Open Notebook
An open source, privacy-focused alternative to Google's Notebook LM!
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📚 Get Started
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📖 User Guide
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✨ Features
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🚀 Deploy
A private, multi-model, 100% local, full-featured alternative to Notebook LM
In a world dominated by Artificial Intelligence, having the ability to think 🧠 and acquire new knowledge 💡, is a skill that should not be a privilege for a few, nor restricted to a single provider.
Open Notebook empowers you to:
- 🔒 Control your data - Keep your research private and secure
- 🤖 Choose your AI models - Support for 18+ providers including OpenAI, Anthropic, Ollama, LM Studio, and more
- 📚 Organize multi-modal content - PDFs, videos, audio, web pages, and more
- 🎙️ Generate professional podcasts - Advanced multi-speaker podcast generation
- 🔍 Search intelligently - Full-text and vector search across all your content
- 💬 Chat with context - AI conversations powered by your research
- 🌐 Multi-language UI - English, Portuguese, Chinese (Simplified & Traditional), Japanese, Russian, and Bengali support
Learn more about our project at https://www.open-notebook.ai
🆚 Open Notebook vs Google Notebook LM
| Feature | Open Notebook | Google Notebook LM | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Privacy & Control | Self-hosted, your data | Google cloud only | Complete data sovereignty |
| AI Provider Choice | 18+ 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 |
| 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 | Basic references (will improve) | Comprehensive with sources | Research integrity |
| Customization | Open source, fully customizable | Closed system | Unlimited extensibility |
| Cost | Pay only for AI usage | Free tier + Monthly subscription | Transparent and controllable |
Why Choose Open Notebook?
- 🔒 Privacy First: Your sensitive research stays completely private
- 💰 Cost Control: Choose cheaper AI providers or run locally with Ollama
- 🎙️ Better Podcasts: Full script control and multi-speaker flexibility vs limited 2-speaker deep-dive format
- 🔧 Unlimited Customization: Modify, extend, and integrate as needed
- 🌐 No Vendor Lock-in: Switch providers, deploy anywhere, own your data
Built With
🚀 Quick Start (2 Minutes)
Prerequisites
- Docker Desktop installed
- That's it! (API keys configured later in the UI)
Step 1: Get docker-compose.yml
Option A: Download directly
curl -o docker-compose.yml https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lfnovo/open-notebook/main/docker-compose.ymlOption B: Create the file manually
Copy this into a new file called docker-compose.yml:
services:
surrealdb:
image: surrealdb/surrealdb:v2
# Credentials default to root:root for a zero-config local setup. Before
# exposing this instance to a network, set SURREAL_USER / SURREAL_PASSWORD
# in a .env file (see .env.example) — they are applied here and to the
# open_notebook service below, so the two always stay in sync.
# List (exec) form so each interpolated value stays a single argument —
# a password containing spaces would otherwise be split into several.
command: ["start", "--log", "info", "--user", "${SURREAL_USER:-root}", "--pass", "${SURREAL_PASSWORD:-root}", "rocksdb:/mydata/mydatabase.db"]
user: root # Required for bind mounts on Linux
ports:
# Bound to localhost only: the open_notebook service reaches this over
# the internal compose network regardless, so the host port is purely
# for local debugging (e.g. Surrealist, `surreal sql`). Exposing this
# on 0.0.0.0 would let anyone who can reach the host connect with the
# default root:root credentials.
- "127.0.0.1:8000:8000"
volumes:
- ./surreal_data:/mydata
environment:
- SURREAL_EXPERIMENTAL_GRAPHQL=true
restart: always
pull_policy: always
open_notebook:
image: lfnovo/open_notebook:v1-latest
ports:
- "8502:8502" # Web UI
- "5055:5055" # REST API
environment:
