GNO vs Qmd
Both do local markdown search with MCP. GNO adds BM25+vector+rerank, PDF/Office/exports, a workspace UI, cited answers, skills, and optional gno.sh publishing.
Compare GNO and Qmd for local knowledge search. Both provide local hybrid search with MCP integration — the pattern Karpathy recommends for LLM Wikis. GNO adds multi-format support, a workspace UI, AI answers, agent skills, and optional hosted publishing.
- Choose Qmd if
- You only need markdown search, want a minimal single-purpose CLI, and prefer the smallest possible tool.
- Choose GNO if
- You want the full LLM Wiki stack — hybrid search over markdown and other formats, a browsable workspace, AI answers with citations, documented agent integrations, and optional hosted publishing when you need to share.
The LLM Wiki search layer
Karpathy’s LLM Wiki pattern needs a local search engine over markdown files with hybrid BM25 + vector retrieval and an MCP server so agents can query the compiled knowledge. Both Qmd and GNO fit this role. GNO goes further with multi-format indexing, a full workspace UI, AI-powered answers, and one-line agent skill install.
Format support
- Qmd — Markdown only
- GNO — Markdown, PDF, DOCX, XLSX, PPTX, plain text, and code files; indexed-document language detection covers seven languages
Retrieval
- Qmd — BM25-style keyword search with MCP
- GNO — BM25 + vector + cross-encoder reranking with query expansion, plus AI answers with citations
AI and agent access
Qmd provides an MCP server. GNO provides MCP and one-line agent skill install for Claude Code, Codex, OpenClaw, and Hermes — plus a loopback REST API and TypeScript SDK for custom tooling.
Beyond search
GNO is a full workspace — browsable collection tree, knowledge graph, safe editing, and optional hosted publishing via gno.sh. If you need a browsable tree, graph, and snapshot publishing, those are in GNO / gno.sh.
Keep comparing
More head-to-head pages.
GNO vs Obsidian
Obsidian wins on plugins, Canvas, and visual note-taking. GNO wins on retrieval, agent access, and multi-format indexing. They compose well.
GNO vs Khoj
Khoj is a broader personal AI assistant platform. GNO is a tighter local retrieval and workspace engine for developer workflows.
GNO vs PrivateGPT
Both are privacy-first local RAG. PrivateGPT is a Python-first server stack. GNO is a local knowledge workspace with stronger retrieval UX and agent integration.
GNO vs Quivr
Quivr is a team-oriented second brain with cloud sync. GNO is a local-first retrieval workspace with CLI, REST API, and agent integration.
GNO vs AnythingLLM
AnythingLLM is a full chat app with document upload. GNO is a retrieval engine and workspace that plugs into your existing AI tools.
GNO vs Reor
Reor is a standalone note app with built-in chat. GNO indexes any folder and also ships a workspace editor, graph, and PDF viewer; you can keep Obsidian/VS Code or work in GNO’s UI.