GNO vs QMD
A detailed comparison of GNO and QMD (Tobi Lütke’s markdown search tool).
Both tools provide semantic search for local documents with AI-powered features. Here’s how they compare.
Quick Summary
| Aspect | GNO | QMD |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Multi-format knowledge bases | Markdown-only collections |
| Unique strength | RAG answers, multi-target MCP | Shopify founder’s tool |
| Language support | 30+ languages | English-focused |
Feature Comparison
| Feature | GNO | QMD |
|---|---|---|
| File Formats | MD, PDF, DOCX, XLSX, PPTX, TXT | Markdown only |
| Search Modes | BM25, Vector, Hybrid | BM25, Vector, Hybrid |
| Query Expansion | ✓ LLM-powered | ✓ LLM-powered |
| Reranking | ✓ Cross-encoder | ✓ Cross-encoder |
| HyDE | ✓ | ✗ |
| AI Answers (RAG) | ✓ gno ask --answer |
✗ |
| Languages | 30+ (auto-detect) | English-focused |
| MCP Targets | 10+ (Claude, Cursor, Zed, Windsurf, etc.) | Claude Desktop only |
| Skills | ✓ Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode | ✗ |
| Model Presets | slim/balanced/quality | Single config |
| Incremental Index | ✓ SHA-256 tracking | ✓ |
| Collection Contexts | ✓ Semantic hints | ✓ |
| Output Formats | JSON, CSV, MD, XML, files | JSON, CSV, MD, XML |
Planned Features
| Feature | GNO | QMD |
|---|---|---|
| Web UI | 🔜 gno serve |
✗ |
| Raycast Extension | 🔜 macOS native GUI | ✗ |
| Tab Completion | 🔜 Shell integration | ✗ |
Key Differentiators
GNO Advantages
Multi-format support: Index PDFs, Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and PowerPoint presentations alongside Markdown. Your knowledge base isn’t limited to one format.
# Index everything in your Documents folder
gno init ~/Documents --name docs
gno index
Multilingual: Auto-detects 30+ languages. Search across notes in English, German, Japanese, and more without configuration.
More integrations: 10+ MCP targets (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Zed, Windsurf, Codex CLI, OpenCode, and more) plus Skills for Claude Code, Codex, and OpenCode.
# Install MCP for Cursor
gno mcp install --target cursor
RAG answers with citations: Get AI-generated answers with source citations.
gno ask "what is our authentication strategy" --answer
HyDE query expansion: Generates hypothetical answers to improve semantic search quality.
QMD Advantages
- Created by Tobi Lütke (Shopify founder)
- Focused simplicity for markdown-only workflows
- Mature, stable codebase
When to Choose GNO
- You have PDFs, Word docs, or Office files to search
- You need multilingual support
- You want RAG-style answers from your documents
- You use Cursor, Zed, Windsurf, or other editors (not just Claude Desktop)
- You want Claude Code or Codex Skills integration
When to Choose QMD
- Your knowledge base is 100% Markdown
- You only need Claude Desktop integration
- You prefer a more focused, single-purpose tool
Migration from QMD
If you’re currently using QMD and want to try GNO:
# Install GNO
bun install -g @gmickel/gno
# Initialize with your existing notes folder
gno init ~/your-notes --name notes
# Index (supports same markdown files QMD uses)
gno index
# Search
gno query "your search query"
GNO will index the same Markdown files QMD uses, plus any other document formats in the folder.