Features Overview

Recall is a legal research desktop application. It manages PDFs, searches across them, saves excerpts, generates citations, and drafts with AI help — while integrating with Microsoft Word for final document assembly. Available on macOS and Windows.

This page is a one-screen tour. Follow the links for the full feature pages.

Deployment modes

Mode	What it is	When to use
Entirely local	Recall Core and all models run on your computer. Everything offline after first setup.	Solo practice, sensitive matters, no reliable network.
Backend from server	Flutter UI connects to a shared Recall server over HTTPS.	Firms and teams with shared data; use UI-Only installers.

Switch modes anytime in Settings — see Settings → Connection. Invite-gated registration is required in server mode.

Matters

Matters are the top-level containers. One matter per case or research topic. Each matter has its own documents, pins, notes, and citation style (federal or california).

Documents

Upload PDFs — Documents — and Recall extracts text, infers a document kind (case opinion, statute, law review, brief, etc.), and auto-fills citation metadata. Documents go through extraction → semantic indexing → citation detection. You can edit metadata, tag with categories, and delete.

Research mode

Research pairs a left pane (search input + Search/Documents tabs) with a right pane PDF viewer. Search supports two modes:

• Keyword — exact text matching against the document's extracted text (default)
• Semantic — vector similarity using your selected embedder

Filter by document or category; jump straight into the PDF at the match.

Pins

Pins save individual excerpts you want to cite later. Each pin stores the text, source, page, pinpoint, query that found it, and an optional category and notes. The left pane in Write mode is built around your pin list.

Write mode

Write mode pairs your pins with a right pane you can set to PDF, Clerk, or Notes. Notes is a matter-scoped WYSIWYG editor (SuperEditor) — good for research memos and outlines. It doesn't replace Word for full document drafting.

Clerk AI

Clerk is Recall's AI assistant. Two sub-panels:

• Edit — rewrite a selection in one of six styles (Lengthen, Shorten, Formalize, Simplify, Fix Grammar, Summarize). Generates alternatives; you pick one.
• Assist — chat grounded in the current matter's documents. Task modes: Chat, Summarize, Explain, Research, Draft.

Clerk also powers parenthetical generation for pins.

Word integration

Word integration inserts pins, Clerk output, and formatted citations into Word. Windows uses COM automation (automatic); macOS uses Apple Events (one-time permission) or an Advanced task-pane add-in as a fallback.

Features:

• Insert pins as inline quotes, cite-only, block quotes, or parenthetical cites
• Generate parentheticals via Clerk
• Generate a Table of Authorities for a drafted Word document

Citations

Citations are auto-detected inside every uploaded PDF (full, short form, Id./Ibid., supra, law, journal) and generated on demand when you insert pins or reference documents. The matter's citation style (federal or california) controls formatting.

Auto-updates

Auto-updates run in the background. Recall checks for updates 30 seconds after launch and every 4 hours. Updates are never installed without your confirmation. Separate Windows/macOS installers exist for the Full (with bundled models) and UI-Only (connects to a server) distributions.

Settings

Settings covers connection mode, accounts, Word integration options, model selection, search/generation enhancements, display, and custom GGUF models.

Accounts and organizations

Accounts are server-mode-only. Each user belongs to exactly one organization; each organization has fully isolated data. The owner can rename the organization. Admins generate invite PINs to grow their team.

Platform matrix

Feature	Windows	macOS
Full install (local models)	✓	✓
UI-Only install (connects to server)	✓	✓
Word integration	Automatic (COM)	Recommended (Apple Events) or Advanced (add-in)
Reranker (optional)	—	Available via Core ML

What Recall doesn't do

• No OCR (scanned PDFs need to be OCR'd externally before upload)
• No full Word-replacement drafting (use Notes for short memos; draft in Word for real documents)
• No cross-matter search
• No cloud sync between local-mode installations
• No custom citation styles beyond federal and california