Create your first brain

The goal is small: create a private home for your knowledge, save one note and find it again. You can do this without choosing a model or enabling semantic search.

Create your private repository

Install Bun (external site: bun.sh), git and the GitHub CLI (external site: cli.github.com), and sign in to the GitHub CLI. The public brain template supplies the starting files. Create your own private copy and clone it:

gh repo create my-brain --template schlessera/brain-template --private --clone
cd my-brain
bun install
bun run setup

Keep the content repository private. It will contain your personal knowledge; the public template and public toolkit do not need access to it. A private repository controls access, but does not encrypt the files.

Setup installs the command and prepares agent skills. If your shell cannot find brain, use bun run brain from this repository in place of brain in the commands below.

Build the index and capture a note

Build the initial search index, then capture a fictional example:

brain index
brain add "Odysseus needs timber and sailcloth for the raft." --title "Raft supplies"
brain search "sailcloth" --mode fts

The capture writes a Markdown note with frontmatter and updates the index. The search finds it using its words. Read the returned path to inspect the actual file:

brain read notes/raft-supplies.md

If that filename was already in use, capture chooses a different path; use the path returned by your command.

Personalize it when you are ready

You now have the basic loop: capture, find and read. Continue with Capture and find to connect a second note.

If you want an agent to help shape your brain, open this repository in a signed-in coding agent that discovers the generated skills, then run /brain-init. The interview proposes a structure for your needs and asks you to review it. Work with an agent explains that path.

If a step does not work

Run brain doctor --json and read the detail for the failed check. The initial index command fixes a missing database; warnings about optional providers do not mean keyword search needs a paid account.

The setup and troubleshooting reference on GitHub (external site: github.com) covers shell paths, client registration and the full onboarding sequence.