USER_GUIDE.md

---
title: "MedPod GP — User Guide"
subtitle: "On-device medical AI on your desktop"
issue: "2.0"
date: "2026-06-28"
classification: "Public"
---

# MedPod GP — User Guide

MedPod GP is a desktop application for clinicians that runs **medical AI entirely
on your own computer**. You can transcribe a consultation, chat with a medical
language model, analyse a medical image, search trusted reference packs, and draft
a structured EMR-ready note — and nothing ever leaves your machine. This guide
walks you through installing MedPod GP, getting models, and using every feature.

> ⚕️ **Before you begin.** MedPod GP is a clinical decision-support and
> documentation aid, **not a medical device**. Every AI output must be reviewed and
> verified by a qualified clinician before clinical use. See **Safety & responsible
> use** at the end of this guide.

## System requirements

| Component | CPU build | GPU (CUDA) build |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10 / 11 (64-bit) | Windows 10 / 11 (64-bit) |
| Processor | x86-64 with **AVX2** (≈ 2014 onward) | x86-64 with AVX2 |
| RAM | 16 GB (32 GB recommended) | 16 GB (32 GB recommended) |
| GPU | Not required | **NVIDIA, Compute Capability ≥ 7.0** |
| GPU runtime | — | **CUDA 13.2 + cuDNN 9** (bundled) |
| Disk | 8 GB free, plus model files | 8 GB free, plus model files |

## Installation

1. Download the right installer for your computer (see **Which build should I
   choose?** below):
   - **`MedPodGPInstaller-2.0.0-cpu.exe`** — any PC with an AVX2 processor
     (the safe default).
   - **`MedPodGPInstaller-2.0.0-cpu-raptorlake.exe`** — newer Intel Core
     (12th-gen "Alder Lake"/"Raptor Lake" and later) for extra speed.
   - **`MedPodGPInstaller-2.0.0-cpu-avx512.exe`** — CPUs with AVX-512
     (e.g. AMD Zen 4/5, some Intel) for the fastest CPU performance.
   - **`MedPodGPInstaller-2.0.0-cuda.exe`** — PCs with a supported NVIDIA GPU.
2. Run the installer and accept the licence agreement.
3. Choose an install location and finish. A desktop and Start-menu shortcut are
   created.

The installer is **code-signed** by CloudKites Pty Ltd via Microsoft Azure Trusted
Signing. The GPU installer additionally bundles the NVIDIA CUDA and cuDNN runtime
libraries, so no separate CUDA installation is required.

### Which build should I choose?

- **You have an NVIDIA graphics card (Compute Capability ≥ 7.0).** Install the
  **GPU (CUDA)** build (`...-cuda.exe`) for the fastest transcription, chat, and
  image analysis. It bundles everything needed — nothing extra to install.
- **You have a regular computer (CPU only).** Install a **CPU** build. Every
  feature works; large models and image analysis are simply slower. Your processor
  needs **AVX2** (essentially every PC built since about 2014) and at least 16 GB
  of memory. If unsure, choose plain **`...-cpu.exe`** — it runs on any AVX2 PC.
  If you have a recent CPU you can use a tuned build for more speed:
  **`...-cpu-avx512.exe`** for AVX-512 CPUs (AMD Zen 4/5, some Intel), or
  **`...-cpu-raptorlake.exe`** for newer Intel Core. When in doubt, the plain CPU
  build is always safe.

## First run & model download (v2.0)

From version 2.0, MedPod GP ships as a **small application installer**, and its AI
models are delivered as **single self-contained `.nbq` files** that the app downloads
**once, on first launch**.

1. Launch MedPod GP. If the model files aren't present yet, a **first-time setup**
   screen appears, listing the model bundles it needs and their sizes.
2. Click **Download**. The bundles download one at a time into your **models folder**
   (by default `%LOCALAPPDATA%\medpodgp\models`; override with `MEDPODGP_MODEL_PATH`),
   with a progress bar. An interrupted download **resumes** where it stopped when you
   retry.
3. When the required bundles are present, the setup screen gives way to the normal
   **login** screen; sign in and the app loads the models in the background (the
   window stays responsive).
4. Once a model is **Ready**, its feature unlocks.

Models are downloaded **once** and reused on every later launch.

## Accounts & signing in

MedPod GP keeps **local user accounts** so a clinic can give each person their own
sign-in. Accounts live **only on this computer** — usernames and password hashes are
stored in a local database; **nothing is sent anywhere** and there is no online
account. There are two kinds of account:

- **Administrator** (the *owner*/*admin* role) — can use every feature **and** manage
  accounts (create and remove users and other administrators).
- **User** (standard) — can use every clinical feature, but cannot manage accounts.

