Welcome to the complete documentation for Open Notebook - your privacy-focused, AI-powered research companion.
New to Open Notebook? Start here to get up and running quickly.
Everything you need to know to begin your Open Notebook journey.
- Introduction - What is Open Notebook and why use it?
- Quick Start - Get running in 5 minutes
- Installation - Comprehensive setup guide
- Your First Notebook - Step-by-step tutorial
Master Open Notebook's interface and core functionality.
Complete reference for using Open Notebook effectively.
- Interface Overview - Understanding the layout
- Notebooks - Organizing your research
- Sources - Adding and managing content
- Notes - Creating and organizing notes
- Chat - Conversing with AI
- Search - Finding information quickly
Explore Open Notebook's advanced capabilities and unique features.
🔧 Features
Deep dives into what makes Open Notebook special.
- AI Models - Multi-provider AI support
- Context Management - Granular privacy control
- Transformations - Custom content processing
- Podcasts - Multi-speaker podcast generation
- Citations - Research integrity support
- Local TTS - 🆕 Free, private local text-to-speech
- OpenAI-Compatible - Use LM Studio and compatible endpoints
- Ollama - Local AI models setup
- REST API -
Complete programmatic access
Set up Open Notebook for different environments and use cases.
Complete deployment guides for all scenarios.
- Docker - Multi-container setup
- Single Container - Simplified deployment
- Development - Source code setup
- Security - Production security
- Retry Configuration - Background job reliability
Technical documentation for developers and contributors.
👩💻 Development
Resources for extending and contributing to Open Notebook.
- Architecture - System design overview
- API Reference - REST API documentation
- Contributing - How to contribute
Get help when you need it.
Solutions for common issues and problems.
- Common Issues - Frequent problems and fixes
- FAQ - Frequently asked questions
- Debugging - Advanced troubleshooting
Common ways to use Open Notebook effectively:
Sources → Transformations → Context Management → Citations → Notes
Sources → AI Models → Transformations → Podcasts → Export
Sources → Search → Notes → Chat → Transformations
Context Management → Citations → Transformations → Sharing
| Feature | Open Notebook | Google Notebook LM | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Privacy & Control | Self-hosted, your data | Google cloud only | Complete data sovereignty |
| AI Provider Choice | 16+ providers (OpenAI, Anthropic, Ollama, LM Studio, etc.) | Google models only | Flexibility and cost optimization |
| Podcast Speakers | 1-4 speakers with custom profiles | 2 speakers only | Extreme flexibility |
| Context Control | 3 granular levels | All-or-nothing | Privacy and performance tuning |
| Content Transformations | Custom and built-in | Limited options | Unlimited processing power |
| API Access | Full REST API | No API | Complete automation |
| Deployment | Docker, cloud, or local | Google hosted only | Deploy anywhere |
| Citations | Comprehensive with sources | Basic references | Research integrity |
| Customization | Open source, fully customizable | Closed system | Unlimited extensibility |
| Cost | Pay only for AI usage | Monthly subscription + usage | Transparent and controllable |
- 💬 Discord Community - Get help and share ideas
- 🐛 GitHub Issues - Report bugs and request features
- 📧 Contact - Direct support
- 🌐 Website - Project homepage
Open Notebook is open source and welcomes contributions:
- Contributing Guide - How to get involved
- GitHub Repository - Source code
- License - MIT License
This documentation is constantly evolving. Found an issue or have a suggestion? Please open an issue or contribute directly!