Profiles

Profiles let you maintain separate workspaces within RAG Assistant. Each profile has its own:

  • Settings (API keys, model preferences, etc.)
  • Chat history and sessions
  • Document embeddings (vector database)

Use one profile per research project to keep libraries, settings, and history isolated.

Creating a new profile

  1. Open the Settings page (gear icon).
  2. In the “Profile” section at the top, click + New.
  3. Enter a name (e.g. “Work”, “Personal”, “Research”).
  4. Click Create. The new profile starts with default settings.

Switching profiles

  1. Open the Settings page.
  2. Select a different profile from the Profile dropdown.
  3. Confirm the switch — this reloads the application.

Important: switching profiles reloads the app. Save any settings first, as unsaved work will be lost.

Managing profiles

  • View active profile — shown in the dropdown.
  • Switch — select from the dropdown and confirm the reload.
  • Delete — you can’t delete the active profile; switch to another first.

Careful: if you delete the only profile, the app will fail to start. If that happens, see App won’t start after deleting a profile.

Data storage

All profile data is stored locally at ~/.zotero-llm/profiles/. Each profile has its own folder:

  • profile.json — metadata (name, description, timestamps)
  • settings.json — settings and API keys
  • sessions.json — chat history
  • chroma/ — vector database for document embeddings

Best practices

  1. Use descriptive names (e.g. “Client-ProjectX”, “Personal-Reading”).
  2. Keep backups of important profiles.
  3. Separate sensitive data — different profiles for work and personal.
  4. Test changes in a throwaway profile before major settings changes.

Migration from single-profile setups

If you used the app before profiles existed, your settings, chat history, and vector database are automatically migrated into a “default” profile. Everything keeps working, and you can add more profiles as needed. No manual migration is required.