1. Install or run from source
Use the download page for packaged desktop builds when available. Developers can run from source while packages are being prepared.
git clone https://github.com/rodrigolive/piixie.git cd piixie make run
2. Let the local model initialize
On first launch, Piixie downloads the local model cache. After that, anonymization runs locally. The raw document never leaves your machine.
3. Use text and image-backed documents
Piixie does not require a separate OCR pass for scanned or image-backed documents. The local model supports vision, so Piixie can analyze rendered document pages and image regions directly when the workflow needs visual understanding.
4. Choose a mode
- Redaction: replaces private data with visible redaction markers.
- Replacement: uses stable placeholders to keep repeated entities consistent.
- Synthetic: generates fake values that keep the document readable.
5. Review the output
Open the anonymized file and inspect the replacement table. Keep the original and anonymized files side by side until you are sure the output is correct.
6. Use the safe copy
Send the anonymized output to an LLM, support ticket, shared test fixture, data review, or prompt library. Do not put raw documents into other systems unless you have a specific reason to.