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Category: Development & EngineeringNo API key required

gno

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.

personAuthor: jakexiaohubgithub
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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 |