GNO vs Qmd
Qmd is the markdown search CLI Karpathy recommends for his LLM Wiki. GNO does everything Qmd does — plus multi-format indexing, a web UI, AI answers, agent skills, and hosted 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, agent integration for Claude Code and Cowork, 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, code files with 30+ language detection
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, and OpenClaw — plus a REST API and TypeScript SDK for custom tooling. For Claude Cowork users, GNO acts as a persistent searchable knowledge base across sessions.
Beyond search
GNO is a full workspace — browsable collection tree, knowledge graph, safe editing, and optional hosted publishing via gno.sh. If your LLM Wiki grows beyond search into browsing, sharing, and collaboration, GNO scales with you.
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 local-first note-taking app with built-in AI. GNO is a retrieval engine that works with your existing editor of choice.