khoj-ai/Khoj
Your AI second brain. Self-hostable. Get answers from the web or your docs. Build custom agents, schedule automations, do deep research. Turn any online or local LLM into your personal, autonomous AI (gpt, claude, gemini, llama, qwen, mistral). Get started - free.
Khoj is an open-source, self-hostable AI assistant that turns your notes, documents, and the web into a searchable second brain you can chat with. It connects to tools like Obsidian and WhatsApp, runs on online or local LLMs, and can build custom agents and scheduled automations.
Our Review
Khoj has earned 34,000 GitHub stars as a self-hostable personal AI that lives where you already work, in Obsidian, Emacs, a browser, or WhatsApp. The pitch is a private second brain: it indexes your notes and documents, answers from them or the web with citations, and can run entirely on a local model so nothing leaves your machine.
What Khoj does:
- •Chat with your notes and docs index Markdown, PDFs, Notion, and more, then ask questions and get answers with sources.
- •Works where you do desktop, browser, Obsidian, Emacs, and WhatsApp clients, so your assistant is always reachable.
- •Online or fully local use GPT, Claude, or Gemini, or run offline on Llama, Qwen, or Mistral for full privacy.
- •Custom agents create assistants with their own personas, knowledge, and tools for specific jobs.
- •Automations schedule recurring tasks like a morning news digest or a weekly research summary.
- •Semantic search and research search across everything you have connected and run deeper web research on demand.
Getting started:
Try the hosted app at khoj.dev, or self-host with Docker from the repo. Connect a data source, pick a model, and start asking. Docs at docs.khoj.dev.
Limitations:
Khoj is licensed under AGPL-3.0, a strong copyleft license: self-hosting for yourself is fine, but offering a modified version as a network service triggers source-sharing obligations, so review it before commercial use. Self-hosting means running the app and its index yourself. Local-model performance depends on your hardware, and the broad client surface across Obsidian, WhatsApp, and more is more than a single-use case needs.
Our Verdict
Khoj is one of the most polished open-source personal AI assistants in 2026. If you want a private second brain that answers from your own notes and the web, works inside Obsidian or WhatsApp, and can run fully offline, Khoj covers that ground, with 34,000 stars behind it.
For vibe builders, Khoj makes a personal AI without code: connect your notes, build custom agents with their own knowledge and tools, and schedule automations, mostly through its apps rather than a terminal.
For developers, Khoj self-hosts with Docker, supports local models for full privacy, and exposes APIs, so you can keep your data and model in-house. Just plan around the AGPL-3.0 license if you intend to offer it as a service.
Skip Khoj if you only need a quick web answer with no setup; a hosted assistant like Perplexity is simpler. If you cannot meet AGPL obligations for a commercial offering, a permissively licensed assistant fits better.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Khoj?
Khoj is an open-source, self-hostable AI assistant that acts as a personal second brain. It indexes your notes and documents, answers questions from them or the web with citations, and works through clients like a browser, desktop app, Obsidian, Emacs, and WhatsApp. You can run it on hosted models or fully offline on local LLMs.
Is Khoj free and open source?
Yes. Khoj is open source under the AGPL-3.0 license and free to self-host as of 2026. Khoj also offers a hosted plan at khoj.dev with free and paid tiers. Note that AGPL-3.0 is a copyleft license, so if you modify Khoj and offer it as a network service, you must share your source.
Can Khoj run offline with local models?
Yes. Khoj is designed to work fully offline as of 2026, running local models such as Llama, Qwen, or Mistral so your notes and queries never leave your machine. You can also use hosted models like GPT, Claude, and Gemini when you want, and switch between local and online depending on the task and your privacy needs.
What data sources does Khoj connect to?
Khoj can index Markdown and org-mode notes, PDFs, plaintext, Notion, and GitHub content, and it integrates tightly with Obsidian for note-takers. Once connected, that material becomes searchable and is used to ground answers with citations. You can mix your personal documents with live web search in a single conversation.
How is Khoj different from Perplexity?
Perplexity is a hosted answer engine focused on web questions. Khoj is a self-hostable personal assistant centered on your own notes and documents, with local-model support and clients like Obsidian and WhatsApp. Choose Perplexity for fast public web answers; choose Khoj for a private second brain over your own knowledge that you can run offline.
How do I install Khoj?
Visit the GitHub repository at https://github.com/khoj-ai/khoj for installation instructions.
What license does Khoj use?
Khoj uses the AGPL-3.0 license.
What are alternatives to Khoj?
Explore related tools and alternatives on My AI Guide.
Open source & community-verified
AGPL-3.0 licensed: free to use in any project, no strings attached. 34,822 developers have starred this, meaning the community has reviewed and trusted it.
Reviewed by My AI Guide for relevance, quality, and active maintenance before listing.
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