Frequently Asked Questions

SafeAppeals is a desktop workspace and AI case manager designed for workers' compensation and human-rights appeals. Available for Windows, macOS, and Linux, it combines native document editors (Word, Excel, PDF), AI chat that understands your entire case, and legal-specific tools like case timelines and file organizers—all in one application. Think of it as 'Cursor IDE for document work, not code.'

SafeAppeals is built for anyone managing complex document projects: injured workers and advocates handling legal appeals, grad students writing dissertations and theses, researchers managing literature reviews and papers, and consultants organizing client documentation. If you're drowning in PDFs and tabs, SafeAppeals is for you.

No. SafeAppeals is a research and document management tool, not a law firm. AI-generated content may contain errors or hallucinated citations. Always verify information and consult with a licensed attorney before filing legal documents.

Unlike ChatGPT, SafeAppeals understands your entire case context. It can see all your PDFs, Word docs, spreadsheets, emails, and case timeline simultaneously. You don't need to copy-paste documents or re-explain your case—the AI remembers everything in your workspace.

Absolutely! SafeAppeals is perfect for dissertations, theses, research papers, and literature reviews. Keep all your source PDFs, notes, and drafts in one workspace. The AI can help you summarize papers, find connections between sources, and draft sections. The timeline feature works great for tracking deadlines and milestones.

Yes! While SafeAppeals started with legal appeals, it works for any complex document project. Grad students use it for dissertations, researchers for grant applications, and consultants for client reports. The legal-specific extensions can be disabled in settings.

Keep a root AGENTS.md case brief with claimant details, claim number, jurisdiction, and notes. @-mention or open files when you chat. The Case Timeline lives in .safeAppeals/timeline.json. Private Search (optional) lets the assistant look up passages from an on-device index without uploading whole files for every search.

Download SafeAppeals, then open Help → Tutorials (or the Get Started Tutorials CTA) to try a sample case with guided walkthroughs—no credits and the AI does not run. For a real matter, open a case folder, save a .code-workspace file, add an AGENTS.md brief, and configure an AI provider when you are ready. See our Installation Guide and First Steps guide.

A case workspace is a folder containing your case documents, usually opened via a .code-workspace file. Use a root AGENTS.md brief, snake_case folders (medical_reports, correspondence, decisions_and_orders, evidence, personal_notes, to_sort), optional core_references/, and .safeAppeals/ for settings and timeline (not .vscode/). See our First Steps guide for details.

Open Help → Tutorials. Walkthroughs include Get Started with Safe Appeals Tutorials, Private Search on This Computer, Case Files and Documents, Email and Calendar, and Hearings and Audio. They stay on this computer and do not spend credits.

Yes. Built-in full-text search (Ctrl+Shift+F) works across the workspace. Optional Private Search builds an on-device index for case files and core_references—searching that index does not spend credits. Cloud chat is separate and only sends text you choose when you ask the assistant. See Core References & Private Search.

Yes! Many grad students use SafeAppeals for dissertations and theses. Keep all your source PDFs, literature reviews, notes, and chapter drafts in one workspace. The AI can summarize papers, help you find themes across sources, and assist with drafting. The timeline feature is great for tracking milestones.

Import all your research papers as PDFs. Use the AI to summarize each paper, identify key themes, and find connections between sources. Ask questions like 'What do these papers say about X?' or 'Summarize the methodology used in the Smith 2023 paper.' The AI sees all your documents at once.

Absolutely. Import PDFs, annotate them, and organize by topic or chapter. Full-text search finds any quote or concept across all your sources. The file organizer can automatically categorize papers. Unlike Zotero, you can also draft your paper in the same workspace with AI assistance.

Yes! Create a workspace for each grant application. Keep the RFP, your drafts, supporting documents, and budget spreadsheets together. The AI can help you draft sections, ensure you're addressing requirements, and summarize previous successful applications.

We don't have a formal student discount yet. Most students use one-time SafeAppeals credit packs (starting at $20) for the simplest setup. If you'd rather connect your own provider account, SafeAppeals also supports Bring Your Own Key (BYOK) for advanced users—many students use OpenAI's or Anthropic's API this way. Individual credit packs are one-time purchases with no recurring charge; office Team plans, when offered, are billed monthly per seat through sales.

SafeAppeals is available for Windows 10/11 (64-bit), macOS (Apple Silicon M1/M2/M3/M4), and Linux (64-bit). Download the version for your platform from our downloads page.

Yes! SafeAppeals is available for macOS with Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4). Download the macOS version from our downloads page.

You need Windows 10/11 (64-bit), macOS (Apple Silicon), or Linux (64-bit), a 1.6 GHz or faster processor, and at least 500 MB of free storage. An internet connection is required for AI features, but basic document editing works offline.

Yes! SafeAppeals is completely free to download and install. You can use the document editors, file organizer, and case management features at no cost. AI features require either purchased credits or your own API keys (BYOK).

Visit our downloads page and choose the installer for your platform. On Windows, run the .exe installer (if SmartScreen appears, click 'More info' then 'Run anyway'). On macOS, extract the .zip and drag to Applications. On Linux, extract the .tar.gz archive. Installation takes less than a minute. See our Installation Guide for details.

No, not for basic use. SafeAppeals is a desktop app that works offline for document editing, file organization, case management, Tutorials, and Private Search (after any optional models are installed). You need internet for AI chat with cloud providers and for downloading optional Private Search / OCR tools when you consent. Your case files stay on your computer.

