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IWE: a Markdown knowledge base you and your AI agent work on together

Memory serverOfficial IWE project

Created by IWE

Published in iwe-org/iwe. Publisher page

1,821 GitHub stars

What it is

Markdown knowledge graph — LSP for your editor, CLI + MCP memory for your AI agents
— the description by IWE

AutoGineer overview, from the brain’s own files

IWE provides a shared workspace for humans and AI agents to collaborate on project documentation, specs, and decision logs. By treating a folder of Markdown files as a structured knowledge graph, it allows agents to read, write, and organize information that persists across sessions. It functions as a memory server via the Model Context Protocol (MCP), enabling compatibility with various AI agents while remaining accessible to users through a native Mac app, CLI, or standard text editors like Neovim and VS Code.

How it works

Memory model: Not stated

AutoGineer overview, from the brain’s own files

IWE organizes notes as a collection of Markdown files within a project folder. It uses a CLI and an MCP server to expose these files to AI agents, allowing them to perform operations like searching, creating, and updating notes. The system supports features such as backlinks, link autocomplete, and graph visualization, ensuring that both the user and the AI agent interact with the same underlying document structure.

Folders
FolderRoleFiles
.githubagent-config4
docsdocs70
.githooksfolder1
cratesfolder381
npmfolder15

Requirements

Runtimes: Rust

Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Google Antigravity, Kiro, OpenCode, Amp, Roo Code, Cline, JetBrains Junie, Devin (ex-Windsurf)

Set it up

  1. This brain runs code automatically: 1 script. Review .githooks/pre-commit before opening the folder in Claude Code. No step below turns a hook on for you.

    • .githooks/pre-commit: runs on git pre-commit
  2. Not scanned by AutoGineerAutoGineer could not scan everything it runs. https://www.npmjs.com/package/@iwe-org/mcp

  3. Created by IWE. Published in iwe-org/iwe. Licence: Apache License 2.0.

Usage

AutoGineer overview, from the brain’s own files

  • Connect an AI agent to your project notes using the MCP server.
  • Use the CLI to search, create, or reorganize notes from the terminal.
  • Write and browse notes in the native Mac app while an agent works alongside you.
  • Integrate note navigation and autocomplete into your preferred text editor.
  • Maintain a persistent record of project decisions and lessons learned that both you and your agent can access.
“Explore my IWE notes and summarize what's here.”
The agent reads the Markdown files in the designated folder and provides a summary of the project context, decisions, or documentation found.
“Save the decision we just made about the database schema.”
The agent creates or updates a Markdown note in the IWE folder containing the details of the decision for future reference.

Documentation by IWE

IWE: a Markdown knowledge base you and your AI agent work on together

English · 简体中文 · 한국어

Your notes are your agent’s memory. IWE is where you work on them together.

iwe.md · Download for Mac · Docs · Reddit

Image: Crates.io Image: License Image: Documentation

Too many AI conversations start from zero. You explain your project, your decisions, your reasoning — then find yourself explaining it all again next session. Your own notes live somewhere else, out of the agent's reach.

Or worse, the agent “remembers” something in its own internal memory, but you can't easily see what it saved or correct what it got wrong. And that memory doesn't travel with you to the other agents you work with.

IWE gives you and your AI agents one shared place to work, right inside your project: a folder of connected Markdown documents — specs, plans, decisions, and more. Keep your own ideas there, ask your agent to save what you learn together, and return to that context as your work grows. You can read, edit, and organize those documents yourself — and they stay yours.

<br/> <p align="center"> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D58bPkOvbxE"> <img src="https://iwe.md/images/video-thumbnail.jpg" alt="Watch the IWE intro video on YouTube" width="600"> </a> </p> <br/>

Choose how you work

There are four ways to work with IWE. Mix and match them to fit your day:

ToolHow you'll use it
iWe for MacWrite and browse in a native app, and connect your existing Claude/Codex agent.
Your own editorStay in Neovim, Helix, VS Code, or Zed, with note navigation, backlinks, and autocomplete.
CLISearch and manage your notes from the terminal or scripts.
Claude/CodexLet your agent read, write, and organize memory while you work through conversation.

