Guides by Christian Munoz
Practical guides by Christian Munoz on local-first apps and tools, with step by step instructions and honest pros and cons.
Best-for guides
Short buying guides built around criteria first and products second. Because these pages come from the maker of the products they mention, each one lays out what to look for, admits where the maker's own option falls short, and leaves the decision to you.
- Best Local-First Budget App for Privacy-Minded Windows Users
Five tests for a budget app that keeps your finances on your own Windows PC, with an honest look at where Burrow, from its maker, fits and where it does not.
- Best Local-First Desktop Starter Kit for Indie Gumroad Sellers
Four questions to ask any desktop starter kit if you sell on Gumroad, and an honest account of where the Tauri Local-AI Starter Kit helps and where it does not.
Connection guides
Guides for joining two pieces of a local-first setup, such as a local model runtime and a desktop app, or a store's license keys and your own software. They cover what each side sends, what stays on your computer and which switches must be flipped on purpose.
- How to Connect Gumroad License Keys to a Tauri Desktop App
Sell your own Windows desktop app on Gumroad and unlock Pro features with license keys, using the optional licensing module in the Tauri kit.
- How to Connect Ollama to Burrow on Windows
Link the free Ollama app to Burrow so the Javi helper can run on your own Windows PC, including memory needs, model size and what happens without it.
- Connect an OpenAI-Compatible Provider to a Tauri App (Opt-In)
Let users of your Windows desktop app bring their own cloud model key, off by default, with consent tied to the exact URL and per-category data controls.
How-to guides
Step-by-step walkthroughs for people who want to get one specific job done on Windows, from keeping a budget without a cloud account to wiring a local model into a desktop app. Each guide names the real menu labels and commands, then lists what the approach does badly so you can decide before you start.
- How to Move From Burrow Free to Pro With a License Key
Bought Burrow Pro? Paste your Gumroad license key into Settings > License on Windows, with no reinstall and no data moved. Steps, limits and fixes.
- Add a New Module to a Tauri App by Copying the Items Example
Build your own data module in the Tauri Local-AI Starter Kit by cloning the Items slice: migration, table registry, routes, approvals, UI, export and tests.
- Add a Local Ollama Model to a Tauri Desktop App
Wire a local Ollama model into a Tauri v2 desktop app for Windows, with model choice by memory, a user-clicked download and clean errors.
- Ask Questions About Your Spending With a Local Model
Type a plain question about your budget, get an answer from Javi running on your own PC, and approve every change before it happens. Burrow Pro guide.
- Build Windows x64 and ARM64 Tauri Installers and Release Them
From npm run desktop:build on one computer to native x64 and ARM64 builds published with checksums: how the Tauri Local-AI Starter Kit ships a Windows app.
- Import a Bank CSV Into a Private Budget With a Preview
Turn a bank CSV export into budget entries on your own Windows PC, checking everything in a preview before it lands, using the free Burrow app.
- Keep a Private Journal on Your PC and Export It to Markdown
Write journal entries that stay on your Windows computer, then export them to Markdown whenever you like, with the free Burrow desktop app.
- How to Track Spending Offline Without a Cloud Account
Keep a budget on your own Windows PC with no sign-up, no bank link and no monthly bill, using the free Burrow desktop app. Setup steps inside.
Comparisons
Side-by-side looks at the tools people usually weigh against each other before they commit: a spreadsheet versus a purpose-built budgeting app, or a bare starter template versus a ready-made desktop foundation. Every table says where the other option wins as well as where ours does.
- Burrow vs a Spreadsheet for Personal Budgeting
Should you keep budgeting in a spreadsheet or move to a dedicated Windows app? A fair comparison of control, effort, privacy and what each one does badly.
- Tauri Local-AI Starter Kit vs create-tauri-app for Local-AI Apps
Compare a bare Tauri template with a ready foundation for Windows desktop apps that run a local model: what you build yourself and what you get on day one.
- Tauri Local-AI Starter Kit vs an Electron Boilerplate
Tauri-based starter or Electron boilerplate for a local-first Windows app? Compare the runtime, the security setup and what each leaves you to build.