Built-in Local AI on Mac
Local AI is built into Zush for Mac. Zush downloads a supported model, runs the signed local inference runtime on your Mac, and keeps supported analysis content off cloud AI services.
Requirements
Section titled “Requirements”- Zush 3.10.0 or later for Mac
- macOS 15 or later
- about 3.4 GB of free disk space for the current model download
- enough memory for the selected Resource Use profile
- internet access for the initial model download; analysis can run offline afterward
Set up Local AI
Section titled “Set up Local AI”- Open Zush Settings and select AI Modes.
- Select Local AI.
- Click Download & Start.
- Keep Zush open while the model downloads and is verified.
- When the status is Running, choose a Resource Use profile if needed.
- Open AI Rename and test a small representative batch.
Resource Use profiles
Section titled “Resource Use profiles”| Profile | Use it when |
|---|---|
| Memory Saver | You want the smallest memory footprint |
| Recommended | You want the default balance of speed and memory use |
| Max Speed | Your Mac has enough available memory and you want higher throughput |
Changing the profile restarts the local runtime. You can stop Local AI, re-download the model, or delete it from the same settings card.
Troubleshooting
Section titled “Troubleshooting”| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| Download stops | Check the network connection and click Check Again or restart the download |
| Local AI will not start | Free memory, choose Memory Saver, and try again |
| Analysis is slow | Try Recommended or Max Speed if your Mac has enough available memory |
| You need a different model | Use LM Studio or Ollama |