All four work with the same Markdown documents. Draft a spec in your editor, develop it with Claude/Codex, browse it in the iWe app, or search it from the CLI. Use any combination you like; each tool also works independently.

Bring your own AI. Neither the IWE CLI nor the iWe Mac app includes an AI model. Both work on their own as tools for your notes. When you want AI help, use your existing Claude/Codex agent — in terminal or directly in the Mac app.

<a href="https://iwe.md/?ref=readme-shot"><img src="https://iwe.md/images/app/GH-screen-1.1.png" alt="iWe for Mac showing project plans and connected documents" width="820"></a>

<p> <a href="https://iwe.md/?ref=readme-shot"><img src="https://iwe.md/images/app/GH-screen-2.png" alt="Bug tracking with charts" width="32%"></a> <a href="https://iwe.md/?ref=readme-shot"><img src="https://iwe.md/images/app/GH-screen-3.png" alt="Technical documents with code" width="32%"></a> <a href="https://iwe.md/?ref=readme-shot"><img src="https://iwe.md/images/app/GH-screen-4.png" alt="Release documents" width="32%"></a> </p>

Plans · Charts · Technical documents · Releases — click a screenshot to see the iWe app in action on iwe.md.

Why IWE

  • Shared context. Your agent can use the same notes you write for yourself. Notes link to each other, and one note can belong to several topics, so you can follow an idea wherever it connects.

  • Memory you can read. Decisions and lessons saved by your agent are ordinary notes you can browse, correct, or delete.

  • Your notes stay yours. Everything is Markdown in a folder on your machine. Back it up, sync it, or keep it in git. You don't need an IWE cloud account to keep your notes; connecting an AI agent involves that agent's own setup and account requirements.

See it working on iwe.md →

iWe for Mac

If you'd like a dedicated space for your notes, use the native Mac app. Open a folder of notes and you get a fast, keyboard-friendly space to write and browse. You can also connect your existing Claude/Codex agent to work alongside you.

  • Works with your Claude/Codex agent. Connect the agent you already use, ask questions about your notes, and have it draft or reorganize them. Watch its edits appear in the document as it works.

  • Room to experiment. Each agent run is one undo step — try an idea, and roll it back if you don't like it.

  • Follow your ideas. Jump between related notes, search in a few keystrokes, and view Mermaid diagrams right in your documents. Your editor and other tools can keep working on the same files.

See iWe for Mac on iwe.md →

Open a notes folder and start with a note about something you're working on. Once Claude/Codex is connected, try asking it to summarize that note or help you develop an idea.

Your Own Editor

Keep writing in Neovim, Helix, VS Code, or Zed. IWE adds link autocomplete, backlinks, search, and safe renaming across your notes.

Follow the guide for your editor, open your notes folder, and try linking two notes with autocomplete. You can use IWE for your own writing without connecting an AI agent.

CLI

Prefer the terminal? Use IWE to search, create, and reorganize notes, or work it into your scripts. The CLI has no AI built in: these commands work on their own. Your existing Claude/Codex agent can use IWE's tools too.

Install with Homebrew, or choose another option from the installation guide:

brew install iwe-org/iwe/iwe

Then run these commands inside your notes folder:

iwe init
iwe find
iwe find --lexical "project decisions"

iwe find lists your notes; --lexical searches their content. Explore more in the CLI reference and workflow examples.

Claude/Codex

You can use IWE entirely through your agent. Ask Claude/Codex to save decisions, look up past work, and organize what you've learned. The agent works with your notes through IWE, and you can open those files yourself whenever you want.

IWE isn't tied to one AI. The same notes work with Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Codex, Gemini, Cursor, and any tool that supports the Model Context Protocol.

Give Claude/Codex a memory — for Claude Code, install the plugin, then run /iwe:init in any project you want remembered. For Codex, follow the agent connection steps below.

/plugin marketplace add iwe-org/skills
/plugin install iwe@iwe-org
/iwe:init

Then ask it to save a decision from your current work, and open the note it creates in your project.

