open-notebook/open_notebook/domain/CLAUDE.md

Domain Module

Core data models for notebooks, sources, notes, and settings with async SurrealDB persistence, auto-embedding, and relationship management.

Purpose

Two base classes support different persistence patterns: ObjectModel (mutable records with auto-increment IDs) and RecordModel (singleton configuration with fixed IDs).

Key Components

base.py

• ObjectModel: Base for notebooks, sources, notes

  • save(): Create/update with auto-embedding for searchable content
  • delete(): Remove by ID
  • relate(relationship, target_id): Create graph relationships (reference, artifact, refers_to)
  • get(id): Polymorphic fetch; resolves subclass from ID prefix
  • get_all(order_by): Fetch all records from table
  • Integrates with ModelManager for automatic embedding

• RecordModel: Singleton configuration (ContentSettings, DefaultPrompts)

  • Fixed record_id per subclass
  • update(): Upsert to database
  • Lazy DB loading via _load_from_db()

notebook.py

• Notebook: Research project container

  • get_sources(), get_notes(), get_chat_sessions(): Navigate relationships

• Source: Content item (file/URL)

  • vectorize(): Submit async embedding job (returns command_id, fire-and-forget)
  • get_status(), get_processing_progress(): Track job via surreal_commands
  • get_context(): Returns summary for LLM context
  • add_insight(): Generate and store insights with embeddings

• Note: Standalone or linked notes

  • needs_embedding(): Always True (searchable)
  • add_to_notebook(): Link to notebook

• SourceInsight, SourceEmbedding: Derived content models

• ChatSession: Conversation container with optional model_override

• Asset: File/URL reference helper

• Search functions:

  • text_search(): Full-text keyword search
  • vector_search(): Semantic search via embeddings (default minimum_score=0.2)

content_settings.py

• ContentSettings: Singleton for processing engines, embedding strategy, file deletion, YouTube languages

transformation.py

• Transformation: Reusable prompts for content transformation
• DefaultPrompts: Singleton with transformation instructions

Important Patterns

• Async/await: All DB operations async; always use await
• Polymorphic get(): ObjectModel.get(id) determines subclass from ID prefix (table:id format)
• Auto-embedding: save() generates embeddings if needs_embedding() returns True
• Nullable fields: Declare via nullable_fields ClassVar to allow None in database
• Timestamps: created and updated auto-managed as ISO strings
• Fire-and-forget jobs: source.vectorize() returns command_id without waiting

Key Dependencies

• surrealdb: RecordID type for relationships
• pydantic: Validation and field_validator decorators
• open_notebook.database.repository: CRUD and relationship functions
• open_notebook.ai.models: ModelManager for embeddings
• surreal_commands: Async job submission (vectorization, insights)
• loguru: Logging

Quirks & Gotchas

• Polymorphic resolution: ObjectModel.get() fails if subclass not imported (search subclasses list)
• RecordModel singleton: new returns existing instance; call clear_instance() in tests
• Source.command field: Stored as RecordID; auto-parsed from strings via field_validator
• Text truncation: Note.get_context(short) hardcodes 100-char limit
• Embedding async: Only Note and SourceInsight embed on save; Source too large (uses async job)
• Relationship strings: Must match SurrealDB schema (reference, artifact, refers_to)

How to Add New Model

1. Inherit from ObjectModel with table_name ClassVar
2. Define Pydantic fields with validators
3. Override needs_embedding() if searchable
4. Add custom methods for domain logic (get_X, add_to_Y)
5. Implement _prepare_save_data() if custom serialization needed

Usage

notebook = Notebook(name="Research", description="My project")
await notebook.save()

obj = await ObjectModel.get("notebook:123")  # Polymorphic fetch

# Search
await text_search("quantum", results=5)
await vector_search("quantum computing", results=10, minimum_score=0.3)