Rowboat

Rowboat is an open-source AI coworker built by Rowboat Labs (Y Combinator S24) that connects to your work sources, builds a long-lived knowledge graph, and uses that context to help you get work done. With over 15,000 GitHub stars and 1,500 forks, it has quickly become a favorite among knowledge workers who want AI assistance without giving up data privacy.

What makes Rowboat different is its local-first philosophy. All your data is stored as plain Markdown files in an Obsidian-compatible vault right on your machine. No proprietary formats, no hosted lock-in, no AI company training on your emails. You can inspect, edit, back up, or delete everything at any time because it belongs to you.

• Living Knowledge Graph - Automatically builds and maintains a graph of people, projects, decisions, and commitments from your emails and meetings. Relationships are explicit, inspectable, and editable.
• Local-First Architecture - Everything lives on your machine as plain Markdown. No cloud dependency, no proprietary formats. Your data is yours.
• Obsidian-Compatible Vault - The knowledge graph is stored as a standard Obsidian vault with backlinks. You can open it in Obsidian, edit notes directly, and visualize connections.
• Live Notes - Notes that stay updated automatically. Track competitors, people, projects, or topics across the web, social media, and your communications.
• Meeting Intelligence - Prep for meetings by pulling past decisions, open questions, and relevant threads into crisp briefs or voice notes.
• Artifact Generation - Generate PDF slides, emails, documents, and decks grounded in your actual work history and context.
• Voice Memos - Record voice memos that automatically capture and update key takeaways in the knowledge graph.
• MCP Integration - Extend Rowboat with external tools via Model Context Protocol. Connect to search, databases, CRMs, Slack, Linear, GitHub, and more.
• Bring Your Own Model - Works with local models (Ollama, LM Studio) or hosted providers. Swap models anytime without data leaving your machine.

At the heart of Rowboat is a long-lived knowledge graph that accumulates context over time. Instead of reconstructing context on demand by searching through transcripts or documents (which most AI tools do), Rowboat maintains persistent knowledge that compounds. The graph captures:

• People - Their roles, relationships, and recent interactions with you
• Projects - Status, decisions, blockers, and contributors
• Decisions - What was decided, when, and by whom
• Commitments - Action items, owners, and deadlines
• Topics - Key themes and discussions across your work

The graph is stored as an Obsidian-compatible vault of plain Markdown notes with backlinks. This means you can open it in Obsidian to visualize connections, edit notes directly, and even collaborate with others by sharing the vault. It's transparent, editable, and completely under your control.

Live Notes are one of Rowboat's most innovative features. They are notes that stay updated automatically by typing @rowboat on a note. You can create live notes to:

• Track a competitor or market topic across X, Reddit, and the news
• Monitor a person, project, or deal across your web and communications
• Keep a running summary of any subject you care about

Everything is written back into your local Markdown vault. You control what runs and when. Live notes make Rowboat feel like having a research assistant that never sleeps, constantly updating your knowledge base with the latest information.

Rowboat is available as a desktop application for Mac, Windows, and Linux. Getting started takes just a few minutes:

Quick Start

1. Download the latest release from rowboatlabs.com/downloads or from GitHub Releases
2. Install and launch the app
3. Connect your Google account for Gmail, Calendar, and Drive access
4. Rowboat begins building your knowledge graph automatically

Optional Add-ons

Feature	Setup
Voice Input	Add a Deepgram API key in ~/.rowboat/config/deepgram.json
Voice Output	Add an ElevenLabs API key in ~/.rowboat/config/elevenlabs.json
Web Search	Add an Exa API key in ~/.rowboat/config/exa-search.json
External Tools	Add any MCP server or Composio API key in ~/.rowboat/config/composio.json

Rowboat builds memory from the work you already do. Its current integrations include:

• Gmail - Reads email to extract people, decisions, and commitments
• Google Calendar - Understands your meeting schedule and prep needs
• Rowboat Meeting Notes - Built-in note-taking that feeds directly into the knowledge graph
• Fireflies - Integration for meeting transcription and summary
• MCP Protocol - Connect to thousands of external tools and services via Model Context Protocol
• Composio - Access a library of product integrations through Composio.dev

Rowboat works with whatever model setup you prefer. You have full flexibility:

• Local Models - Run models locally via Ollama or LM Studio. Your data never leaves your machine, making this the most private option.
• Hosted Models - Bring your own API key for any hosted provider. Use whatever model gives you the best results for your workflows.
• Swap Anytime - Change models without any data migration. Your knowledge graph stays intact regardless of which model powers your queries.

Because all your data is stored locally as plain Markdown, switching models is seamless. The knowledge graph is model-agnostic — it's purely your structured work context stored in an open format.

• Meeting Prep - Before any meeting, Rowboat generates a crisp brief from prior decisions, threads, and open questions so you walk in fully informed.
• Email Drafting - Compose emails grounded in your actual history and commitments. No more re-reading entire threads to remember what was agreed.
• Docs and Decks - Generate documents and PDF slides from your ongoing context. Ask "build me a deck about our next quarter roadmap" and get a real PDF.
• Follow-ups - Capture decisions, action items, and owners so nothing gets dropped. Rowboat surfaces stale commitments automatically.
• Competitive Monitoring - Create live notes that track competitors, market trends, or specific topics across the web and your communications.
• Personal Knowledge Management - Use the Obsidian vault as your second brain. All your work context, decisions, and notes in one searchable, editable Markdown repository.

Rowboat occupies a unique niche as a local-first AI coworker focused on knowledge management. Here's how it compares to other tools:

Feature	Rowboat	OpenHuman	Hermes Agent
Focus	Knowledge graph + coworker	Personal AI super intelligence	Self-improving agent
Data Storage	Local Markdown + Obsidian vault	SQLite + Obsidian vault	SQLite
Knowledge Building	Auto from email + calendar	Auto-fetch every 20 min	Manual skill creation
Desktop App	Native (Mac/Win/Linux)	Desktop app	CLI + Desktop
Live Monitoring	Live notes (auto-updating)	Subconscious loop	Cron scheduler
Messaging	No	17 channels	12+ channels
MCP	Client support	5,000+ MCP servers	Native MCP
License	Open source	GNU	MIT