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Show HN: OpenKnowledge โ€“ open source AI-first alternative to Obsidian/Notion

github.com|347 points|164 comments|by engomez|Jun 25, 2026

Introducing OpenKnowledge: The AI-Native Evolution of Note-Taking

OpenKnowledge is positioned as a powerful, open-source, and AI-centric alternative to platforms like Notion or Obsidian. It functions as a local-first WYSIWYG markdown editor designed specifically to serve as an LLM Wiki.

Core Philosophy: A beautiful, local-first environment that blends the simplicity of a markdown editor with the power of modern AI harnesses like Claude and Codex.

OpenKnowledge Concept


๐Ÿš€ Key Capabilities

OpenKnowledge isn't just a text editor; it is a comprehensive ecosystem for knowledge management.

Primary Highlights

  • True WYSIWYG Experience: Editing your markdown files feels as fluid as working in a Google Doc or a Notion page.
  • AI Collaboration: Deep integration with Claude, Codex, and Cursor desktop applications for real-time, collaborative editing.
  • Agentic Infrastructure:
    • Compatible with any harness or agent via MCP (Model Context Protocol) or CLI (e.g., OpenCode).
    • Includes built-in skills and agentic search, making it ideal for knowledge graphs and agent second brains.
  • Seamless Synchronization: Utilizes git and GitHub under the hood to provide no-code team sharing and automatic syncing.
  • Rich Content: Supports embeddable HTML and advanced components, perfect for creating visualized reports or detailed engineering specifications.
  • Flexible Interfaces:
    • Desktop App: Features a built-in TUI (Terminal User Interface).
    • Web UI: Available for those who prefer a browser-based experience.

The Knowledge Logic

The efficiency of an AI-native wiki can be represented by the relationship between raw data (DD), AI processing (PP), and synthesized knowledge (KK): Knowledge(K)=โˆซ(Dโ‹…P)โ€‰dt\text{Knowledge} (K) = \int (D \cdot P) \, dt


๐Ÿ› ๏ธ Technical Architecture & Workflow

The following diagram illustrates how OpenKnowledge bridges the gap between local files and AI agents:


๐Ÿ“ฆ Installation Guide

Depending on your operating system, choose the appropriate method below:

For macOS Users

  1. Download the official desktop application.
  2. Open the .dmg file.
  3. Drag OpenKnowledge into your Applications folder.
  4. Launch and begin.

For Linux, Windows, and Intel Mac

You can run the editor as a local web application via the CLI. Requirement: Node.js 24+

# Install the package globally
npm install -g @inkeep/open-knowledge

# Navigate to your project directory
cd your-project

# Initialize the project and connect Claude Code, Cursor, and Codex
ok init

# Launch the web editor and open it in your default browser
ok start --open

๐Ÿ“Š Repository Statistics & Details

AttributeDetail
Primary LanguageTypeScript (97.8%)
LicenseGPL-3.0-or-later
Starsโ‰ˆ971\approx 971
Forks3030
Latest Releasev0.19.2 (June 26, 2026)
Official Siteopenknowledge.ai

๐Ÿค Contributing & Community

The project is open for public contributions. The workflow for submitting changes is as follows:

  • Create a public Pull Request (PR) on GitHub.
  • Automation mirrors the PR into the internal monorepo.
  • The team reviews and merges the changes.

Connect with the community:

  • ๐• (Twitter)
  • Discord

Note: If you find this tool useful, please consider โญ๏ธ starring the repository to support the developers!