---
title: Quickstart
icon: LuZap
description: Set up your agent-maintained knowledge base in less than five minutes.
---
<Tabs groupId="ok-install" persist className="ok-flush-tabs" items={['macOS app', 'Web app (Linux, Windows, Intel Mac)']}>

<Tab>

<Callout type="info" title="Prerequisites">
  - **macOS on Apple Silicon** (M1 or later).
  - **`git`.** OpenKnowledge initializes a git repo for your project (used for the timeline and recovery features). Install from [git-scm.com](https://git-scm.com/install/mac).
</Callout>

<Steps>

<Step>

### Install the desktop app

Download the latest version of the OpenKnowledge desktop app for macOS.

<DownloadButton label="Download for macOS" />

</Step>

<Step>

### Create a new project

- Open the OpenKnowledge app and click **Create new project**.
- Type a name for your project (for example, *Team Wiki*).
- Optionally click **Browse** to change where the project is saved, then click **Create**.

</Step>

<Step>

### Initialize a knowledge base

From your newly created project, select **Knowledge base** from the landing page, leave **Project root** selected, and click **Initialize**.

</Step>

<Step>

### Open the knowledge base in your AI agent

On a new, empty knowledge base the editor opens to the **"What would you like to create?"** create screen. Type what you want to build into its composer and click **Create with Claude** — use the chevron beside the button to pick a different agent (Codex, Cursor, or a CLI). This hands your project to the agent with your prompt as the starter. Your agent harness may take a few seconds to load the project.

(Once you have docs open, you can also hand the current doc to an agent from the **Ask AI** field at the bottom of the editor, or by right-clicking the project in the sidebar and choosing **Open with AI ▸**.)

Not sure what to write? Paste this into the composer (or use a topic of your choice):

<CopyPrompt>Create a knowledge base about Large Language Models. Include an overview page and separate pages for three key concepts.</CopyPrompt>

<Callout type="info">
  To avoid having to approve all OpenKnowledge tool calls, set your agent to auto-mode, full-access, or an equivalent setting.
</Callout>

<Callout type="info">
  If your agent prompts you to approve a new MCP server (Cursor does this), approve `open-knowledge`.
</Callout>

</Step>

<Step>

### Watch your agent work

If you are working with Cursor, Codex, or Claude Desktop, your agent will open the OpenKnowledge editor in an embedded window. Otherwise, your agent will open the OpenKnowledge editor in your system browser.

You will see your agent's icon in the top right of the editor window. Click on the icon to see the agent's [activity](/docs/features/agent-activity) across files in the knowledge base.

If the agent icon is greyed out, your agent may not have started writing yet. Wait a few seconds and check again.

</Step>

<Step>

### Explore the knowledge base

The editor's sidebar shows every doc in your knowledge base. Each doc has:

- A WYSIWYG body and a source-mode toggle
- A frontmatter panel for properties

When viewing a document, check out the right side pane for:
- An outline of the document's structure
- A list of incoming and outgoing links to other docs
- A graph view of the document's links in the knowledge base
- A [timeline](/docs/features/timeline-and-recovery) of recent edits with per-burst diffs and selective rollback

Right-click anywhere in the sidebar (empty space, a folder, or a file) to create, reveal, rename, hide, delete (to Trash), and **Open with AI**. The full feature tour is under [Features](/docs/features/editor).

</Step>

</Steps>

</Tab>

<Tab>

<Callout type="info" title="Prerequisites">
  - **Node.js 24+.** OpenKnowledge requires Node.js 24 or higher. Download from [nodejs.org](https://nodejs.org/en/download/).
  - **`git`.** OpenKnowledge initializes a git repo for your project (used for the timeline and recovery features). Install it from [git-scm.com](https://git-scm.com) or your package manager.
</Callout>

<Steps>

<Step>

### Install the CLI and open the editor

Install the CLI from npm, initialize a project, and start the editor in your browser:

```bash
# Install the CLI (puts `ok` on your PATH)
npm install -g @inkeep/open-knowledge

# Create (or enter) a project folder, then initialize a knowledge base.
# `ok init` scaffolds .ok/ and wires up Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, and OpenCode.
mkdir my-knowledge-base && cd my-knowledge-base
ok init

# Serve the editor and open it in your browser.
ok start --open
```

</Step>

<Step>

### Open the knowledge base in your AI agent

`ok init` already registered OpenKnowledge with the AI editors it could configure, so your agent can use the OpenKnowledge tools right away. Open your project in your agent — or, from the editor, right-click the project in the sidebar, choose **Open with AI ▸**, and pick one. (The bottom **Ask AI** field is available in the desktop app only.) If a tool's MCP entry didn't appear, see [registration outcomes](/docs/reference/cli#set-up-a-project).

In the agent's chat window, add the following to get started or use a topic of your choice:

<CopyPrompt>Create a knowledge base about Large Language Models. Include an overview page and separate pages for three key concepts.</CopyPrompt>

<Callout type="info">
  To avoid having to approve all OpenKnowledge tool calls, set your agent to auto-mode, full-access, or an equivalent setting.
</Callout>

<Callout type="info">
  If your agent prompts you to approve a new MCP server (Cursor does this), approve `open-knowledge`.
</Callout>

</Step>

<Step>

### Watch your agent work

You will see your agent's icon in the top right of the editor window. Click on the icon to see the agent's [activity](/docs/features/agent-activity) across files in the knowledge base.

If the agent icon is greyed out, your agent may not have started writing yet. Wait a few seconds and check again.

</Step>

<Step>

### Explore the knowledge base

The editor's sidebar shows every doc in your knowledge base. Each doc has:

- A WYSIWYG body and a source-mode toggle
- A frontmatter panel for properties

When viewing a document, check out the right side pane for:
- An outline of the document's structure
- A list of incoming and outgoing links to other docs
- A graph view of the document's links in the knowledge base
- A [timeline](/docs/features/timeline-and-recovery) of recent edits with per-burst diffs and selective rollback

Right-click anywhere in the sidebar (empty space, a folder, or a file) to create, reveal, rename, hide, delete, and **Open with AI**. The full feature tour is under [Features](/docs/features/editor).

</Step>

</Steps>

</Tab>

</Tabs>

## What's next

- Syncing your knowledge base to GitHub: [Syncing](/docs/features/github-sync)
- Define folders and templates: [Folders and templates](/docs/advanced/folders-and-templates)
- Configure OpenKnowledge: [Configuration](/docs/reference/configuration)
