Frequently Asked Questions

Short answers. Where to click. What has to be running first.

If this page doesn’t cover it, try Troubleshooting. Still stuck? The Discord is friendly.

Start here

Is it free?

Yes. No subscription. No account for chatting.

Optional paid stuff if you turn it on: OpenRouter (cloud AI, pay per use), ElevenLabs (fancy voices). The app itself is free.

Does it spy on me?

No ads. No trackers. Chats stay on your computer.

The only internet bits, and only if you turn them on:

Cloud AI (OpenRouter etc.) — your prompts go there.
Cloud voices — the text being spoken goes there.
The Stoop — that's the only Front Porch account.

What computer do I need?

Windows 10 or 11
Mac — macOS 12 Monterey or newer. Apple Silicon (M1+) can run local models. Intel Macs cannot. On Intel, open Settings → Backend and pick OpenAI-Compatible API yourself. The app will not do that for you.
Linux — APT, RPM, AUR, AppImage, .deb / .rpm

8 GB RAM minimum, 16 GB nicer. A GPU helps. No GPU is fine with a small model or a remote API.

Step-by-step install: Installation. First-run walkthrough: Getting Started.

Do I need the internet?

To download the app, the AI engine, and a model — yes.

After that, chatting, memory, and local voices work offline.

Two extra programs you might run yourself:

KoboldCpp — talks to local chat models. The app downloads and starts this for you (Settings → Backend).
A picture program — Draw Things, ComfyUI, or Automatic1111/Forge. Front Porch does not install or start that. You do. Then you point Image Studio at it.

You need the internet for: cloud AI, cloud voices, The Stoop, downloading new models.

Stable vs Nightly?

Stable — the one you should install. Current is v1.3.1, "Clock In".
Nightly — new stuff, rougher. Uses a different folder (FrontPorchAI-Beta) so it cannot eat your real library. On nightlies, Backups & Restore shows a notice (auto-snapshots still run; you just can't click restore there).

Chat

The AI won't talk

Do this in order:

Settings → Backend. If it says local isn't running, hit Start Backend.
You need a model. Sidebar → Manage Models → download a GGUF. Dropping a .gguf in the models folder also works.
Intel Mac? Local will never work. Settings → Backend → OpenAI-Compatible API + a URL/key.
Still nothing? Troubleshooting.

How do I pick a model?

Sidebar → Manage Models. The app estimates if it fits before you download.

Your computer	Start here
6–8 GB GPU	7–9B at Q4
12–16 GB GPU	12–14B at Q4
24 GB+ GPU	bigger quantized models
Apple Silicon 16 GB+	7–13B
No GPU	3–7B, or a remote API

7B / 13B = size (bigger = smarter, hungrier). Q4 = compression (Q4 is the sweet spot). Start small. Modern 8B models are good at roleplay.

Can I use ChatGPT / Claude / Gemini?

Yes, through OpenRouter (one key, lots of models) or any OpenAI-compatible URL. Settings → Backend. That is your key and their bill.

It's slow

Usually the model is too big and spilled into regular RAM.

Smaller model, or Q4 instead of Q8
Settings → Advanced → lower GPU Layers
Check it actually sees your GPU: GPU not detected
Giant context (16k+) is slow even on a good card

It repeats itself

Settings → Generation: Temperature ~0.8–1.1, Repeat Penalty ~1.05–1.15, DRY Strength ~0.8.

Also: thin character cards (no example dialogue) repeat. Add examples. Some models just suck at this — try another.

The character is acting wrong

Card is thin — add examples and a real personality.
Model too small.
Temperature way too low or way too high. Try 0.85–1.0.
Settings → General → system prompt fighting the card. Clear it or use a preset.
Realism Engine off — no leftover mood between turns. Settings → Porch Life.

Where do I get characters?

Sidebar → The Stoop (or hub.frontporchai.app) → download.
Home → Import Cards (PNG or JSON from any site).
AI Create on the home screen (one-line idea → a card).
Discord.

SillyTavern / Backyard cards?

Yes. Import Cards for PNG/JSON. Import Backyard AI for .byaf. Lorebooks have their own import wizard.

Pictures (Image Studio)

Front Porch does not draw the picture. It sends a prompt to another program (or a cloud image API) that you already have running. Your chat model is not the picture-maker.

I don't see a picture button

Settings → Voice & Media → Image Generation → on. Until this is on, the ✨ button is hidden.
Open a chat. ✨ is in the bar at the bottom.
Full Image Studio is desktop. Phone: Models can still generate one picture, or type /image in chat.

How do pictures actually work?

Two programs.