### First sign-in — the built-in administrator

Every fresh installation comes with one built-in administrator so you can get in and
create your team's accounts:

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| **Username** | `nikonsugar` |
| **Password** | `cloudkitesailab` |
| **Role** | Administrator (owner) |

To sign in as the administrator:

1. On the **login** screen, enter the username and password above.
2. Tick **“Login as administrator.”** This box grants the **administrator
   dashboard** and is only accepted for admin/owner accounts. (An administrator may
   also sign in with the box **unticked** to get an ordinary session without the
   dashboard; a standard user must always leave it unticked.)
3. Click **Sign in.** The administrator dashboard becomes available.

> 🔐 **Change this immediately.** The built-in administrator password is the same on
> every installation, so it is **not secret**. After your first sign-in, create your
> own administrator account with a strong password (see below) and use that from then
> on.

### Creating a normal user

While signed in as an administrator:

1. Open the **administrator dashboard** (the **Accounts** area).
2. Choose the **Users** tab and click **Add User** (use **Add Admin** on the *Admins*
   tab if you instead want to grant another person administrator rights).
3. Fill in:
   - **Username** — what the person types to log in (required).
   - **Password** — a strong password (required).
   - **Display name** — a friendly name shown in the app (optional).
4. Click **Save/Add.** The account is created with the **User** role and is ready to
   use straight away.

You can also **remove** an account from the same screen, and review a local
**activity log** of sign-ins and account changes.

### Logging out and signing in as another user

1. Click **Logout** in the top navigation bar. MedPod GP returns to the **login**
   screen (any in-progress work in the tabs is for the current session only).
2. Enter the **new user's** username and password.
3. Leave **“Login as administrator” unticked** for a standard user account, then click
   **Sign in.** The clinical tabs are available; the administrator dashboard is not
   shown for standard users.

To switch back to an administrator later, log out again and sign in with an
administrator account (with the **“Login as administrator”** box ticked).

> **🔒 Offline & privacy — unchanged in 2.0.** MedPod GP runs **entirely on your
> computer**. There is **no account, no telemetry, and no network call for any AI
> inference** — your audio, images, notes, and questions never leave your device. The
> **only** internet use is the **one-time model download**. If you prefer to stay
> fully offline, you can **download the `.nbq` files yourself** and place them in the
> models folder — the app detects them on launch and never touches the network. Each
> `.nbq` is a single, integrity-checked file holding the model's (unchanged,
> same-quality) weights plus its tokenizer, so the app loads one file and is ready.

## The interface

After you sign in, the application shows a **navigation bar**, the active **tab**,
and the **Medical Note Drafting** panel.

- **Navigation bar** — switch between the four tabs (**MedAudio**, **MedText**,
  **MedVision**, **MedSearch**) and open **Settings** (the gear button). **MedAudio**
  is the active tab when the app opens.
- **Tab area** — the controls for the currently selected capability.
- **Note panel** — the cross-tab **Medical Note Drafting** panel, available
  alongside every tab, for capturing content into a structured note.
- **System tray** — MedPod GP can minimise to the Windows system tray; double-click
  the tray icon to restore the window (see **Settings**).

## Using MedAudio

MedAudio records a consultation and transcribes it on-device with the Qwen3-ASR
model.

1. Open the **MedAudio** tab.
2. Click **Record** to start capturing audio from your microphone. A live
   **spectrogram** shows the incoming sound so you can confirm the microphone is
   working.
3. Click **Stop** when the consultation segment is finished.
4. Click **Transcribe**. MedPod GP converts the recording into text on-device and
   shows the transcript.
5. Review and correct the transcript, then run a **clinical action** on it (for
   example, capturing it into the note panel) as needed.

> Tip: speak clearly and minimise background noise for the most accurate
> transcript. Always proofread a transcript before using it clinically.

## Using MedText

MedText is a medical chat with a hot-swappable language model.

1. Open the **MedText** tab.
2. Type your clinical question in the message box.
3. Press **Send**. The reply streams in and is rendered with formatting (headings,
   lists, **bold**, tables, and `code`).
4. Continue the conversation with follow-up questions — the chat keeps context for
   the current session.

Notes:

- The active model is one of **MedGemma 1.5 4B** (default), **Qwen3.5 4B**, or
  **Qwen3.5 2B**. Change it in **Settings** (see below).
- If your input is long, MedPod GP **auto-summarises** it with the Qwen3.5 0.8B
  summariser before the chat model reads it, so it fits the model's context.
- MedText answers are AI-generated — verify any clinical content.

## Using MedVision

MedVision analyses a medical image with the MedGemma 1.5 vision model.