# REQUIRED: Change this to your own secret string
# This encrypts your API keys in the database
- OPEN_NOTEBOOK_ENCRYPTION_KEY=change-me-to-a-secret-string
# Database connection. SURREAL_USER / SURREAL_PASSWORD default to root:root
# for local use; override them in a .env file before exposing the instance
# (the same values configure the surrealdb service above).
- SURREAL_URL=ws://surrealdb:8000/rpc
- SURREAL_USER=${SURREAL_USER:-root}
- SURREAL_PASSWORD=${SURREAL_PASSWORD:-root}
- SURREAL_NAMESPACE=open_notebook
- SURREAL_DATABASE=open_notebook
volumes:
- ./notebook_data:/app/data
depends_on:
- surrealdb
restart: always
pull_policy: alwaysStep 2: Set Your Encryption Key
Edit docker-compose.yml and change this line:
- OPEN_NOTEBOOK_ENCRYPTION_KEY=change-me-to-a-secret-stringto any secret value (e.g., my-super-secret-key-123)
Step 3: Start Services
docker compose up -dWait 15-20 seconds, then open: http://localhost:8502
Step 4: Configure AI Provider
- Go to Models and choose your provider (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, etc.)
- Click + Add Configuration
- Paste your API key and other info as needed and click Add Configuration
- Click Test to test connection
- Click Sync Models and check models to include
- Under Default Model Assignments, click Auto-Assign Defaults or manually specify which models to use for what
Done! You're ready to create your first notebook.
Need an API key? Get one from: OpenAI · Anthropic · Google · Groq (free tier)
Want free local AI? See examples/docker-compose-ollama.yml for Ollama setup
📚 More Installation Options
- With Ollama (Free Local AI) - Run models locally without API costs
- From Source (Developers) - For development and contributions
- Complete Installation Guide - All deployment scenarios
📖 Need Help?
- 🤖 AI Installation Assistant: CustomGPT to help you install
- 🆘 Troubleshooting: 5-minute troubleshooting guide
- 💬 Community Support: Discord Server
- 🐛 Report Issues: GitHub Issues
Star History
Provider Support Matrix
Thanks to the Esperanto library, we support this providers out of the box!
| Provider | LLM Support | Embedding Support | Speech-to-Text | Text-to-Speech |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAI | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Anthropic | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Groq | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Google (GenAI) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Vertex AI | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Ollama | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| oMLX | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Perplexity | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| ElevenLabs | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Deepgram | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Azure OpenAI | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Mistral | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| DeepSeek | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Cohere | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Voyage | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| xAI | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| OpenRouter | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| DashScope (Qwen) | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| MiniMax | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Novita | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| PayPerQ (PPQ) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| OpenAI Compatible* | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
*Supports LM Studio and any OpenAI-compatible endpoint. Prefer the native oMLX provider for oMLX (Apple Silicon); see docs/5-CONFIGURATION/omlx.md.
