How to Study a Book with AI on Your Mac, Privately (Ollama)

By NUR Technologies · October 25, 2026 · 5 min read

Reading a book and remembering it are different things. AI can turn each chapter into a lesson, flashcards and a quiz, but sending your whole library to a cloud service is not always what you want. Here is how to do it locally on a Mac.

The idea

Instead of just reading, you study chapter by chapter: a short lesson, key terms, a framework and what to do with it, flashcards that return when you are about to forget them, and a quiz. ReadVanced does this for the books you add, using the AI you choose.

Your two options for the AI

• Your own API key from a provider such as OpenAI, Claude, Gemini or DeepSeek. You pay the provider directly for what you use.
• Ollama on your Mac: the model runs locally, so book text never leaves your computer and there is no per-use cost.

Set it up with Ollama

1. Install OllamaDownload Ollama for Mac from ollama.com and open it so it runs in the background.
2. Download a modelPull a model with Ollama. Smaller models need less memory but are less capable; pick one that fits your Mac’s RAM.
3. Add a book to ReadVancedDrop in an EPUB, PDF or any DRM-free file you own.
4. Choose Ollama as your AISelect Ollama in ReadVanced as the AI engine. If you prefer a cloud provider, enter your own API key instead.
5. Study chapter by chapterOpen a chapter to get its lesson, flashcards and quiz. Chapters are prepared in the background while you read.

Local or cloud: which should you choose?

• Local (Ollama): private, free to run, works well for notes and summaries. Quality depends on the model and your Mac’s memory.
• Cloud (your key): usually more capable on difficult books, but the text is sent to that provider under its terms.