Say hello to ZenNode, your personalized AI cognitive sidekick! Say goodbye to boring, rigid study tools: with ZenNode, your voice notes, lectures, and PDFs are transformed into neuro-inclusive study material exactly formatted for how your brain works. ZenNode is a localized, privacy-first AI pipeline powered by LangGraph that lives in your Menubar and writes directly to your local Obsidian Vault.
- Installation
- Configuration
- Usage (The Personas)
- Roadmap
- Architecture & Open Source
- Contributing
- Star History
System Requirements:
- macOS 14 Sonoma or later (Apple Silicon or Intel)
- Python 3.11 or later
- uv (The lightning-fast Python package manager)
We are currently building a standalone .dmg installer so you won't need the terminal! Until then, follow Option 2.
This is the recommended path for hackers, contributors, and early adopters.
-
Clone the repository:
git clone https://github.com/parity-byte/zennode.git cd zennode -
Install dependencies:
uv sync
-
Set up your environment variables:
cp .env.example .env
Now, open the
.envfile in your favorite text editor. You will see several fields you need to fill out:GROQ_API_KEY: Get a free key from console.groq.com.GEMINI_API_KEY: Get a free key from Google AI Studio.OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH: The absolute file path to the folder on your Mac where your Obsidian notes live (e.g.,/Users/yourname/Documents/ObsidianVault).ZENNODE_PROFILE: This controls the AI's personality! See the Usage section below.
-
Launch the Menubar App:
uv run zennode-app
Note: On your first launch, ZenNode will request Microphone and Accessibility permissions to allow global dictation.
ZenNode isn't just one AI—it's a chameleon. Change the ZENNODE_PROFILE in your .env file to switch how it teaches you:
- 🏎️
zennode_adhd_skim.md: High-speed. Bullet points only. Zero fluff. For when you need the TL;DR right now. - 🤿
zennode_audhd_deep_dive.md: The Rabbit Hole. Connects microscopic details to the big picture using systems thinking. - 🎨
zennode_dyslexic_visual.md: Highly spatial. Heavy use of ASCII diagrams, generous spacing, and clear visual hierarchy. - 🦉
zennode_socratic_mentor.md: The Guide. Refuses to give you the answer outright. Asks you guiding questions to help you reach the conclusion yourself.
We are constantly building. Here is where we are going:
- Phase 1: The Core Engine 🧠 (LangGraph synthesis, Obsidian Sync, Groq/Gemini support)
- Phase 2: Deep OS Integration 🍎 (Native macOS Menubar app, Zero-friction global audio recording)
- Phase 3: The Persona Library 🎭 (Modular cognitive profiles for neurodivergent learners)
- Phase 4: Spaced Repetition (NSR) 🔁 (Automated flashcard extraction & native Anki export)
- Phase 5: Acoustic Reflection 🎙️ (Voice-to-voice interaction using local STT/TTS)
- Phase 6: Cross-Platform Support 🌍 (Windows & Linux compatibility)
We take code quality seriously. ZenNode is built for developers who want to tinker:
- Agentic Workflows: Powered entirely by
LangGraphfor deterministic, reliable multi-agent orchestration. - Red-Teamed: Our prompts are actively tested and guarded using
promptfooto prevent prompt injection and persona drift. - AI Peer Review: This repository uses CodeRabbit AI to autonomously review every Pull Request.
- No API key leaks.
- No breaking changes to the state graph.
- Every commit is structurally scrutinized.
We welcome contributions! Please see our Contributing Guidelines for details on how to submit pull requests, report issues, and improve ZenNode.
We would like to express our gratitude to the open-source community.
- Creator & Maintainer: Parth Agrawal
- Inspiration: Built to eliminate CLI friction and provide true "Glass-Box" learning.
Built with ❤️ for learners who think differently.