Connect another agent — with Homebrew installed, install IWE:

brew install iwe-org/iwe/iwe

Run iwe init in your notes folder, then follow the agent connection guide to add the iwec MCP server with that folder as its working directory. For other installation options, see the installation guide.

Once connected, ask your agent: “Explore my IWE notes and summarize what's here.”

Or let the agent set itself up — paste this into any agent that can run commands:

Set up IWE for my notes: install it (brew install iwe-org/iwe/iwe,
npm install -g @iwe-org/iwe, or cargo install iwe iwes iwec), run `iwe init`
in my notes directory, then add the `iwec` MCP server with its working
directory set to that folder.
Docs: https://iwe.md/docs/agentic/

Learn More

Ready-made workspaces: dev-workspace — project memory for a coding agent · marketing-workspace — campaign memory for a marketing agent.

Get Involved

Trying IWE with your own notes? Tell us what felt useful and where you got stuck. Questions, rough edges, and examples of how you use it are all welcome in Discussions.

IWE is open source. You can also report a bug or help improve the documentation.

Community: Twitter/X · Reddit · Discussions

Building on IWE? The CLI and MCP server are the supported ways to integrate today. Tell us what you depend on so we know what not to break.

License

Apache License 2.0

docs/cli-update.md

IWE Update

Modify existing documents. update has two mutually-exclusive modes:

  • Body-overwrite — replace the full markdown content of one document.

  • Mutation — apply frontmatter operators ($set / $unset) and block operators ($replace, $replaceText, $insertBefore, $insertAfter, $append, $delete) to one or many documents matched by a filter.

Combining body flags with mutation flags in one invocation is a parse-time error.

Usage

# Body-overwrite mode — replace one document's content
iwe update -k <KEY> -c <CONTENT>
iwe update -k <KEY> -c -                                   # read content from stdin

# Mutation mode — frontmatter and block edits on matched documents
iwe update -k <KEY> --set FIELD=VALUE [--set ...] [--unset FIELD ...]
iwe update --filter "EXPR" --set FIELD=VALUE [--set ...] [--unset FIELD ...]
iwe update --filter "EXPR" --replace-text "{ <selector>, to: ... }"

Options

FlagDescriptionMode
-k, --key <KEY>Document key. Required for body-overwrite. Optional in mutation mode (combined with --filter via AND). Unknown keys are an error.both
-c, --content <STR>The complete document. Use - to read from stdin. Replaces the existing frontmatter block when it carries one of its own.body-overwrite
--filter <EXPR>Inline YAML filter. Required if -k omitted in mutation mode.mutation
--set <FIELD=VALUE>$set assignment. VALUE is parsed as a YAML scalar. Repeatable.mutation
--unset <FIELD>$unset field. Repeatable.mutation
--replace <ARG>$replace: replace each selected block. ARG is { <selector>, content: <markdown> }.mutation
--replace-text <ARG>$replaceText: rewrite own text of each selected block. ARG is { <selector>, from: X, to: Y }; omit from and to replaces the entire own text.mutation
--insert-before <ARG>$insertBefore: insert sibling content before each selected block. ARG is { <selector>, content: <markdown> }.mutation
--insert-after <ARG>$insertAfter: insert sibling content after each selected block. ARG is { <selector>, content: <markdown> }.mutation
--append <ARG>$append: append child content to each selected container. ARG is { <selector>, content: <markdown> }.mutation
--delete <ARG>$delete: remove each selected block. ARG is the { <selector> } mapping ({} selects every block).mutation
--expect <ARG>Document-level guard: assert the number of matched documents. ARG is N or { min: M, max: N }.mutation
--strictRequire an expect guard on every mutating application (document-level --expect and each block operator's expect). Aborts before writing if any is missing, or if a written document would fail its bound schema. --dry-run is exempt from the guard requirement only.mutation
--dry-runPreview changes without writing.both
--quietSuppress progress output.both

Body-overwrite mode

update -k KEY -c CONTENT overwrites the document at <KEY> with the provided content. The graph is not mutated by update itself; the file change is picked up on the next read. Use iwe normalize afterward if you want to canonicalize the output.

