rowboat README

The project's README from github.com/rowboatlabs/rowboat. As one markdown file: README.md.

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Rowboat

A desktop AI coworker with a memory of your work and built-in surfaces to act on it.

rowboatlabs/rowboat | Trendshift

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Rowboat indexes your work into a living knowledge graph and uses that to get work done on your machine. It includes work surfaces for collaborating with AI: email client, notes, browser, code mode, meeting note taker, and workspaces for different projects.

Download latest for Mac/Windows/Linux: Download

Rowboat Apps to Code demo

Demo - apps to code · Demo - knowledge graph

⭐ If you find Rowboat useful, please star the repo. It helps more people find it.

Overview

Brain

Rowboat indexes email, meetings, slack and assistant conversations into a living Obsidian-style backlinked knowledge graph. 		Brain graph screenshot

Email

The built-in email client sorts emails into important and everything else. Rowboat automatically drafts responses for important email using all the work context. 		Email screenshot

Background agents

You can set up background agents that run on events like new email or on schedule like every day at 8am. They can connect to tools, search the web, use the browser and write code using Claude Code or Codex. 		Background agents screenshot

Built-in Browser

Rowboat includes a browser that lets you and assistant collaborate on web tasks. Because it's isolated from your main browser, you can log in only to the accounts that want the assistant to access. 		Browser screenshot

Meeting Notes

A local meeting note-taker that taps into mic & speaker, produces live transcript and summarizes the meeting in a markdown file and updates the knowledge graph. 		Meeting notes screenshot

Code Mode

Code mode lets you spin up parallel coding agents with Claude Code or Codex, and have Rowboat drive them with all the work context where needed. 		Code mode screenshot

Apps

You can build your own work surfaces inside Rowboat — they get access to all the tools and integrations, and you can share them with other people. 		Apps screenshot

Integrations

Includes one-click integrations to most popular products. 		Integrations screenshot

Installation

Download latest for Mac/Windows/Linux: Download

All release files: https://github.com/rowboatlabs/rowboat/releases/latest

Google setup

To connect Google services (Gmail, Calendar, and Drive), follow Google setup.

Voice input

To enable voice input and voice notes (optional), add a Deepgram API key in ~/.rowboat/config/deepgram.json

Voice output

To enable voice output (optional), add an ElevenLabs API key in ~/.rowboat/config/elevenlabs.json

To use Exa research search (optional), add the Exa API key in ~/.rowboat/config/exa-search.json

External tools

To enable external tools (optional), you can add any MCP server or use Composio tools by adding an API key in ~/.rowboat/config/composio.json

All API key files use the same format:

{
  "apiKey": "<key>"
}

How it’s different

Most AI tools reconstruct context on demand by searching transcripts or documents.

Rowboat maintains long-lived knowledge instead:

The result is memory that compounds, rather than retrieval that starts cold every time.

Bring your own model

Rowboat works with the model setup you prefer:

Extend Rowboat with tools (MCP)

Rowboat can connect to external tools and services via Model Context Protocol (MCP). That means you can plug in (for example) search, databases, CRMs, support tools, and automations - or your own internal tools.

Examples: Exa (web search), Twitter/X, ElevenLabs (voice), Slack, Linear/Jira, GitHub, and more.

Parallel Search MCP provides web_search and web_fetch for public web search and page extraction without a Parallel account or API key. Free access is rate limited.

Open Settings → MCP Servers, add the parallel entry to your existing mcpServers object, and click Save. Keep any other server entries. If no servers are configured, use:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "parallel": {
      "url": "https://search.parallel.ai/mcp"
    }
  }
}

This connects through Rowboat's existing Streamable HTTP client. Ask Rowboat to list the tools on the parallel server, then try: "Use Parallel to find the official MCP documentation."

Once configured, Rowboat can invoke these tools during its work, subject to your MCP tool permissions. Queries, requested URLs, and any supplied objectives or context are sent to Parallel. This setup leaves Exa and other configured providers unchanged. To remove it, delete the parallel entry in Settings → MCP Servers and save.

Local-first by design

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rowboat (rowboatlabs/rowboat)

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18K ·GitHub
Rowboat
What is this?Rowboat is a desktop AI coworker with a memory of your work. It indexes your email, meetings and chats into a living knowledge graph and acts through built-in surfaces: email, notes, browser, code mode, meeting notes and workspaces.
Is this an app I install on my computer, or a web service?It's a desktop app you install — builds are available for Mac, Windows and Linux, and your data stays on your machine.
How do I get it running?Download the latest release for your OS and install it. Connecting Gmail, Calendar or Drive takes a one-time Google setup after that.
Do I need any API keys before it's useful?No, the core works without them. Optional keys unlock extras: Deepgram for voice input, ElevenLabs for voice output, Exa for web search, and Composio or any MCP server for external tools — each goes into ~/.rowboat/config/.
Can I run it fully locally, including the model?Yes — it works with local models via Ollama or LM Studio, or with hosted models using your own API key. You can swap models anytime.
Where does my data end up?Everything stays on your machine as plain Markdown, with no proprietary formats or hosted lock-in. You can inspect, edit, back up or delete it all at any time.
How is it different from assistants that just search your history?Rowboat keeps long-lived knowledge instead of reconstructing context on demand: email, meetings, Slack and assistant conversations are indexed into an Obsidian-style backlinked knowledge graph, so memory compounds over time, relationships stay inspectable and notes remain editable by you.
What does it do with my email?The built-in email client sorts mail into important and everything else, then automatically drafts responses for the important ones using all your work context.
Can it run agents without me babysitting them?Yes — background agents run on events like a new email or on a schedule like every day at 8am, and can use tools, search the web, browse and write code with Claude Code or Codex. Code mode also spins up parallel coding agents driven with your work context.
Is its web browsing sandboxed away from my accounts?Rowboat includes its own browser for collaborative web tasks, isolated from your main browser, so you only log in to the accounts you want the assistant to access.
What are similar projects?brigade, open-knowledge, call.md, solomd, holaOS, mindshub, second-brain-os, openwhispr
Which topics is it in?meeting-notes, claude-cowork, multiagent, knowledge-management, knowledge-graph, note-taking, email, workflow-automation, browser-automation, chatgpt, local-llm, orchestration
Creator
rowboatlabs
Size
125.8 MB
Stars
18K
Updated
CommitOct 16Releasev1.0.3Sep 17
Age
1y
Commits · 90 Days