Cabinet
AI-first knowledge base and startup OS where everything lives as markdown files on disk with autonomous AI agents
Overview
Cabinet is a self-hosted, AI-first knowledge management system designed as a "startup OS." All content exists as markdown files on disk—no database, no vendor lock-in. The platform enables teams to build persistent AI agents that work autonomously on files, models, and infrastructure they control. Cabinet ships with 20 pre-built agent templates across departments (CEO, Product Manager, Content Marketer, etc.) that run scheduled jobs 24/7. Unlike traditional wikis or chatbots, Cabinet combines persistent knowledge storage with autonomous AI agent orchestration, addressing the problem that AI sessions forget context between conversations.
The Verdict
Who Should Use Cabinet?
Best For
- Solo founders and startups wanting an AI-powered knowledge base
- Teams who want AI agents with persistent memory across sessions
- Developers seeking full data ownership with git-backed version control
- Organizations prioritizing BYOAI (bring your own AI) flexibility
- Technical users comfortable with self-hosting and terminal workflows
Not Ideal For
- Non-technical users needing a turnkey SaaS solution
- Teams requiring enterprise support contracts
- Organizations preferring cloud-hosted managed services
- Users who just want note-taking without AI automation
What's Great
- Completely free with no subscriptions, trials, or paywalls
- Full data ownership—everything stored as markdown on disk
- Git-backed version control for knowledge evolution and audit trails
- BYOAI—works with Claude, OpenAI, Gemini, Grok, local models
- 20 pre-built agent templates with cron-based job scheduling
- Embedded HTML apps render inside the knowledge base
- Web terminal for interactive AI sessions in-browser
Watch Out For
- Requires Node.js 22+ and CLI setup—not beginner-friendly
- Early-stage project (launched April 2026)
- Requires bringing your own AI CLI (Claude Code or Codex)
- Anonymous telemetry enabled by default
- Self-hosted only—no managed cloud option
Pricing
View all features & details
Key Features
- File-based architecture (markdown on disk)
- AI agent orchestration with scheduled jobs
- 20 pre-built agent templates (CEO, PM, Marketer, etc.)
- Embedded HTML app support
- Web terminal for AI sessions
- WYSIWYG + Markdown editor (Tiptap)
- Full-text search (Cmd+K)
- PDF and CSV inline viewing/editing
- Git-backed version history
Integrations
- Slack
- GitHub
- Google Drive
- HubSpot
- Salesforce
- Notion
- 40+ more via connectors
AI Providers
- Claude (via Claude Code CLI)
- OpenAI (via Codex CLI)
- Gemini
- Grok
- Local models
Technical Requirements
- Node.js 22+
- Claude Code CLI or Codex CLI
- Built with Next.js 16 + TypeScript
How It Compares
| Feature | Cabinet | Obsidian + AI | Notion AI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data Storage | Markdown on disk | Markdown on disk | Cloud database |
| AI Agents | 20 templates, scheduled | Plugin-dependent | Limited |
| Self-Hosted | Yes | Yes | No |
| Version Control | Native git | Manual git | Built-in history |
| Embedded Apps | HTML apps in KB | Limited | No |
| BYOAI | Any provider | Plugin-dependent | OpenAI only |
| Pricing | Free | Free + paid plugins | $10/mo+ |
| Best For | AI-native startup teams | Personal PKM | Team collaboration |