# Replace a doc with a fixed string
iwe update -k notes/draft -c "# Draft\n\nNew content."

# Pipe content from another command
cat new-content.md | iwe update -k notes/draft -c -

# Preview without writing
iwe update -k notes/draft -c "..." --dry-run

-c is the complete document. If the content you pass begins with its own frontmatter block, that block replaces the existing one. If it does not, the existing document's frontmatter is preserved above it, so a body-only rewrite keeps the metadata untouched.

# Body only -- the existing frontmatter block stays
iwe update -k notes/draft -c "# Draft

New content."

# Complete document -- the frontmatter block is replaced too
iwe update -k notes/draft -c '---
type: page
---

# Draft

New content.'

This mode is also the escape hatch when block predicates cannot address a target — two byte-identical sibling blocks, for instance, are indistinguishable to any predicate. To edit individual frontmatter fields rather than the whole block, use mutation mode's --set / --unset.

Mutation mode

In mutation mode, update builds one update operation document of the Query Language and applies it to every document matched by the filter. The selector can be a single key (-k), a filter expression (--filter), or both (ANDed). All operators present in one invocation — frontmatter and block — validate and apply atomically: per document, every edit commits as one rewrite, and any validation failure anywhere aborts the whole operation before anything is written.

update does not prompt before writing. Use --dry-run to inspect the matched set before applying.

--set FIELD=VALUE

VALUE is parsed as a YAML 1.2 scalar. Type inference follows YAML 1.2 rules: 5 is an integer, true is a boolean, 2026-04-26 is a date, draft is a string, [a, b] is a list. To force a string, quote it as YAML: --set 'count="5"'. Note that yes, no, on, and off are plain strings in YAML 1.2 (not booleans as in YAML 1.1). Frontmatter is re-serialized as YAML 1.2 after mutation, so quote styles may change on untouched fields.

--unset FIELD

Removes FIELD from every matched document's frontmatter. Absent on a given document is a no-op.

Frontmatter examples
# Single-doc frontmatter mutation
iwe update -k notes/draft --set status=published

# Bulk mutation across a filter
iwe update --filter 'status: draft' --set 'reviewed=true'

# Multiple set / unset in one call
iwe update --filter 'status: archived' --unset draft_notes --unset temporary

# Promote drafts to published, with a date
iwe update --filter 'status: draft' --set status=published --set 'published_at=2026-04-26'

# Preview only — no writeback
iwe update --filter 'status: draft' --set status=published --dry-run

# Combine -k and --filter (ANDed)
iwe update -k projects/alpha --filter 'status: draft' --set reviewed=true
Field names you cannot target

$-prefixed names are the query language's operator vocabulary. Targeting a $-prefixed segment in a --set or --unset path — at any depth — is a parse-time error. Every other field name, _hidden and @user included, is an ordinary target and survives writeback untouched. See docs/spec.md §2.3 / §9.2 for the full rules.

Conflict detection

$set and $unset paths are checked for prefix overlap; conflicts (e.g. --set a.b=1 --unset a) are parse-time errors. Mapping values in $set replace wholesale — use dotted shorthand (--set 'author.name=alice') to write a leaf without dropping siblings.

Block operators

Each block operator has its own flag whose argument is that operator's { <selector>, <payload> } mapping: the $-prefixed keys are a block predicate selecting the blocks, the bare keys carry the payload (content, from, to) and the optional expect guard. The operator name is the flag, so the $replaceText: wrapper is dropped. Full semantics — targets and coalescing, header retitle/dissolve behavior, $replaceText anchor rules, disjointness — are in Block update operators.

