Introduction

Semantic search for your local files — fast, private, and powerful

know

A semantic search CLI for local files. Watch directories, chunk documents, and query your notes, docs, or code instantly from the terminal.

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What is know?

know is a lightweight semantic search tool that indexes your local files using vector embeddings and ChromaDB. Search across markdown, code, PDFs, and 20+ file types with natural language queries — all processed locally without sending your data anywhere.

Key features

Local semantic search

Vector embeddings and ChromaDB for intelligent, context-aware search across all your local documents

Multiple search modes

Choose between dense vector search, BM25 lexical search, or hybrid fusion for optimal results

20+ file types

Index markdown, code files (Python, JS, Go, Rust), PDFs, Word docs, and more

Smart filtering

Filter by glob patterns, modification time, or file type to narrow your search scope

Incremental indexing

Fast updates with intelligent caching — only re-index files that have changed

Flexible output

Rich terminal UI, plain text, or JSON output for easy integration with other tools

Quick start

Get up and running with know in three simple steps

1. Install know

   Install know using pipx for an isolated Python environment:

   pipx install git+https://github.com/ynbh/know.git
   

   Or use uv for local development:

   uv sync
   
2. Add directories to watch

   Point know to the directories you want to search:

   know add ~/Documents/notes
   know add ~/projects/my-repo
   

   Check your watched directories anytime:

   know dirs
   
3. Index and search

   Index your files and start searching:

   know index
   know "retrieval augmented generation"
   

   know will return ranked results with context from your local files.

Explore the documentation

Learn more about know’s commands and capabilities

Commands

Complete reference for all know commands and their options

Search modes

Learn about dense, BM25, and hybrid search strategies

Filtering

Master glob patterns and time-based filtering

Architecture

Understand how know indexes and retrieves your documents

Ready to search your files?

Install know and start searching your local documents with semantic search in minutes.

Get Started