mirror of https://github.com/MODSetter/SurfSense.git synced 2026-10-19 07:34:58 +00:00

$DESKTOP-RTLN3BA\$punk$ DESKTOP-RTLN3BA\$punk 4dd3ce2f66 docs: cover the work since 2.1.0 so others can pick it up

- chat.md, overview.md: how a streamed token renders only the live reply
  (runSummaries, the 32 ms notice gap, LiveThreadRuntime, the bounded
  highlighter, memoized panels) and that the columns resize.
- model-capabilities.md, agent.md, data-model.md, 07-dev-setup.md: the two
  chat modes, their gates and defaults, where a pick is stored, the 0-id fix,
  and how to re-run the OpenRouter sweep and regenerate capabilities.json.
- RELEASE.md: the steps 2.2.0 was released by, from the bump (with its
  PowerShell form) to the tag on the merge, the Known issues, an optional
  update check and publishing with --latest; dry runs are signed.
- 06-repo-readme.md, AGENTS.md, README.md's comment: the README's structure,
  how to change it and its translations, re-checking the format table, and
  replacing the demo video.
- Stale statements fixed (the Apple agreement, opencode never shipped, three
  languages, Studio's exec(), proposal statuses, the roadmap), and each gap
  still open after the release in its doc's Known gaps, linked to #2219-#2230.

2026-10-11 17:55:51 -07:00

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SurfSense

The air-gapped, open-source NotebookLM alternative.
The AI agent that researches, transforms and edits your documents, on your machine.

Download · Formats · Quick start · Compare · Pricing · Discord

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/88326b9d-e763-46db-9635-75f9df9e8682

SurfSense is a free, open-source desktop app for documents you can't upload. A privacy-focused, NotebookLM-style AI agent that researches, transforms and edits your documents, on your machine. The index stays on your disk, you pick the model, local or remote, and there is no account.

Platform	Download
Windows x64	SurfSense-Setup.exe
macOS Apple Silicon	SurfSense-arm64.dmg
Linux x64	AppImage · deb

Note

Used the hosted web app? Export your workspaces before 18 October 2026 and import them here. See the sunset page.

Quick start

Install SurfSense and do the initial onboarding setup.
Drop your files or folders in your sources.
Ask the agent to search or extract or edit your files.

What it does with each format

Format	Research (cited answers)	Create	Edit (as a copy)	Transform
PDF	✓ scanned pages too³	✓	Fill and flatten forms; stamp watermarks, page numbers, headers, footers	Merge, split, extract, rotate, reorder pages
Word `.docx`	✓	✓ or from your own `.docx` as a template	✓ body text, as tracked changes and comments	To PDF¹
Excel `.xlsx`	✓ the agent also reads formulas	✓ with formulas and native charts	✓ cell values and formulas	Analyse with pandas, chart the results
PowerPoint `.pptx`	✓	✓ or from your own `.pptx` as a template	Replace text on slides and notes; delete or duplicate slides	To PDF¹
CSV	✓	—	—	Analyse with pandas, chart the results
Images PNG, JPEG, TIFF, BMP, WebP	✓ text read by OCR³	Images and infographics²	—	Place in new documents
Markdown, plain text	✓	✓ Markdown	—	—
HTML	✓	✓ web page	—	—
Podcast (audio)	—	✓ with a transcript, voiced on your machine by default	—	—
Mind maps, flashcards, quizzes	—	✓ in the app	—	—

_{¹ With Office support (LibreOffice), turned on in Settings; it is never in the installer. ² Needs an image model, local or remote; none is chosen by default. ³ OCR reads Latin, Chinese and Japanese script.}

Edits, conversions and PDF tools always make a new file; your original is never changed. PDF, Word and Excel do the most today, and support for the other formats keeps improving.

How it compares

	NotebookLM (now Gemini Notebook)	SurfSense
Runs offline / air-gapped	No	Yes
Your documents leave your machine	Yes	No, unless you pick a remote model
Can edit your files	No	Yes
Open source	No	Apache-2.0
Models	Gemini only	Any OpenAI-compatible API, or a local one

Community

Discord for help, Issues for bugs, Discussions for ideas.
Contributing: PRs go against dev; see CONTRIBUTING.md and surfsense_local/ for the dev loop. How it works is in docs/.

Star history

License

Apache-2.0. See LICENSE.

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