. AcaMail requires approximately 12-14GB of VRAM when all AI features are active.

Need help? Visit our community forum or open an issue on GitHub.