How to Use Tally

Complete guide to getting started with AI-powered commit analysis

1

Download & Install

Get Tally on Your Mac

Download Tally from our website and install it on your Mac. The app is notarized by Apple, so it will open without warnings.

  • Download the TimeTrace.dmg file
  • Double-click to mount the disk image
  • Drag Tally.app to your Applications folder
  • Launch from Applications or Spotlight

💡 Tip

On first launch, macOS may show a security dialog. Click "Open" to continue - the app is fully signed and safe.

📦
Download → Install → Launch
Ready in seconds
2

Automatic Backend

🚀

Launch App

Tally starts

⚙️

Auto Backend

Server starts

Ready

Connected

No Configuration Needed

When you launch Tally, it automatically:

  • Starts a local backend server on your machine
  • Connects the app to the local server
  • Falls back to cloud API if local server unavailable
  • Shows connection status in the app

✨ Automatic

The backend starts automatically - you don't need to configure anything. Everything works out of the box!

3

Setup AI Models (Optional)

Install Ollama for Local AI

Tally automatically checks for compatible Ollama models when you launch it. If no models are found, it will guide you.

# 1. Install Ollama
# Visit: https://ollama.com
# Download and install for macOS

# 2. Pull a compatible model
ollama pull phi4-mini:3.8b

# Or use llama3
ollama pull llama3
🔍

Auto-Detection

Tally checks for models on startup

📢

Smart Notifications

Guides you if models are missing

Compatible Models

phi4-mini, llama3, phi3, mistral

⚠️ Note

Ollama is optional! Tally works without it, but you'll need it for AI-powered commit summaries. The app will notify you if no compatible models are found.

🧠
Ollama Detection
✓ Checks on startup
✓ Shows notifications
✓ Guides installation
4

Connect Your Repository

📁
Local Git Repo
Point to your
.git folder

Link Your Git Repository

Connect Tally to your Git repository to start analyzing commits:

  • Open Tally settings or repository connection panel
  • Browse to your Git repository folder (the one with .git)
  • Tally will automatically scan your commit history
  • Start viewing your commits and get AI summaries

🎯 Pro Tip

Tally works with any local Git repository. You can connect multiple repos and switch between them easily.

5

Analyze Your Commits

Get AI-Powered Insights

Once your repository is connected:

  • Browse your commit history in the calendar view
  • Click on any commit to see the diff
  • Click "Summarize" to get AI-powered analysis
  • Choose from different personas (Engineer, PM, Journal)
  • Copy insights to your pull requests
📊

Calendar View

See all commits over time

🤖

AI Summaries

Intelligent analysis per commit

👥

Multiple Personas

Different perspectives

🔐

Privacy Controls

Choose analysis level

📈
Commit Analysis
Calendar → Select →
Summarize → Insights
6

Advanced Features

Power Features
Privacy levels
Persona switching
Export summaries

Customize Your Experience

Tally offers advanced features to enhance your workflow:

  • Privacy Levels: Choose diff-only, structure-only, or full analysis
  • Personas: View summaries from Engineer, PM/Stakeholder, or Journal perspectives
  • Model Selection: Switch between local Ollama models or cloud AI
  • Export: Copy summaries to pull requests or save to files
  • Search: Find commits by message, author, or date range
?

Troubleshooting

Common Issues & Solutions

⚠️ Backend Not Starting

If the local backend fails to start:

  • Tally automatically falls back to cloud API
  • Check console logs for error messages
  • Restart the app
  • Ensure you have internet for cloud fallback

💡 Ollama Not Detected

If Tally doesn't detect your Ollama models:

  • Ensure Ollama is running: ollama serve
  • Check models are installed: ollama list
  • Verify model names match compatible list (phi4-mini, llama3, etc.)
  • Tally will show notifications with specific guidance

✅ Repository Not Loading

If commits don't appear:

  • Verify you selected the correct folder (should contain .git)
  • Check repository has commits
  • Ensure you have read permissions
  • Try refreshing the repository
🚀

Quick Start Checklist

Download & Install

Get Tally from gittally.com and install

Launch App

Backend starts automatically

Install Ollama (Optional)

For AI summaries: ollama pull phi4-mini:3.8b

Connect Repo

Point to your Git repository

Start Analyzing

Browse commits and get insights