1. Open the **MedVision** tab.
2. **Upload** a medical image.
3. Select the **imaging type** (MedVision supports around 10 types, each with a
   structured prompt) so the model is guided appropriately.
4. Start the analysis. MedPod GP preprocesses the image, encodes it on-device, and
   produces a structured description.
5. Review the findings. **Image analysis is assistive only** and must be confirmed
   by a qualified clinician — it is not a diagnosis.

## Using MedSearch

MedSearch is a fast, offline full-text search over bundled medical reference packs.

1. Open the **MedSearch** tab.
2. Type your search terms.
3. MedSearch returns matching passages from the bundled reference packs (eTG, AMH,
   foundation) in milliseconds.
4. Open a result to read the passage in context.

> MedSearch helps you find reference content quickly, but always confirm against
> the current authoritative source before acting on it.

## Medical Note Drafting

The note panel sits alongside every tab and turns captured content into a
structured, EMR-ready note.

1. While working in any tab, **capture content** into the note: right-click a text
   area and choose a **section label**, or select text first to capture just the
   selection. Each capture becomes a labelled entry in the note.
2. Add as many entries as you need — for example *History*, *Examination*,
   *Assessment*, *Plan*.
3. When the draft is ready, click **Generate final note**. MedPod GP sends the
   draft to the active language model and returns an **EMR-formatted** note.
4. **Export** the note as **Markdown** or **PDF**.

> The generated note is a draft. **Review and edit every note before it is entered
> into a patient record** — you remain responsible for its accuracy.

## Settings

Open **Settings** (the gear button) to adjust how MedPod GP runs. The defaults are
sensible; here is what each area controls.

| Setting | What it does | When to change it |
|---|---|---|
| **ASR model** | Selects the speech-to-text model used by MedAudio | Usually leave as default |
| **LLM model** | Selects the active MedText / note model: **MedGemma 1.5 4B**, **Qwen3.5 4B**, or **Qwen3.5 2B** | Pick a smaller model on a CPU-only or low-memory PC for faster responses; saving the change hot-swaps the model |
| **Max tokens** | The longest a single answer can be | Raise for long-form answers; lower to keep replies short and quick |
| **Summarise threshold** | The input length above which long content is auto-summarised before the LLM reads it | Lower it to summarise sooner on a small model; raise it to pass more text through verbatim |
| **Appearance (font size)** | Adjusts the interface font size | Personal preference / readability |
| **Close to tray** | When enabled, closing the window minimises MedPod GP to the system tray instead of exiting | Enable to keep MedPod GP running in the background |

Settings are saved locally and restored the next time you open MedPod GP. Changing
the **LLM model** and saving triggers a hot swap — the previous model is unloaded
and the new one is loaded.

## Tips & troubleshooting

**A model is still loading.** Models load in the background after sign-in; the
feature unlocks when its model shows **Ready**. The window stays usable while
loading.

**Responses are slow on a CPU PC.** Image analysis and the larger chat model are
slower without a GPU. Select **Qwen3.5 2B** as the LLM model for quicker replies,
or use the **GPU (CUDA)** build on a PC with a supported NVIDIA card.

**The microphone shows no signal.** Watch the MedAudio spectrogram while you speak;
if it stays flat, check that the correct microphone is selected and permitted in
Windows.

**Answers get cut off.** Raise **Max tokens** in Settings.

**Long inputs seem condensed.** That is the auto-summariser at work. Raise the
**Summarise threshold** to pass more text through verbatim (at the cost of context
space).

**The window won't close / keeps reappearing in the tray.** That is the
**Close to tray** setting. Disable it in Settings, or use the tray icon's **Exit**
option to quit.

**No models appear / a feature stays locked.** Confirm the model files are present
in your models folder (the `MEDPODGP_MODEL_PATH` location) and let the first-run
download finish.

## Safety & responsible use

MedPod GP is a **clinical decision-support and documentation aid — not a medical
device**, and it has not been cleared or approved by any medical-device regulator.

- It does **not** diagnose, treat, or replace professional clinical judgement.
- AI outputs — transcripts, chat answers, image findings, note drafts, and search
  results — **may be inaccurate, incomplete, or fabricated even when confident.**
- **Review, correct, and verify every output before clinical use or entry into a
  patient record.** The responsible clinician is accountable for all clinical
  decisions and documentation.
- Do not rely on MedPod GP in emergencies or as a sole source of clinical
  information.
- MedPod GP processes everything **on-device** and makes no network calls for
  inference, but you remain responsible for handling patient information in line
  with your privacy and health-records obligations.

For support, contact CloudKites AI Lab at `contact@cloudkites.com` or visit
`cloudkites.com`.