AI document search across local files and web sources with source citations
Ask questions in natural language across local files and web pages. Get cited answers with source links — not hallucinations.
Your data never leaves your network. Run locally with Ollama or connect to OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, Grok. Zero cloud dependency, zero vendor lock-in.
Standalone sandboxed parsers for PDF, DOCX, XLSX, and code formats. Extremely fast and isolated in standalone crates under the Rust workspace.
Works as a knowledge base for Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, and any MCP-compatible tool. Consolidates tools for search, indexing, and admin.
Find cross-lingual docs. Hybrid search combines semantic vectors (LanceDB) with keyword matching (LanceDB full-text search) via Reciprocal Rank Fusion.
Supports API key authentication with RBAC and logical workspace isolation for multi-role security boundaries with zero network leakage.
OpenDocuments is an open source, self-hosted RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) platform that connects scattered organizational documents and lets you search and ask questions using AI with source citations.
Unlike cloud-only solutions, OpenDocuments can run entirely on your own infrastructure with local LLMs via Ollama. Your data can stay inside your network.
| Feature | OpenDocuments | Cloud alternatives |
|---|---|---|
| Data privacy | Runs locally, data never leaves your network | Data sent to third-party servers |
| Cost | Free, open source (MIT) | $20-100+/user/month |
| File formats | Core formats (PDF, DOCX, XLSX, CSV, Markdown, Email...) | Limited format support |
| Data sources | Local folder ingestion, CLI indexer, Web UI uploads | Vendor-specific integrations |
| Customization | Pure Rust workspace, full source access | Closed source, limited APIs |
| AI models | Any model (Ollama, OpenAI, Claude, Gemini) | Locked to one provider |
| Cross-lingual support | Built-in search capabilities | Usually English-only |
# One-line binary installation (Linux / macOS)
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/cawa0505/OpenDocuments/main/install.sh | sh
# Start the unified server on port 8080
opendoc start --port 8080Under 5 minutes. Get started →