FlowingFlowing

Prepare your library

Create a library, import reference PDFs, and grow it with open-access web recommendations when you need more sources.

Importing your library is the foundation for Recall, Ask with context, and evidence-grounded revision. Even a focused set of core papers is enough to experience the full loop.

Create a library and import PDFs

  1. Open Libraries

    From the top navigation, open Libraries—this is where your reference PDFs live.

  2. Click New Library

    Give your library a name (for example, default or a project name).

  3. Select PDF files or a folder

    Flowing imports every PDF it finds and begins parsing text for search and AI features.

  4. Wait for parsing

    Large files may take several minutes. Progress shows which PDF is being chunked (for example, 2/7).

New Library dialog with library name and PDF import
Create a library and point Flowing at a folder of PDF papers.
Import progress bar while chunking PDFs
Parsing progress while text is extracted from each PDF.

Import and background parsing

Run in background button during PDF import
Use Run in background while large libraries finish parsing.

While importing, Flowing splits each PDF into searchable passages and builds metadata (title, citations, dates). Large libraries may take several minutes—that is normal.

Library list showing import complete
When parsing finishes, the library is ready for search.

Auto-recommend open-access papers from the web

When your library is still light on PDFs, turn on Auto-recommend papers from the web at the top of the Recommended panel. Flowing reads the paragraph you are working on and searches OpenAlex for open-access papers tightly tied to what you are writing—not a generic keyword dump.

Each suggestion runs through a propose-and-verify pipeline: an LLM drafts a small set of candidate papers with a concrete Why relevant rationale and citation role, then OpenAlex confirms the work exists and has an OA PDF. Rationales that only repeat topic keywords are rejected—what you see should explain how a paper supports a specific mechanism, measurement, or claim in your draft.

Recommended panel with web paper cards and Why relevant explanations
Web recommendations show title, metadata, matched tags, and a Why relevant line linked to your paragraph.

  1. Turn on the toggle

    Enable Auto-recommend papers from the web (off by default). The first time, confirm the privacy notice. Optionally include paragraph body text for stronger matches—also off by default.

  2. Keep writing

    As keywords stabilize in a section, Flowing recommends 0–3 verified OA papers per qualifying paragraph, skipping titles already in your library.

  3. Read Why relevant

    Use the rationale under each card to judge whether the paper truly backs your line of argument—not just shares vocabulary.

  4. Add to library

    Import papers you want to keep. They join the same local library used for snippet recall and context attach.

Your data stays local

Flowing is a desktop app: your PDFs, drafts, and search index stay on your machine by default. Only the snippets needed for AI features are sent to model services when you use them.