The problem with most "AI for notes"
Bolting a chatbot onto a note app usually means one of two things: the AI never actually sees your notes (it just autocompletes text), or it does see them — by uploading your entire vault to a cloud service. Neither is great if you've spent years building a personal knowledge base you care about keeping private.
Metaglass takes a different path. It's a local-first markdown editor — wikilinks, backlinks, and a visual knowledge graph — with an AI assistant that reads your vault and follows the connections between your notes when it answers. And you decide where the intelligence runs.
Run the AI however you want
- Fully local — use Ollama for the language model and on-device embeddings for semantic search. No internet, no API keys, nothing leaves your machine.
- Bring your own key — plug in Anthropic (Claude), OpenAI (GPT), Google (Gemini), or Groq and pick the model per provider.
- Use your Claude subscription — connect Claude Code as the agent engine and use your existing subscription with no API key at all.
Why this matters: your notes are plain .md files on disk.
Whether the model is local or hosted is your choice — but the source of truth, and your
knowledge graph, always lives on your device. No lock-in, export anytime.
What the AI can actually do with your graph
- Answer with your context — ask a question and it pulls in the related notes you've already linked.
- Summarize and connect — condense a note, or surface ideas across your vault you'd forgotten were related.
- Semantic search — find notes by meaning, not just keywords, powered by on-device embeddings.
- Remember what matters — a memory system keeps relevant context across conversations.
Metaglass vs. cloud AI note tools
| Metaglass | Typical cloud AI notes app | |
|---|---|---|
| Where notes live | Plain markdown on your device | Their cloud |
| AI reads your graph | Yes — follows your links | Rarely; flat context at best |
| Run AI fully offline | Yes (Ollama + local embeddings) | No |
| Choose your model | Local, your key, or your subscription | Locked to their provider |
| Lock-in | None — it's just markdown | Export friction is common |
| Price | Free (early access) | Usually subscription |
Comparison reflects Metaglass during early access. Other tools vary — check each product's current docs.
Frequently asked questions
Can I add AI to my markdown vault without the cloud?
Yes. Run everything locally with Ollama plus on-device embeddings — your notes never leave your machine. Or bring your own key / Claude subscription if you'd rather use a hosted model.
Does it work with my existing notes?
Metaglass works on plain markdown files with [[wikilinks]], so it fits naturally alongside an Obsidian-style workflow. There's no proprietary format and no lock-in.
Which models are supported?
Local models via Ollama; hosted models via your own API key (Claude, GPT, Gemini, Groq); and your Claude subscription with no API key through the Claude Code engine.
What does it cost, and which platforms?
Free during early access, available for macOS and Linux.
Try AI that thinks in your knowledge graph
Local-first. Bring your own model. Your notes stay yours.
Download Metaglass — free