Program	Job
Front Porch	Chat, ✨ Studio, send the prompt
Draw Things / ComfyUI / A1111 / Forge / a cloud image API	Actually paint the pixels

Recipe:

Turn Image Generation on (above).
Start the picture program and load an image model in that program. Leave it running.
Open a chat → ✨.
Pick the matching backend chip (Draw Things, ComfyUI, Automatic1111, or Remote).
Wait until the card says connected (it lists how many models it found). If it doesn't, It says not connected.
Pick Create, pick a subject (Freeform / Character / You), hit Generate.

URL and model lists live inside the Studio, not on the Voice & Media switch.

Draw Things (Mac)

Mac only. Windows/Linux will not show this chip unless you already saved it.

Open Draw Things.
Turn on its gRPC server.
Default: host 127.0.0.1, port 7859.
Load an image model in Draw Things.
In Studio, tap Draw Things. Wait for connected.

Edit tab: use Use recommended on the recipe strip. Weird CFG on Qwen-Image-Edit often returns a blank image.

ComfyUI

Start ComfyUI. Default address: http://127.0.0.1:8188.
Load a workflow / model there.
Studio → ComfyUI. Wait for connected.

Edit: pick a built-in recipe, or Upload your own workflow.

Automatic1111 / Forge

Start the WebUI with --api. Without --api, Front Porch cannot talk to it.
Default address: http://127.0.0.1:7860.
Studio → AUTOMATIC1111 (Forge uses this same chip).
Wait for connected.

Cloud pictures (Remote API)

This is not free, and it is not a separate key.

It uses the same URL + API key as Settings → Backend (OpenRouter etc.). If that key is empty, Generate will look fine and then do nothing useful.

Studio → Remote. Pick an image model from the list (not your chat GGUF).

Create vs Edit

Create — brand-new picture from a prompt.
Edit — change a picture you already have. Needs an edit image model (Qwen-Image-Edit, Flux Kontext, …). A normal “make a picture” checkpoint will not do Edit. The app tells you why; it will not silently fake it.

/image in chat = “picture this scene.” /image me, /image char, /image raw … exist too. If Review AI prompts is on, /image pauses so you can edit the prompt first.

It says not connected

Read the grey hint on the card:

Draw Things — is gRPC on? Port 7859?
ComfyUI — is it running on 8188?
A1111 — did you start it with --api?
Remote — is Settings → Backend filled in?

Then hit Retry. The picture program must stay open.

Edit / expression check is grey

Edit: wrong image model. Switch the image model, not the chat model.

Expression pack QC (the app looking at faces): your chat model must be able to see pictures (vision GGUF + mmproj in Model Settings → Vision, or a vision API). “Couldn't check vision” usually means the server is still loading — wait, retry.

Starter pack = 8 faces. Full = 28. You need a base portrait first.

Full walkthrough: Image Studio.

The Stoop

What is The Stoop?

A character shop built into the app (sidebar → The Stoop) and the web (hub.frontporchai.app).

Download a single, a whole group, or a Place. Uploads wait for a moderator. Strictly 18+. Suggestive cards stay hidden until you tap 🔞.

The rest of Front Porch never needs this.

Do I need an account?

No to look and download on the web hub.

Yes to follow, vote, comment, report, or share.

Confirmed email (click the link they send) to: share, profile picture, comment, report. Banner → send again. Check spam. Don't mash the button.

Throwaway emails are rejected. If the rules page (AUP) updates, you'll have to tick it again.

Share from the desktop wizard, or drop a PNG/JSON on the hub. Phone cannot upload.

Why was my upload blocked?

Email not confirmed.
Incomplete card — first message + scenario + description or personality + a picture. Groups: every member needs a name, identity, and avatar. Places: climate + cover.
Intimate prefs filled in → the listing is 18+. A member with prefs 18+'s the whole group.
Still Pending — that is not a reject. Read the note if it says Not approved / Taken down.

Also: the card has to be a real character (not a blank), readable, no porn cover on a SFW listing, credit Original creator if it isn't yours.

Stoop groups only open in Front Porch. Solo V2 cards work in SillyTavern; the Realism extras do not.

Worlds / Places

Yes, share them. Download lands in Worlds. File export is .fpworld (needs app 1.2+). Updating a Place = new listing. Characters/groups can update in place. Hub cap ~8 MB.

Comments, reports, gold/blue checks

Comments are off until the creator turns them on. Confirmed email to post. No links. You can report a comment.

Report on a card: sign in, confirm email, pick a category, write a reason. Guests don't even see the button.

Starburst check (not a circle): gold = owner, blue = someone they trust. You cannot buy or apply. ★ Mod's Pick = a mod featured it.

Forgot password

Sign-in → Forgot password? → email → link lasts 45 minutes. 2FA still needed after reset. Stoop 2FA ≠ the phone-web 2FA.

