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MODSetter/SurfSense

Air-gapped, open-source desktop app: a NotebookLM-style AI agent that researches, transforms and edits your local documents.

Open-source alternative to:NotebookLM

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What is it?

SurfSense is a desktop app for working with documents you don't want to upload to a cloud service. It works like NotebookLM: you add files or folders as sources, then ask an AI agent to find answers with citations, extract information, or edit the files. The search index stays on your disk, and you choose the model, either local or a remote OpenAI-compatible API. No account is required.

The agent handles PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, CSV, images (via OCR), Markdown, HTML and audio recordings. For PDFs it can fill and flatten forms, add watermarks and page numbers, and merge, split or reorder pages. For Office files it edits copies, including tracked changes and formulas in Excel. Edits and conversions always produce a new file, so originals are never modified.

Optional plugins connect web sources such as Google Search, web crawling, YouTube and several shopping and job sites. These plugins require a SurfSense license, while third-party MCP servers can be added without one and stay disabled until you enable them. The project is licensed under Apache-2.0 and ships installers for Windows, macOS (Apple Silicon) and Linux.

Key features

  • 01Answers questions over your files with cited sources.
  • 02Reads scanned PDFs and images through OCR.
  • 03Fills, flattens and annotates PDF forms, and merges or splits pages.
  • 04Edits Word and Excel copies as tracked changes, cell values and formulas.
  • 05Generates podcasts, mind maps, flashcards and quizzes from sources.
  • 06Works with any OpenAI-compatible API or a local model.

Use cases

  • Asking questions across a folder of private contracts or reports without uploading them.
  • Extracting data from PDFs and Excel files and charting the results.
  • Filling in and flattening PDF forms offline.
  • Turning research notes into a podcast, flashcards or a quiz for study.

Quick start

  1. 1

    Download the installer for your platform from the releases page

  2. 2

    Install SurfSense and do the initial onboarding setup

  3. 3

    Drop your files or folders in your sources

  4. 4

    Ask the agent to search, extract or edit your files

Things to know

  • Desktop builds are only offered for Windows x64, macOS Apple Silicon and Linux x64.
  • Some plugins require a SurfSense license, and Office support needs a separate LibreOffice install.
  • Image creation needs an image model, local or remote, and none is chosen by default.

Topics

#ai#rag#document-qa#self-hosted#privacy#pdf#ocr#local-llm#agent#agents

FAQ

What is SurfSense?
Air-gapped, open-source desktop app: a NotebookLM-style AI agent that researches, transforms and edits your local documents. SurfSense is a desktop app for working with documents you don't want to upload to a cloud service. It works like NotebookLM: you add files or folders as sources, then ask an AI agent to find answers with citations, extract information, or edit the files. The search index stays on your disk, and you choose the model, either local or a remote OpenAI-compatible API. No account is required.
Is SurfSense free to use? What license does it have?
SurfSense is open source under the Apache-2.0 license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
Is SurfSense still maintained?
Actively maintained. The last commit to SurfSense was on Oct 19, 2026.
What can I use SurfSense for?
Asking questions across a folder of private contracts or reports without uploading them. Extracting data from PDFs and Excel files and charting the results. Filling in and flattening PDF forms offline. Turning research notes into a podcast, flashcards or a quiz for study.
How do I install SurfSense?
Download the installer for your platform from the releases page Install SurfSense and do the initial onboarding setup Drop your files or folders in your sources Ask the agent to search, extract or edit your files
Where can I get SurfSense?
The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/MODSetter/SurfSense

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