Mino, explained.

Mino is an open-source Obsidian alternative: a self-hosted Markdown vault with an AI agent that files, tags, links and retrieves your notes. Obsidian or any editor can open the same folder. There is no central account.

See how the agent works

For the vault, yes. Mino reads a folder of Markdown files with YAML front matter, so an Obsidian vault opens as-is and stays readable in Obsidian. Plugin compatibility is in progress, not finished. Mino is an independent project, not affiliated with Obsidian.

Yes. The repository is public: clone it, run the container with the compose file, and connect a client. The list is only a launch announcement, for people who would rather not run a server yet.

The agent runs on your server, inside the vault: it files imports, tags, links, summarises and retrieves. Every note operation is also an HTTP route and an MCP bridge, so the interface and the agent use the same API instead of a chat panel on the side.

Yes. The agent is disabled until you configure a provider, model and API key, and search falls back to full text until embeddings are configured. That is deliberate for a self-hosted tool: you decide which model sees your notes and you pay that provider directly.

As Markdown files in an Obsidian-compatible vault inside the server's data directory, which is a Docker volume in the reference deployment. A SQLite index sits next to them for search and link lookups; it rebuilds from the files. Backing up Mino means copying one folder.

Self-hosting details

Yes. Markdown with YAML front matter is the native format, so an Obsidian vault or a vault from another tool drops in as-is, folders included. Web pages, PDFs and long emails go through the agent, which converts them to Markdown before filing.

The relay forwards requests between your client and your server over an encrypted connection, and it does not store your notes. Open-port mode skips the relay behind your own proxy, and your own tunnel works too.

The web workspace runs today from the repository. Android and iOS builds are in development and will wrap the same vault; the list is only a launch announcement.

You get one email when Mino launches, and nothing else. No newsletter, no sequence. The confirmation you receive now carries a one-click unsubscribe if you change your mind.

There is no Mino login page and no Mino account. You open the workspace, link it to your own server with a relay code or a server URL plus API key, and the credentials stay in that browser. Nothing authenticates against mino.ink.

The core is open source and free to self-host. You supply the server and your own model API key, so you pay that provider directly. The agent stays disabled until you configure a provider, model and key; search works without one.

Mino is open source and free to self-host, and that will not change. You pay your model provider directly for the API key the agent uses. There is no subscription and no Mino account.

Because not everyone wants to run a server today. Mino is open source and on GitHub now; the list is for people who would rather hear when it launches. One email at launch, no newsletter.

Tom Szenessy builds Mino in the open. The source, the issue tracker and the deployment files are public, and the docs describe the architecture rather than hiding it behind a marketing page.

Browse the repository