SafeAppeals supports Claude Opus 4.5, Claude Sonnet 4.5 (Anthropic), GPT-5.2, GPT-5.1 (OpenAI), and Gemini 3 Pro, Gemini 2.5 Pro/Flash (Google). You can switch between models based on your task. See our AI Models guide for recommendations.

Credits are used to pay for AI responses. Each message uses tokens (the AI's unit of measurement) based on your input length and the response length. Different models have different costs per token. Credits from one-time packs never expire. See Understanding Credits for details.

Auto-reload is an optional prepaid top-up on your Billing page—not a subscription. When your token balance falls below a threshold you set, we charge your saved card once for a Starter, Pro, or Power pack. You choose the threshold, pack, and an optional monthly cap (default $1,000). You can turn it off anytime. Team and Enterprise office plans are billed through sales, not individual auto-reload.

The app is free to download and use. AI chat uses one-time credit packs, from Starter ($20 for 500K credits) up to Enterprise 1K ($1,000 for 42M credits), plus custom volume pricing for even larger balances—see Understanding Credits for the full list. Credits never expire, and every plan can use every AI model. Offices can choose Team ($99/seat/mo, 3-seat minimum) or Enterprise (custom pricing)—contact sales by email. Advanced users can also bring their own API keys (BYOK).

Yes. SafeAppeals supports Bring Your Own Key (BYOK) for advanced users who want to connect their own provider account—enter your API keys from OpenAI, Anthropic, or Google in settings and pay those providers directly. Most customers use SafeAppeals credits for the simplest setup and unified access to available models, but BYOK is there if you prefer it.

SafeAppeals modes include Ask (conversational help, exploration, and drafting assistance), Agent (autonomous multi-step work with tools), and Plan (research → clarify → CreatePlan → review → Start Implementation). See our AI Case Manager guide and Plan Mode guide for details.

Your files stay on your computer—you just won't be able to use the AI chat until you purchase more credits or add your own API keys. You can still view, edit, and export all your files. Nothing is locked.

PDFs (with annotation), Word documents (.docx), Excel spreadsheets (.xlsx), and Markdown notes. You can also import emails (.eml, .pdf) and convert between formats. See our Document Editing guide for full details.

Yes! SafeAppeals includes built-in Word and Excel editors. You can create, edit, and save documents without switching to Microsoft Office or other applications.

The file converter can convert between formats (e.g., PDF to Word, Word to PDF), batch convert multiple files, and merge PDFs. Access it from the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P) or the dedicated converter panel. See our File Converter guide.

Yes. Connect Gmail, Microsoft, and similar accounts via Service Connections (Cloud OAuth) in SafeAppeals settings — not a third-party MCP server. Synced mail is searchable in the Email Dashboard. You can also import .eml files as a secondary path. See our Email Dashboard guide.

No. The agent can search, organize, tag, link threads to cases, and create drafts (including attachments from workspace files) using built-in email tools — but it cannot send mail. You review drafts and click Send in the Email Dashboard. See Agent Tools and Email Dashboard guides.

Built-in tools from SafeAppeals extensions that the AI invokes in Agent mode — email read/organize/draft, billing timer start/stop, Word/Excel editing, timeline events, and more. Sensitive actions often require your confirmation. See our Agent Tools guide.

The Case Timeline lets you track important events, deadlines, and milestones. Data is stored in .safeAppeals/timeline.json. You can link documents to events, use jurisdiction-aware deadline helpers, and export a PDF. See our Timeline guide.

The file organizer helps you classify and rename documents using templates and AI-assisted categorization into the standard snake_case case folders. See our File Organizer guide.

Case context comes from your workspace files—especially AGENTS.md, case folders, timeline, and prior chat history in that workspace. Save a .code-workspace file so settings and folder layout reopen cleanly next time.

Private Search is optional on-device indexing for case files and core_references. Setup asks for consent before downloading search tools (~350 MB) or optional scanned-PDF OCR. Searching the private index does not spend credits. See Core References & Private Search.

Your case files stay on your computer. When you use AI chat, only the messages and attachments you send are uploaded for inference (via SafeAppeals Cloud or your BYOK provider). Private Search indexes stay local. Prefer local git commits for history; do not push client matters to remotes unless you explicitly trust that provider.

Case files stay in your workspace folder on disk. Workspace settings, plans, and timeline live under .safeAppeals/. Private Search index data stays on this computer. Only AI chat prompts/attachments you send leave the machine for model inference.

Yes. Document editing, file organization, Case Timeline, Tutorials, and Private Search (after optional installs) work offline. Cloud AI chat needs an internet connection.

No. We don't have access to your files or case content. Credit purchases are processed through Stripe. Your AI conversations go to your chosen provider path. We never see your documents sitting in your case folder.

No for client matters—use git locally for history on this computer and never push confidential case data to a remote unless you explicitly confirm you trust that provider. Pure coding projects that are not client matters may push after confirmation when you ask. See our Local Git Backups guide.

Yes. Initialize a local repository in your case folder (SafeAppeals does not auto-run git init), then stage and commit on this computer. No GitHub account is required. See our Local Git Backups guide for Source Control steps and .gitignore posture from the sample case.

Not yet—real-time collaboration is coming in Phase 2. For now, you can export your case documents (PDFs, Word docs, timelines) and share them manually via email or file sharing.

Not currently. SafeAppeals is a desktop application focused on serious document work. A mobile companion app for reviewing cases on the go is being considered for future development.

Upcoming priorities include: real-time collaboration, enhanced PDF annotation, and more AI integrations. Follow us on GitHub or sign up for our newsletter to stay updated.

Yes! Open an issue on our GitHub repository or email founder@safeappeals.com. We actively review user feedback and prioritize features based on community needs.