Get started
Install better-vault as a desktop app or run it from source, connect an AI model, and make your first notebook with sources, cited answers and study material.
This guide takes you from nothing to your first cited answer in a few minutes.
Install better-vault
The quickest way is the desktop app for macOS, Windows or Linux. Download it from Desktop app, install it and open it. It needs no other setup.
You can also run the web app yourself. It opens in your browser and keeps your notebooks there.
Download the code
You need Node.js 20.9 or newer, which includes npm, and Git. Clone the repository and move into it:
git clone https://github.com/better-vault/better-vault.git
cd better-vaultInstall and start it
Install the dependencies and start the app:
npm install
npm run devThe app now runs at http://localhost:3000. It needs no account and no .env file.
For a faster production server, run npm run build and then npm start. To run it for other people, read Self-hosting.
Connect a model
Open Settings → AI providers and choose a provider. With an API key from OpenAI, Anthropic (Claude) or Google (Gemini), paste the key and the model list loads from the provider. With Ollama or LM Studio running on the same computer, turn the provider on and nothing leaves your machine.
Providers and models explains where to get keys and which models suit which tools.
Make your first notebook
Create a notebook
On the notebooks page, choose New notebook. You can rename it from its name at the top centre.
Add sources
Choose Add a source to upload PDF, Markdown or text files, add a web page by its address, or paste text. Only selected sources are used. Sources covers the details.
Ask a question
Type in the prompt bar. Answers come from your sources with numbered citations; point at one to read its passage. Switch to Web to let the model search the internet too. Chat and citations explains both modes.
Create something
Choose Create at the top left and pick a tool, such as a report, flashcards, a quiz, a mind map or a slide deck. The output opens in the Studio tab, ready to download. The Studio describes every tool.
Keep your work
Your notebooks stay on your device. Export a backup from Settings → Data now and then, and always before clearing your browser's site data. Privacy and your data explains where everything is kept.
What is better-vault?
An open-source, bring-your-own-model alternative to Google NotebookLM that keeps your notebooks on your own device, in the browser or the desktop app.
Desktop app
Install the better-vault desktop app for macOS, Windows or Linux. It has the same interface as the web app, keeps notebooks in a local file and updates itself.