Ask Sean Local Companion

Pair a Windows PC or Mac with Ask Sean to read Agile PLM, SVN, or files in your home folder, and save requested source downloads locally. The companion runs under your account and connects outbound to Ask Sean.

Install and pair

You need an Ask Sean account and PowerShell on Windows or Terminal on macOS. The one-line command verifies the installer checksum and shows progress during setup. Setup uses a compatible Node.js installation if it finds one and downloads a private copy of Node.js 22 otherwise. It installs the companion under your user account.

1. In Ask Sean, choose Connect Companion from the Plugins menu or home page.
2. Run the setup command shown in PowerShell on Windows or Terminal on macOS. Paste the one-time pairing code when prompted. The code expires after five minutes.
3. Wait for Ask Sean to show the companion as connected.

The companion starts at sign-in and keeps its pairing across normal package updates. Windows uses Task Scheduler and encrypts the pairing credential for the signed-in user. macOS uses a LaunchAgent and stores the pairing in a file readable by your account. On macOS, use your own account without sudo.

Browse local files

After pairing, turn on Local Files in Companion Plugins to allow file reads and explicitly requested saves. Open the same settings later from the companion version number at the bottom of the home screen.

Sean can then browse your home folder whenever local files would help answer a question. You don't need to pick a file, folder, or plugin. Selecting Local Files is optional and tells Sean to look on this computer. Sean can list folders, read specific lines of supported text and source files, and inspect PDF, DOCX, XLSX, PPTX, PNG, JPEG, GIF, and WebP files up to 5 MiB. The activity dropdown shows returned evidence, including image previews. Sean can also show a preview in chat. For a later lookup, Sean needs access to the companion again.

Sean can find files and projects by name and inspect changes in ordinary Git checkouts inside your home folder. Git access is read-only and covers status and bounded comparisons of supported text files with HEAD.

Click a local file link in chat to select the file in Finder or File Explorer on the computer that found it.

The companion skips hidden paths, links, system folders, and common sensitive paths. Your operating system can restrict other folders, such as Desktop and Documents on macOS. File names and excerpts used to answer may be sent to Ask Sean and its model and appear in the saved answer.

Turn the switch off to stop future reads. Turning off access does not remove past answers. Pairing again requires enabling access again.

Browse SVN

While on the office network or VPN, turn on SVN in Companion Plugins. The companion reuses an existing SVN client or installs one. On macOS, Homebrew installation may ask for administrator approval. Enter your company SVN credentials in the local sign-in dialog if prompted. You can cancel SVN setup and use Local Files independently.

Ask Sean can list folders, read supported text files, search within one file, and inspect revision history in the approved Projects repository. The picker shows SVN when it is enabled and the companion can read the repository. Citations open in TortoiseSVN on Windows when installed. Other browsers use the repository URL.

Browse Agile PLM

Agile requires Local Companion 0.1.3 or later. While on the office network or VPN, turn on Agile in Companion Plugins. Enter your Agile username and password in the prompt on the paired computer. The companion stores the Agile credentials for this pairing in your Windows profile with account encryption, or in a file restricted to your macOS account. Turn Agile off to remove the saved credentials.

Sean can search Agile, read records and related tables, and inspect supported PDF, image, and Office attachments up to 5 MiB. A historical BOM is tied to its Agile change number. If several changes share a revision label, specify the change number shown in Agile. Citations open the relevant Agile tab when its destination is known. Expand an image inspection in activity to see the preview. Sean can also show the preview in chat when it helps answer the question.

The companion connects directly to Lakota on the company network. Lakota currently uses HTTP, and the Agile login travels on that connection. Ask Sean receives only the evidence returned for the question. Like other company sources, excerpts used in an answer may appear in its activity and saved conversation.

Updates and removal

Use the update button in Ask Sean when a new companion version is offered. Updates keep your plugin choices. Choose Uninstall from the companion version menu to remove the package, startup registration, pairing, and its private SVN installation. Your regular SVN client, Homebrew tools, and saved SVN credentials remain available. If your pairing is still valid, choose Reconnect and follow the instructions shown.

For a local preview, use the command shown in the preview dialog. Include the same --server URL on later commands so they use the preview pairing and Local Files permission instead of production.

See CHANGELOG.md for release notes.

Saving source downloads

Companion 0.1.5 can save original source downloads up to 50 MiB (subject to each source API’s limits) into a folder you name inside your home directory. Ask Sean can create missing folders. Existing files are preserved with numbered copies. The completed file is verified against its SHA-256 digest. It is never opened or executed automatically.

Local Files must be enabled. Turning it off blocks subsequent transfer requests. Paths through symbolic links, system directories, sensitive filenames, and locations outside the home directory are unavailable. Transfer receipts are kept privately so retrying an interrupted save cannot create another copy. An uncertain save is reconciled at its original destination.

SVN downloads export an individual file at a pinned revision. They do not create an SVN working copy. Agile downloads retrieve an attachment without checking it out or locking it.