# QID (Quality ID)

> QID is free desktop software for digital work instructions and quality records. An AI agent writes step-by-step instructions from your notes, manuals or CAD; your team follows them and signs off each step with readings and photos; every change is kept in a tamper-evident SHA-256 hash-chained history inside one .qid file. Windows 10/11 and macOS, works offline, bring your own AI.

Key facts:
- Price: free. No licence, per-user fee or subscription. Users only pay for the AI they connect (their existing AI app, their own API key, or nothing with a local model).
- Platforms: Windows 10 and 11 (per-user installer, no admin rights) and macOS. Works offline. An online team version is being prepared (US hosting first, EU later).
- AI: Claude, ChatGPT, Grok, Ollama, LM Studio or any OpenAI-compatible API in the app; a built-in MCP server connects Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor and other MCP apps.
- People stay in charge: the AI never accepts or rejects work, never invents numbers (missing values are marked [to confirm]), and every AI edit is logged as "name (AI)".
- Used for: service and commissioning, maintenance and MRO, assembly, quality inspection (first article, dimensional, NDT/weld UT), onboarding and skills sign-off.
- Not: an ERP or MES replacement, or a certification. It produces the evidence that supports ISO 9001 / AS9100 audits.

## Pages
- [QID home page](https://qid.network/): product overview, live demo, FAQ and downloads
- [Full text for AI assistants](https://qid.network/llms-full.txt): every FAQ answer and product topic in plain text

## FAQ
- **What is QID?** QID (Quality ID) is free desktop software for digital work instructions and quality records. An AI agent turns your notes, manuals or CAD drawings into step-by-step instructions, your team follows them and signs off each step with readings and photos, and every change is saved in a tamper-evident, SHA-256 hash-chained history inside one .qid file.
- **Who is QID for?** Teams that do work in steps and need to prove it: manufacturing and assembly lines, maintenance and MRO crews, field service and commissioning engineers, power plants and utilities, and quality inspectors doing first-article, dimensional or NDT and weld inspection. It also works for onboarding and skills sign-off.
- **How is QID different from Word, Excel or paper checklists?** Documents hold instructions but can't prove what was done, and they are easy to edit afterwards. QID keeps the instructions, the results and the proof in one file, with a named sign-off on every step and a history nobody can secretly change. It doesn't replace your ERP or MES; your AI agent can read those and bring data in over MCP.
- **What does QID cost?** Nothing. QID is free. The only cost is the AI you choose to connect: the AI app you already pay for, your own API key, or a local model that costs nothing.
- **Where is my data stored?** In .qid files on your own disk or network share. QID is a desktop app and works offline. Nothing leaves your machine unless you connect an online AI.
- **Which AI can I use?** Claude, ChatGPT, Grok, or a local model through Ollama or LM Studio for the in-app chat. Any MCP app, such as Claude Desktop, Claude Code or Cursor, can connect to QID directly.
- **Do I need an API key?** Only for the in-app chat with an online provider. Linking your own AI app over MCP uses the subscription you already have, and local models need no key at all.
- **What can my team ask the AI?** Anything about the work in the file: where the job stands, what's blocked, which value to use, how to do the current step. It answers from your documents and says where it found it.
- **Can the AI approve work?** No. It can write, illustrate, reorganise and search instructions. Accepting, rejecting and reopening steps is reserved for people.
- **How long does it take to learn?** Operators only see their steps: read, enter the values, press Accept. Authors start from an AI draft instead of a blank page. A realistic first goal: one procedure this week.
- **Who can change what?** Roles and step labels decide it. Operators sign production steps, QA signs quality checks, and a step with both labels needs a role that holds both.
- **What does tamper-evident mean here?** Each history entry is hashed together with the one before it. If anyone edits the log outside QID, the hashes stop matching and QID points to the first altered entry.
- **Will the AI make up numbers?** No. Torques, temperatures and part numbers come from your documents. Anything missing is marked [to confirm], and every AI edit is logged as “name (AI)”.
- **Can AI drawings use our brand?** Yes. Set your colours and logo once per document, and every infographic the AI draws uses them and stays editable.
- **How do I connect Claude Desktop, Claude Code or Cursor?** One click links Claude Desktop. For any other MCP app, add this to its settings:
- **Does it need IT to install?** No. QID runs on Windows 10 and 11 and macOS. The Windows installer runs per user, needs no admin rights, and opens .qid files with a double-click.