User manual and first steps

User guide · November 2026. Start with a defined task and check the result before expanding your use.

MikeARG development and adaptation: Ignacio Adrián Lerer · JustitIA. Built on MikeOSS, created by Will Chen and its community.

1. What MikeARG is and who it can help

MikeARG by JustitIA is an independent Argentine adaptation of MikeOSS. It provides a starting point for using AI on a specific task, reviewing the result and deciding how to proceed. It is available in Spanish and English.

Solo practitioners: organise documents and conversations by matter and return to a review with its context.
Small and medium-sized law firms: start with one matter and assess a professional implementation for the team and its practice areas.
In-house lawyers and corporate legal departments: start with defined tasks and explore libraries of selected contracts, policies and precedents.
Public-sector legal teams and institutions: explore workflows using authorised legislation and documents, subject to their duties and policies.

Initial public access is individual. Team access, permissions, integrations and shared libraries require a specific implementation; they are not automatically included when you create an account.

2. Official links

Online access uses a browser. You do not need a Mac for this walkthrough. Check the interface and current help for the availability of specific functions. The first-use web walkthrough and its example are in Spanish; this English manual explains the full exercise below.

3. Before starting: account, provider and costs

Create an individual account through the official link and complete the checks shown on screen.
Follow the help page to configure an API key from your own account with a compatible AI provider.
Review the provider's terms and billing before making queries.
Select a provider and model supported by the version you are using.
Begin with the synthetic example in this guide.

An API key is not your MikeARG password. A subscription to a chat application does not necessarily include API credits. Creating a MikeARG account does not include inference credits.

Never publish or send keys through email, chats, support forms or screenshots. If a key is exposed, revoke it through the provider and generate another using its usual procedure.

4. Your first task: find a clause

Practice document

Download the Spanish synthetic demonstration document. It is not a contract to use in an actual transaction. You can ask questions about it in English.

The document names two fictional parties: Empresa Ejemplo and Prestador Ejemplo. It requires an inventory of twenty fictional documents to be delivered as a spreadsheet on 15 December 2026. Clause 4 permits either party to terminate by email with ten days' notice. Clause 5 requires an email acknowledgement of the spreadsheet but sets no deadline. Clause 6 deliberately omits price, confidentiality provisions and jurisdiction.

Create a practice matter and give it a recognisable name.
Add the example file through the document function.
Open the conversation associated with that matter or document.
Ask the first question.
Open the original and compare the response with it.
Record what you keep, correct or discard.
Reopen the matter to check that you can return to your work.

Three questions to copy

Find the clause

According to this document, which clause governs termination notice, how must notice be sent, and how much notice is required? Identify the clause and supporting text. State when information is missing.

Organise obligations

Prepare a table showing task, responsible party, date and supporting clause. Distinguish express provisions from undefined matters. Do not supply missing terms.

Recognise limits

Identify three points requiring a human decision before using a real agreement. Explain what cannot be concluded from this document.

Check against the original

Item	What the synthetic document says	What to check
Termination	Clause 4: email with ten days' notice	Do not change the channel or notice period
Delivery	Clause 3: 15 December 2026	Identify the date and source
Delay	Clause 3 sets no consequences	Do not invent penalties
Acknowledgement	Clause 5: email, with no deadline	Do not invent a deadline
Price, confidentiality and jurisdiction	Clause 6 deliberately omits them	Distinguish missing information from an applicable legal rule

This table comes from the synthetic document. It is not an AI-generated answer or evidence that a model has passed the exercise.

5. How to review a response

A linked citation helps locate the proposed support. It does not guarantee that the passage supports the conclusion or eliminate hallucinations.

Identity: check the document, parties and matter.
Passage: check the cited text, including exceptions and negations.
Data: check dates, amounts, currencies, units and conditions.
Scope: distinguish express statements, inferences and missing information.
Law: check jurisdiction, currency and official sources where relevant.
Decision: identify what needs further professional assessment.

If support is missing, stop using the affected conclusion. Request the relevant passage, compare it with the original, and correct or discard the response. Do not copy a citation or conclusion without checking it.

6. Confidentiality and documents

Before uploading client, case or personnel information, review the terms of MikeARG, your chosen provider and your organisation, as well as applicable professional duties.

Open-source software does not automatically make an online instance local or offline. Selecting a local model does not prove that every other component of an installation remains within your infrastructure.

Start with public or synthetic documents. Creating an account is not in itself a basis for uploading confidential material. A library should contain selected, authorised documents, with version control and review.

7. Prudent information use

Use only information you are authorised to process. Limit uploads to what the task needs, protect keys and define access to each matter. Before introducing confidential documents, review the data flow and the terms of the services used.

Retain documents and results for as long as their purpose and applicable obligations require. Deleting a file through the interface does not establish that backup or third-party copies have been deleted. If you detect an incident, stop the affected uploads and report it without sending keys or confidential documents. Response measures and notifications depend on applicable rules and contracts.

8. Extending MikeARG through a professional implementation

A specific engagement can assess team access, permissions, document sources, shared libraries and workflows tailored to the practice areas of a firm, legal department or public body.

A library can grow with selected, authorised documents. This does not mean that the model automatically trains or learns from everything added.

Scope, deliverables, review, support and fees are agreed separately. Access to open-source software does not include customisation or unlimited individual support.

9. Feature availability

This guide focuses on individual access and documents and conversations organised by matter. Consult the help page before planning integrations or advanced functions. Documentation of the original project does not mean that all its functions are enabled in MikeARG.

10. Troubleshooting

I do not have an API key. Check the compatible provider's access and billing options. A chat subscription is not the same as API access.

A query fails. Check the connection, provider, supported model, key validity and your account's balance or limits. Do not share the key to request help.

The document is not read correctly. Check that the file opens and its text is legible. A scanned image may not contain usable text. If the system cannot read it, do not treat the analysis as verified.

I cannot find a citation. Return to the original document. Do not use the conclusion if you cannot locate its support.

I want to add my team. Describe the workflow you want to improve and the types of sources you can use, without attaching confidential information.

Does this replace a lawyer? No. It supports legal work. It is not a substitute for professional legal advice on a case.

11. Contact

Ignacio Adrián Lerer · Estudio Lerer / JustitIA.

For an initial enquiry, describe your need in general terms. Do not send confidential documents or access keys.

12. Origin and licence

MikeARG is an independent Argentine adaptation of MikeOSS, created by Will Chen and its community. The software is distributed under AGPL-3.0-only. The software licence does not determine the rights in uploaded documents. Access the corresponding source code through the application's help page.

Read the licence · Original project