GNO - Local Knowledge Engine
Fast local semantic search. Index once, search instantly. No cloud, no API keys.
When to Use This Skill
- User asks to search files, documents, or notes
- User wants to find information in local folders
- User needs to index a directory for searching
- User mentions PDFs, markdown, Word docs, code to search
- User asks about knowledge base or RAG setup
- User wants semantic/vector search over their files
- User needs to set up MCP for document access
- User wants a web UI to browse/search documents
- User asks to get AI answers from their documents
- User wants to tag, categorize, or filter documents
- User asks about backlinks, wiki links, or related notes
- User wants to visualize document connections or see a knowledge graph
Quick Start
gno init # Initialize in current directory
gno collection add ~/docs --name docs # Add folder to index
gno index # Build index (ingest + embed)
gno search "your query" # BM25 keyword search
Command Overview
| Category |
Commands |
Description |
| Search |
search, vsearch, query, ask |
Find documents by keywords, meaning, or get AI answers |
| Links |
links, backlinks, similar, graph |
Navigate document relationships and visualize connections |
| Retrieve |
get, multi-get, ls |
Fetch document content by URI or ID |
| Index |
init, collection add/list/remove, index, update, embed |
Set up and maintain document index |
| Tags |
tags, tags add, tags rm |
Organize and filter documents |
| Context |
context add/list/rm/check |
Add hints to improve search relevance |
| Models |
models list/use/pull/clear/path |
Manage local AI models |
| Serve |
serve |
Web UI for browsing and searching |
| MCP |
mcp, mcp install/uninstall/status |
AI assistant integration |
| Skill |
skill install/uninstall/show/paths |
Install skill for AI agents |
| Admin |
status, doctor, cleanup, reset, vec, completion |
Maintenance and diagnostics |
Search Modes
| Command |
Speed |
Best For |
gno search |
instant |
Exact keyword matching |
gno vsearch |
~0.5s |
Finding similar concepts |
gno query --fast |
~0.7s |
Quick lookups |
gno query |
~2-3s |
Balanced (default) |
gno query --thorough |
~5-8s |
Best recall, complex queries |
gno ask --answer |
~3-5s |
AI-generated answer with citations |
Retry strategy: Use default first. If no results: rephrase query, then try --thorough.
Common Flags
-n <num> Max results (default: 5)
-c, --collection Filter to collection
--tags-any <t1,t2> Has ANY of these tags
--tags-all <t1,t2> Has ALL of these tags
--json JSON output
--files URI list output
--line-numbers Include line numbers
Global Flags
--index <name> Alternate index (default: "default")
--config <path> Override config file
--verbose Verbose logging
--json JSON output
--yes Non-interactive mode
--offline Use cached models only
--no-color Disable colors
--no-pager Disable paging
Important: Embedding After Changes
If you edit/create files that should be searchable via vector search:
gno index # Full re-index (sync + embed)
# or
gno embed # Embed only (if already synced)
MCP gno.sync and gno.capture do NOT auto-embed. Use CLI for embedding.
Reference Documentation
| Topic |
File |
| Complete CLI reference (all commands, options, flags) |
cli-reference.md |
| MCP server setup and tools |
mcp-reference.md |
| Usage examples and patterns |
examples.md |
1---2name: gno3description: Search local documents, files, notes, and knowledge bases. Index directories, search with BM25/vector/hybrid, get AI answers with citations. Use when user wants to search files, find documents, query notes, look up information in local folders, index a directory, set up document search, build a knowledge base, needs RAG/semantic search, or wants to start a local web UI for their docs.4---5
6# GNO - Local Knowledge Engine
7
8Fast local semantic search. Index once, search instantly. No cloud, no API keys.
9
10## When to Use This Skill
11
12- User asks to **search files, documents, or notes**
13- User wants to **find information** in local folders
14- User needs to **index a directory** for searching
15- User mentions **PDFs, markdown, Word docs, code** to search
16- User asks about **knowledge base** or **RAG** setup
17- User wants **semantic/vector search** over their files
18- User needs to **set up MCP** for document access
19- User wants a **web UI** to browse/search documents
20- User asks to **get AI answers** from their documents
21- User wants to **tag, categorize, or filter** documents
22- User asks about **backlinks, wiki links, or related notes**
23- User wants to **visualize document connections** or see a **knowledge graph**
24
25## Quick Start
26
27```bash
28gno init # Initialize in current directory
29gno collection add ~/docs --name docs # Add folder to index
30gno index # Build index (ingest + embed)
31gno search "your query" # BM25 keyword search
32```
33
34## Command Overview
35
36| Category | Commands | Description |
37| ------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- |
38| **Search** | `search`, `vsearch`, `query`, `ask` | Find documents by keywords, meaning, or get AI answers |
39| **Links** | `links`, `backlinks`, `similar`, `graph` | Navigate document relationships and visualize connections |
40| **Retrieve** | `get`, `multi-get`, `ls` | Fetch document content by URI or ID |
41| **Index** | `init`, `collection add/list/remove`, `index`, `update`, `embed` | Set up and maintain document index |
42| **Tags** | `tags`, `tags add`, `tags rm` | Organize and filter documents |
43| **Context** | `context add/list/rm/check` | Add hints to improve search relevance |
44| **Models** | `models list/use/pull/clear/path` | Manage local AI models |
45| **Serve** | `serve` | Web UI for browsing and searching |
46| **MCP** | `mcp`, `mcp install/uninstall/status` | AI assistant integration |
47| **Skill** | `skill install/uninstall/show/paths` | Install skill for AI agents |
48| **Admin** | `status`, `doctor`, `cleanup`, `reset`, `vec`, `completion` | Maintenance and diagnostics |
49
50## Search Modes
51
52| Command | Speed | Best For |
53| ---------------------- | ------- | ---------------------------------- |
54| `gno search` | instant | Exact keyword matching |
55| `gno vsearch` | ~0.5s | Finding similar concepts |
56| `gno query --fast` | ~0.7s | Quick lookups |
57| `gno query` | ~2-3s | Balanced (default) |
58| `gno query --thorough` | ~5-8s | Best recall, complex queries |
59| `gno ask --answer` | ~3-5s | AI-generated answer with citations |
60
61**Retry strategy**: Use default first. If no results: rephrase query, then try `--thorough`.
62
63## Common Flags
64
65```
66-n <num> Max results (default: 5)
67-c, --collection Filter to collection
68--tags-any <t1,t2> Has ANY of these tags
69--tags-all <t1,t2> Has ALL of these tags
70--json JSON output
71--files URI list output
72--line-numbers Include line numbers
73```
74
75## Global Flags
76
77```
78--index <name> Alternate index (default: "default")
79--config <path> Override config file
80--verbose Verbose logging
81--json JSON output
82--yes Non-interactive mode
83--offline Use cached models only
84--no-color Disable colors
85--no-pager Disable paging
86```
87
88## Important: Embedding After Changes
89
90If you edit/create files that should be searchable via vector search:
91
92```bash
93gno index # Full re-index (sync + embed)
94# or
95gno embed # Embed only (if already synced)
96```
97
98MCP `gno.sync` and `gno.capture` do NOT auto-embed. Use CLI for embedding.
99
100## Reference Documentation
101
102| Topic | File |
103| ----------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------ |
104| Complete CLI reference (all commands, options, flags) | [cli-reference.md](cli-reference.md) |
105| MCP server setup and tools | [mcp-reference.md](mcp-reference.md) |
106| Usage examples and patterns | [examples.md](examples.md) |
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