OpenKnowledge: A WYSIWYG Markdown Editor with Integrated AI

OpenKnowledge is an open-source, WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) Markdown editor designed for collaborative document creation, available as a macOS application and a command-line interface.

Developed by Nick and his team at Inkeep, the tool launched on June 25, 2026, aiming to provide a Google Docs-like experience for Markdown files, a common format in technical documentation and development workflows. It addresses a gap where existing tools like Obsidian lack a true WYSIWYG interface and seamless LLM integrations.

The core offering includes a macOS app with a file navigator, the visual editor, and a link explorer. For users preferring a terminal-first approach, an embedded terminal and CLI are also provided.

A key differentiator is its direct integration with desktop applications for leading LLMs such as Claude, Codex, and Cursor. These AI agents can open an OpenKnowledge editor within their embedded web browsers, enabling a side-by-side editing experience. This facilitates scenarios like AI-assisted spec writing and building an “AI Second Brain.”

Under the hood, OpenKnowledge leverages a modern web stack including Tiptap/ProseMirror for the editor, Electron for the macOS app, and yjs for CRDT-based collaboration. The architecture includes a bidirectional lossless conversion pipeline between ProseMirror’s ASTs and Markdown, along with a dual-observer CRDT to keep states synchronized.

Collaboration features, including undo/redo and version history, are powered by CRDT and Git, offering a “no-code” feel while maintaining data privacy. The entire project is open-source, with its codebase available on GitHub, encouraging community contributions.

Pricing for OpenKnowledge is straightforward: it is fully free, local, and open-source. This positions it as a compelling alternative to proprietary collaborative editors or more fragmented setups involving separate Markdown editors and AI plugins.

The tool competes with established local Markdown editors like Obsidian, but distinguishes itself with its true WYSIWYG interface and deep LLM integrations. For collaborative document creation, it offers a more code-friendly and AI-integrated alternative to general-purpose tools like Notion AI or Google Docs.