IncarnaMind

Download

Macs with an Intel processor aren't supported. Test builds change often and aren't signed yet, so your system warns you the first time. Builds up to 0.1.0-alpha.4 still use the old name for a Note. Windows builds will be signed through the SignPath Foundation (code signing policy).

• Windows says "Windows protected your PC": click More info, then Run anyway.
• macOS says it can't verify IncarnaMind: open it once and click Done, then System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway. Or run xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/IncarnaMind.app. Until the app is notarized, it can't update itself, so it tells you when a new version is out.
• Linux: for the AppImage, run chmod +x IncarnaMind-*.AppImage. On Ubuntu 22.04 or later, also sudo apt install libfuse2 (libfuse2t64 on 24.04 and later). On 24.04 and later, the AppImage runs without the app's sandbox.

With Node.js 24 or newer:

git clone https://github.com/IncarnaMind/IncarnaMind.git && cd IncarnaMind
npm install && npm run dev

What it does

Works fully offline with Ollama: nothing leaves your computer.

• Search OpenAlex, arXiv and PubMed for papers, save web pages, and import references from Zotero, BibTeX, RIS or CSL JSON.
• Add MCP servers and SKILL.md Skills. Anything that could change something asks you first.
• Give Claude Code, Codex or Cursor the Folders you choose, with checked citations.
• The whole app is in English and Chinese.

How the check works

For each sentence, the check finds the passages in your files that it relies on and marks whether they support it. The page is one click away.

Figures are compared as numbers. One rounded from the source passes, a different one is marked, and a calculated one shows its formula and where each input came from.

"Quote found" means the quoted words are on that page. Whether they prove your sentence is for you to judge, which is why the page opens with one click. And the check only compares your writing with your files, so a mistake in the files themselves gets through.

How it compares

✓ yes · ◐ partly, or not stated · ✗ not in their documentation. ¹ Formerly NotebookLM. From each product's documentation, October 2026: Gemini Notebook, Open Notebook, AnythingLLM.

Privacy

You don't need an account. IncarnaMind reads your files where they are and never changes them, and a question sends only what it needs to the model you picked.

Where a provider offers the choice, IncarnaMind asks it not to keep your requests. It can't make a provider comply. What each one sends, and how to turn it off, is in docs/privacy.md and Settings → Privacy. For client work, read the client data statement.

• Is it free? Yes, open source under Apache 2.0. The model is billed by its provider, or covered by a plan you already have.
• How is it different from NotebookLM (now Gemini Notebook)? It runs on your computer, reads your files where they are and needs no account. It works with the model you choose, opens each citation at its page, checks your own draft and exports to Word with footnotes. The table above has the rest.
• Can a check miss something? Yes: a check can miss a change of obligation, such as “should” where the Document says “may”.
• Which models can I use? Sign in with ChatGPT Plus or Pro, Claude, or GitHub Copilot (experimental); each stays off until you sign in. Or use your own key from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, DeepSeek, Qwen, SiliconFlow, OpenRouter, Kimi, GLM, Mistral, xAI or any OpenAI-compatible server.
• Does it work offline? Reading files and search do. Answers and checks need a model: a cloud one, or a local one through Ollama, which is slower.
• Can I use it on client documents? Your files stay on your computer, and only the model you chose and the services you allow receive anything. Read the client data statement first.
• Will it change my files? No. It writes only to its own data folder and to the files you export.
• How do I back up? Copy the data folder. It holds your Notes, the search index and your settings.

Contributing

Code, testing with your own documents, translations and ideas are all welcome. Start with CONTRIBUTING.md, open an issue or ask in Discussions.

History

IncarnaMind began in 2023 as a Python tool for chatting with your PDFs, starred by about 800 of you. In 2026 it was rebuilt as a desktop app around one idea: an answer from your files is only useful if you can check it. The old tool is at the v1-python-cli tag. If IncarnaMind helps you, a star helps other people find it.

@misc{IncarnaMind2023, author = {Junru Xiong}, title = {IncarnaMind}, year = {2023},
  publisher = {GitHub}, journal = {GitHub Repository},
  howpublished = {\url{https://github.com/IncarnaMind/IncarnaMind}}}

Licence

Apache License 2.0. The bundled fonts (Source Serif 4, Source Sans 3, JetBrains Mono) are under the SIL Open Font License 1.1. The citation styles and locales come unmodified from the Citation Style Language project under CC BY-SA 3.0, formatted by Hayagriva (MIT or Apache-2.0). Notices are in resources/notices.