Why I Built Knovum: A Local-First Infinite Canvas AI Workspace

Description and use

Knovum is a local-first knowledge workspace with an infinite canvas and embedded AI, offering privacy and instant semantic search.

Problem

Existing productivity tools force users into rigid tree directories or lock private thoughts behind proprietary cloud subscriptions.

Outcome

Knovum delivers a lightweight, secure, and privacy‑preserving knowledge workspace with infinite canvas, local AI, and semantic search, outperforming traditional tree‑based tools.

Workflow

• 1. Choose Tauri 2 as the desktop foundation for low memory footprint and security.
• 2. Build the infinite canvas with Vue 3 and Konva, enabling 60 fps and JSON Canvas compatibility.
• 3. Store data locally in SQLite and index vectors with LanceDB for instant semantic search.
• 4. Transcribe audio locally using Whisper + FFmpeg and slice into time‑coded note cards.
• 5. Integrate Model Context Protocol for bi‑directional AI agent workflows.

Evidence

Knovum stays exceptionally light and boots in milliseconds.

Source

Full compatibility with the open JSON Canvas specification. No vendor lock‑in.

Source

Everything is stored in local SQLite databases on your machine.

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Whisper + FFmpeg: Drop audio recordings or meeting logs directly onto the canvas; they are transcribed locally and automatically sliced into time‑coded note cards.

Source