What data does The Stoop collect?

Only if you sign in: email, name, 18+ tick, hashed password, optional profile, the cards you upload, votes/downloads, a hashed IP + install id for bans (90 days), optional anonymous “what GPU do people have” ping (off switch on signup).

Never: your chats. Delete the account from the app to wipe Stoop data. Privacy.

Living characters

Where did the switches go?

Settings → Porch Life. Not General.

Journal, clock, Chaos, Pockets, Objectives each have their own switch. Realism is not the master key. Full list: Porch Life.

18+ themes is still Settings → General.

How does time work?

The story has its own clock. It is not your wall clock and it does not follow today's real date.

Turn it on: Settings → Porch Life → Passage of Time.

That row does not need the Realism Engine. Two different cases:

Realism Engine	What the clock does
On	Clock is judged as part of work the engine already does. No extra switch.
Off	Passage of Time being on is not enough. You must also turn on Keep the clock running without the engine (the small switch under that row). That costs one extra AI call per turn. Leave it off and the clock holds still.

What “auto” means

You send a message. They reply.
After the reply, the app asks the AI: “how many minutes did that beat take?”
The clock moves by that amount. Next speaker is told the new time.

A hello might be 2 minutes. A long drive might be two hours.
Hard cap: 180 minutes (3 hours) per turn. Bigger jumps are skips (below), not auto.
If that AI call fails or returns garbage: the clock creeps 5 minutes. It never freezes on a failed call.
If it still hasn't moved after 12 turns, the app hops to the next time of day by itself.
Continue does not tick. Same beat. New message = new beat.
Regenerate / swipe rewind the clock to before that reply, then judge again. It will not double-advance.
In a group, one clock for the whole scene (guests included).

What you see

Sidebar Character State: something like Morning · 9:00 AM and Wed, Mar 3 · Day 3.

Six periods (and the time they land on if the app only knows the period):

Period	About
Dawn	6:00
Morning	9:00
Late morning	11:30
Afternoon	2:30
Evening	6:30
Night	10:30

Past midnight = next story day. Sleeping through the night in-scene can start a morning — only when the scene actually says so.

Set the opening date and clock on the character card if this is 1887, not “today.” Existing chats keep the clock they already have.

What rides on the clock

Story Weather — needs Passage of Time.
Dreams — needs Journal and Passage of Time (🌙 banner after a story night).
Clock In (job/hours) — uses this clock. “They're at work” is the occupation feature, not a stuck clock.
Planner — needs Time + Objectives + Journal.

Porch Life. Deep numbers: Realism Engine.

Why isn't the clock moving?

Do these in order:

Settings → Porch Life → Passage of Time is on (and the chat didn't override it off in Character State → tune).
Realism Engine off? Then Keep the clock running without the engine must be on, or the clock is supposed to sit still.
You hit Continue — that does not advance time. Send a new message.
No model / backend not running — auto time is an AI question. It cannot judge minutes without a model.
You expected a 6-hour jump from one reply — auto cannot do that. Skip.

How do I skip time?

Auto will never jump more than three hours. For “next morning” / “a week later,” you skip.

1. Type it (fastest)

Works if the message looks like a skip, including:

(OOC: several hours later) / [OOC] skip ahead / OOC: time skip
“a few hours”, “hours later”, “the next morning”, “the next day”, “a week later”, “next week”, “a month later”
“slept through the night”, “sleep until morning”, “woke up”

“Let's go to bed” is a scene, not a skip. A finished night is.

A night skip lands morning, can restore energy a bit (hunger/bladder stay). You'll see a small time-skip chip on the next reply.

2. Nudge one period

‹ › next to the date in Character State — back or forward one bucket (dawn → morning → …).

3. Set the clock exactly

Tap the date → Story Calendar. Pick the day and the time. Days with memories are marked; tap one to read what they remember.

AFK / Dynamic Responses can also eat story-time per scene (hours / half day / full day) — that is the AFK gear, not the calendar.

Why does it say they're at work?

Clock In. They have a job and hours on the story clock. Skip a turn during a shift → banner. Night skip lets them rest. They can still talk to you from work (“with you” is scored after they speak).

Not a stuck clock. Change hours, skip to after the shift, or turn occupation off. Clock In.

What are Pockets?

Clothes and stuff they carry. Own switch on Porch Life. Does not need Realism. Journal → Belongings. Pockets.

What is the Realism Engine?

Optional. Mood, bond, trust, needs, goals. Off by default on new singles; on by default on new groups. The story clock is a separate switch (Passage of Time) — it is not “the engine.” Full tour: Realism Engine.

Does Realism make chat slow?

A bit. Extra short AI questions after each turn. Character State gear → One-Shot Eval: Auto (fuse when the backend can), On, or Off. Or turn Realism off.