# Retitle a section: the heading line changes, contents stay
iwe update -k projects/roadmap --replace '{ $header: Goals, content: "## Goals 2026", expect: 1 }'

# Remove a section wholesale: header and everything below it
iwe update -k projects/roadmap --delete '{ $section: Goals, expect: 1 }'

# Dissolve a header: the heading line goes, its contents merge into the enclosing section
iwe update -k projects/roadmap --delete '{ $header: Goals, expect: 1 }'

# Precision text edit, guarded to exactly one block
iwe update --filter '$content: { $text: "Q3 Milestones" }' \
           --replace-text '{ $within: Goals, $text: "Q3 Milestones", from: "Q3 Milestones", to: "Q3 2026 Milestones", expect: 1 }'

# Rename a header (from omitted: to replaces the entire own text)
iwe update -k projects/roadmap --replace-text '{ $header: Goals, to: Aims, expect: 1 }'

# Bulk maintenance: delete every paragraph referencing a retired doc
iwe update --filter '{}' --delete '{ $paragraph: { $references: archive/old-plan } }'

# Bounded cleanup: refuse a runaway match
iwe update --filter 'type: meeting' --delete '{ $paragraph: { $matches: "^DONE " }, expect: { max: 20 } }'

# Clear a document's body, keep its frontmatter
iwe update --filter '$key: notes/scratch' --delete '{}'

The block-operator flags combine with each other and with --set / --unset; every present flag becomes one operator entry in a single update document. Each operator flag appears at most once per invocation. Frontmatter operators apply to every filter-matched document regardless of block selections — to restrict a combined edit to documents where the block edit lands, conjoin $content into the filter with the same predicate:

# Stamp frontmatter and append a status line under every active
# project's Status section, in one atomic operation
iwe update --filter '{ type: project, status: active, $content: { $header: Status } }' \
           --set reviewed=true \
           --append '{ $header: Status, content: "Reviewed 2026-07-06." }'

Use iwe find --blocks with the same predicate to locate the targets (and learn the counts) before mutating.

Guards and strict mode

--expect asserts the number of matched documents the operation will write; each block operator's expect key asserts the number of targets it will act on (selected blocks for --replace-text). The two are independent quantities. Any violated guard aborts the whole operation before anything is written, listing the actual targets. See expect guards.

Under --strict, every mutating application must carry its guard — a missing one is an error before anything runs. --dry-run is exempt from the guard requirement: it is how the counts are learned. Schema validation still runs under --dry-run, so the preview fails exactly when the real run would.

# Learn the counts, then pin them
iwe update --filter 'status: draft' --set status=published --strict --dry-run
iwe update --filter 'status: draft' --set status=published --strict --expect 3

Composition order

Within one invocation, the operation document is built in this order:

  1. Filter — narrows by --filter and -k.

  2. Sort / limit — not exposed on the CLI for update; the engine processes the matched set in deterministic key order.

  3. Update — frontmatter and block operators validated together, then applied atomically per document.

Relationship to MCP

The iwe_update MCP tool exposes body-overwrite. The full mutation surface — frontmatter and block operators — is the iwe_query tool, which accepts an update operation document verbatim and is always strict: every mutating application must carry its expect guard. See MCP Server.

Related

  • Query Language — filter syntax, block predicates, and update operator semantics.

  • iwe find — preview which documents a filter selects; locate blocks with --blocks.

  • iwe count — count the matched set before mutating.

  • iwe delete — remove the matched set instead of mutating it.

485 files · 414 not served here

Advantages

  • Shared context allows agents to access and build upon the same notes written by the user. evidence: README.md
  • Memory is stored as human-readable Markdown files that can be easily browsed, corrected, or deleted. evidence: README.md
  • Data remains under user control in local folders, avoiding dependency on proprietary cloud storage. evidence: README.md

Limitations

  • Requires manual setup of the MCP server or CLI tools to enable agent connectivity. evidence: README.md
  • The system does not include an AI model, requiring the user to bring their own agent. evidence: README.md

Security

Risk level: Low risk

This brain runs

Git hooks (1)

  • .githooks/pre-commit (pre-commit): runs on git pre-commit
  • Low risk: scripts-present (.githooks/pre-commit)

Attribution and licence

Created by
IWE
Publisher
IWE (Official IWE project)
Source
iwe-org/iwe · commit b733afe
Licence
Apache License 2.0 (files served here)
  • ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
Synced

AutoGineer is not affiliated with or endorsed by IWE.

Install from source

414 of its files are not served here, so there is no ZIP. iwe-org/iwe at b733afe