✨ Key Features
Core Capabilities
- 🔒 Privacy-First: Your data stays under your control - no cloud dependencies
- 🎯 Multi-Notebook Organization: Manage multiple research projects seamlessly
- 📚 Universal Content Support: PDFs, videos, audio, web pages, Office docs, and more
- 🤖 Multi-Model AI Support: 18+ providers including OpenAI, Anthropic, Ollama, Google, LM Studio, and more
- 🎙️ Professional Podcast Generation: Advanced multi-speaker podcasts with Episode Profiles
- 🔍 Intelligent Search: Full-text and vector search across all your content
- 💬 Context-Aware Chat: AI conversations powered by your research materials
- 📝 AI-Assisted Notes: Generate insights or write notes manually
Advanced Features
- ⚡ Reasoning Model Support: Full support for thinking models like DeepSeek-R1 and Qwen3
- 🔧 Content Transformations: Powerful customizable actions to summarize and extract insights
- 🌐 Comprehensive REST API: Full programmatic access for custom integrations
- 🔐 Optional Password Protection: Secure public deployments with authentication
- 📊 Fine-Grained Context Control: Choose exactly what to share with AI models
- 📎 Citations: Get answers with proper source citations
Podcast Feature
📚 Documentation
Getting Started
- 📖 Introduction - Learn what Open Notebook offers
- ⚡ Quick Start with OpenAI - Get up and running in 5 minutes
- 🔧 Installation - Comprehensive setup guide
- 🎯 Run It Fully Local - Ollama/LM Studio, completely private
User Guide
- 📱 Interface Overview - Understanding the layout
- 📚 Notebooks, Sources & Notes - Organizing your research
- 📄 Adding Sources - Managing content types
- 📝 Working with Notes - Creating and managing notes
- 💬 Chatting Effectively - AI conversations
- 🔍 Search - Finding information
Advanced Topics
- 🎙️ Podcast Generation - Create professional podcasts
- 🔧 Content Transformations - Customize content processing
- 🤖 AI Models - AI model configuration
- 🔌 MCP Integration - Connect with Claude Desktop, VS Code and other MCP clients
- 🔧 REST API Reference - Complete API documentation
- 🔐 Security - Password protection and privacy
- 🚀 Deployment - Complete deployment guides for all scenarios
- 🧭 Vision & Principles - What Open Notebook is, and where it's going
- 🛠️ Developer Docs - Architecture, setup, contributing, decision records
🗺️ Roadmap
Upcoming Features
- Live Front-End Updates: Real-time UI updates for smoother experience
- Async Processing: Faster UI through asynchronous content processing
- Cross-Notebook Sources: Reuse research materials across projects
- Bookmark Integration: Connect with your favorite bookmarking apps
Recently Completed ✅
- Next.js Frontend: Modern React-based frontend with improved performance
- Comprehensive REST API: Full programmatic access to all functionality
- Multi-Model Support: 18+ AI providers including OpenAI, Anthropic, Ollama, LM Studio
- Advanced Podcast Generator: Professional multi-speaker podcasts with Episode Profiles
- Content Transformations: Powerful customizable actions for content processing
- Enhanced Citations: Improved layout and finer control for source citations
- Multiple Chat Sessions: Manage different conversations within notebooks
Explore GitHub Discussions for proposed features and product ideas, and open Issues for known bugs and approved work.
📖 Need Help?
- 🤖 AI Installation Assistant: We have a CustomGPT built to help you install Open Notebook - it will guide you through each step!
- New to Open Notebook? Start with our Getting Started Guide
- Need installation help? Check our Installation Guide
- Want to see it in action? Try our Quick Start Tutorial
🤝 Community & Contributing
Join the Community
- 💬 Discord Server - Get help, share ideas, and connect with other users
- 𝕏 Follow @lfnovo on X - Project updates and news from the maintainer
- 💡 GitHub Discussions - Ask questions and shape features, product direction, design, and architecture
- 🐛 GitHub Issues - Report reproducible bugs and find approved work
- ⭐ Star this repo - Show your support and help others discover Open Notebook
Contributing
We welcome contributions! We're especially looking for help with:
- Frontend Development: Help improve our modern Next.js/React UI
- Testing & Bug Fixes: Make Open Notebook more robust
- Feature Development: Build the coolest research tool together
- Documentation: Improve guides and tutorials
Current Tech Stack: Python, FastAPI, Next.js, React, SurrealDB Future Roadmap: Real-time updates, enhanced async processing
See our Contributing Guide for detailed information on how to get started, including our guidelines for AI-assisted contributions. To understand what we're building (and what we'll say no to), read VISION.md.
📄 License
Open Notebook is MIT licensed. See the LICENSE file for details.
Community Support:
- 💬 Discord Server - Get help, share ideas, and connect with users
- 𝕏 Follow @lfnovo on X - Project updates and news from the maintainer
- 💡 GitHub Discussions - Ask questions and shape ideas
- 🐛 GitHub Issues - Report reproducible bugs and find approved work
- 🌐 Website - Learn more about the project