Reset bond / trust

Start a new chat. There is no reset inside an old one. Editor “starting values” only affect chats you start after you change them.

Voice

No sound

First time, Kokoro downloads ~380 MB. Wait.

Settings → Voice & Media. Kokoro = free local. ElevenLabs/OpenAI = key + internet.

If you switched engines, pick the character's voice again (old engine voices don't exist on the new one).

Better voices

Kokoro = best free. ElevenLabs = best paid. Piper = lots of distinct voices (import .onnx + .onnx.json on desktop). Each character can have their own voice.

Voice call cuts me off

It sends after ~2 seconds of silence. Headset. Lower mic gain. Hang up and call again. Or tap Send yourself. Phone has no Voice Call — only hold-to-talk, and only on HTTPS.

Other buttons people ask about

AI Enhance

Home screen → right-click the character → AI Enhance. Pick a chat. It interviews you, you tick what to rewrite, it saves Name (Enhanced). You can bring those chats along. It is not in Porch Life.

Arrows on the portrait

◀ ▶ on the sidebar face = different looks from the Avatar Gallery for this chat. Not the mood/expression pack.

AFK / they keep talking while I'm away

One-on-one: sidebar Story Tools → Dynamic Responses. The gear: reply every 30–300 seconds, stop after 1–10 scenes, how much story time each scene eats (a few hours / half day / full day). Typing cancels it.

Groups: that panel is hidden. Use /afk (see User Guide slash table).

Where do I set their job?

Open the character → Details: Occupation, a short brief, hours, which weekdays. That is Clock In. Skip a turn during those hours → “at work” banner.

Likes / dislikes are chip lists on Details, not the personality paragraph. Intimate into/not-into only show if Settings → General → 18+ themes is on. Worn / carrying on the card seeds Pockets; you still need the Pockets switch in the chat.

Custom weather / seasons

Worlds → edit the Place → climate editor. 2 to 8 seasons (not stuck at 4). Each season has a start month/day — overlap blocks save. Day–night swing = how hard it cools after sundown. You can start from a built-in biome. Atmosphere: Breathable / Thin / Unbreathable / Hostile. Gravity: Earth / Low / High / Micro.

Porch Stories — how do I start?

Backend must be running. Home → Porch Stories → new project. Steps: Engine → Concept → Style → Format → Cast → Review. If you ticked “use chat history,” a Distiller pass runs before the bible so it tracks what actually happened. Then Architect (bible) → Act Structurer → scene beats → prose. Chat → Turn Into a Story… is the shortcut (desktop).

Import a lorebook

Import Lorebook (not the same as importing a character): pick a file → send it to a new Place, characters, a group, or the current chat. You can also pull another card's lore into this character from the editor.

Same-name import asks skip / replace / keep both. One-file Import Cards can ask for tags; bulk folder import does not.

SillyTavern SQLite import is a real path too (characters + chats), not only PNG/JSON.

Reprocess Needs

Turned Needs on mid-chat, or an eval went weird: Reprocess Needs Deltas rebuilds Needs history from that conversation. Porch Life.

Scan & Clean vs Reclaim

Settings → Advanced:

Scan & Clean — orphan avatars, leftover embeddings, dead sessions.
Reclaim Disk Space — old sidecar leftovers. Different button. Do not mix them up.

Phone, backups, updates

Chat from my phone

Desktop: Settings → Advanced → Web Server → on.
Same Wi-Fi: open http://YOUR-PC:8085.
First visit: create a web login. Away from home / not localhost: also type the setup code from that Settings page.
Desktop must stay on. It is the brain.

Add to Home Screen: Android may pop a banner; iPhone is Share → Add to Home Screen.

Away from home: Tailscale (phone has a Remote page: HTTPS, optional ngrok, QR).

What's missing on the phone?

Desktop only: full Image Studio (Create/Edit/packs), Voice Call, Suggest Actions, attach a photo, Stoop upload, Backups, Scan & Clean, Turn Into a Story.

Phone can still make a picture from Models or /image. Mic needs HTTPS (http://192.168… will refuse the microphone).

Web & Phone.

Backups

Automatic every 30 minutes. Last 10 + one per day for 7 days. Sidebar → Backups & Restore. Since 1.2, restore usually doesn't need a restart.

A backup is the database (chats, memories). It does not put back a deleted character PNG or your GGUF files. Copy the whole FrontPorchAI folder for a full spare.

Nightlies: restore UI is hidden; auto snapshots still run.

Where is my data?

Windows: Documents\FrontPorchAI\
Mac / Linux: ~/Documents/FrontPorchAI/
Nightly: FrontPorchAI-Beta

Change the folder: Settings → Advanced → Data directory.