Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to common questions about GNO.

Getting Started

What is GNO?

GNO is a local knowledge search engine that indexes your documents (Markdown, PDF, DOCX, XLSX) and lets you search them using BM25 full-text, vector similarity, or hybrid search. Everything runs locally on your machine.

How do I install GNO?

Install via Bun with bun install -g gno. GNO requires Bun 1.0+ as its JavaScript runtime. Run gno doctor to verify your installation.

What file formats does GNO support?

GNO indexes Markdown (.md), PDF (.pdf), Microsoft Word (.docx), Excel (.xlsx), PowerPoint (.pptx), and plain text files.

Is my data sent to the cloud?

No. GNO is 100% local and privacy-first. All indexing, embedding, and search happens on your machine. Your documents never leave your computer.

Search & Querying

What is the difference between search, vsearch, and query?

gno search uses BM25 keyword matching (fast, exact terms). gno vsearch uses vector similarity (semantic meaning). gno query combines both with reciprocal rank fusion for best results.

How do I get AI-generated answers?

Use gno ask “your question” –answer. This searches your documents and generates a cited answer using a local LLM.

Can I search specific collections only?

Yes, use –collection or -c flag, for example gno search “term” -c notes.

Configuration

Where is the config file located?

On macOS and Linux it is at ~/.config/gno/config.yaml. On Windows it is at %APPDATA%\gno\config.yaml. Run gno doctor to see your exact path.

How do I add multiple document folders?

Use gno collection add path –name name for each folder, then run gno update to index them all.

Can I exclude certain files or folders?

Yes, add them to the exclude array in your collection config, for example exclude node_modules, .git, and temporary files.

AI & Models

What LLM models does GNO use?

GNO uses local models via node-llama-cpp. Default presets are slim (fast), balanced, and quality. Run gno models list to see available models.

Do I need an API key?

No. GNO runs entirely locally with no API keys or cloud services required.

How do I change the model?

Use gno models use preset then gno models pull to download. Presets are slim, balanced, or quality.

Integration

How do I use GNO with Claude Desktop?

Add GNO to your claude_desktop_config.json mcpServers section with command gno and args mcp. Restart Claude Desktop after saving.

What is MCP?

Model Context Protocol (MCP) is a standard for AI assistants to access external tools. GNO provides an MCP server so Claude, Cursor, and other tools can search your documents.

Can I use GNO in scripts?

Yes, use –json flag for machine-readable output, for example gno search “term” –json piped to jq.

Still Have Questions?