SENTINEL\u00B7IEP Documentation

Everything you need to install, configure, and use SENTINEL\u00B7IEP.

SENTINEL\u00B7IEP is a desktop application that helps parents and advocates prepare for and participate in IEP meetings. It runs on your computer, processes your child's documents locally, and either uses local AI (Ollama) or cloud AI providers (Anthropic, OpenAI, Google) for analysis.

Start here

1 Install SENTINEL\u00B7IEP \u2014 download and set up the app on Windows, macOS, or Linux. Takes about 10 minutes for a basic install, longer if you want cloud-AI features.

2 Walk through your first launch \u2014 acknowledge the disclaimer, run the hardware diagnostic, and load your first document.

3 Try live monitoring \u2014 use SENTINEL\u00B7IEP during a real IEP meeting to flag statements in real time.

4 Run a Case Analysis \u2014 load all your case documents and get a multi-AI synthesized analysis of your child's situation.

Common questions

Does my data leave my computer?

By default, no. SENTINEL\u00B7IEP processes documents locally and uses a local Whisper model for transcription. If you enable cloud-AI analysis, your case content is sent to one or more AI providers you authorize. Local-only mode (Ollama) keeps everything on-device. See the privacy policy.

Do I need a GPU?

No, but it helps a lot. With a GPU (NVIDIA RTX 3060 or similar) you can run the highest-quality models in near real-time. Without a GPU you'll use smaller models that are still useful but slower. The hardware diagnostic that runs on first launch picks the best model for your machine.

Can I use this without an internet connection?

Yes. Once you've installed the local Whisper model and a local LLM (Ollama), the app works fully offline. This is the privacy-safe default. Cloud features require internet but are optional.

Is this legal advice?

No. SENTINEL\u00B7IEP is informational only. See the full disclaimer.

Need help?

Email us at hello@sentineliep.com if you're stuck. We answer our own email.