Ever written down a command somewhere, only to forget whether you saved it in a notes app, a chat, or a file called new-document-final-final.txt?
While sorting through my own stuff, I built HelloDoc, a self-hosted knowledge base and document collaboration platform. It gives notes and project documents an organized home, and connects compatible AI clients through MCP so they can find information, help summarize it, and save results back to authorized documents.
Think of it as a home for your knowledge and a permission-controlled source your AI tools can work with.
Put things where they belong, and finding them gets easier
One thing I like is that you can create separate knowledge bases by topic. Personal notes, product design, project collaboration, and technical documentation can each have their own space instead of getting tossed into one giant folder.
Inside a knowledge base, there's a folder tree on the left. That might not seem like a big deal when you only have a handful of documents, but once they start piling up, having folders within folders saves a lot of hunting. And if you forget where something went, there's search.
I can think of plenty of everyday uses: keep frequently used commands in a technical knowledge base, put project notes and meeting minutes together, or give those little things you keep looking up a home of their own. You can always jot things down first and organize them later.
A capable editor that lets you write your way
Open the editor and you'll find the knowledge base tree on the left, your document in the middle, and the tools you need across the top. Want to switch documents while you're writing? Just pick another one from the tree.
The rich-text mode is friendly if you don't feel like remembering syntax. Bold, italic, underline, highlight, and strikethrough are a click away, along with headings, alignment, and numbered or bulleted lists. There are task lists for to-dos, quotes for excerpts, and tools for adding links, images, and tables.
For technical notes, I tend to reach for inline code and code blocks. Undo and redo are there when I make a mess, too. The toolbar also offers presentation mode, paper colors, and page layout options, so you can adjust the workspace to suit how you like to write and read.
Prefer Markdown? Switch over and keep writing
If you're like me and sometimes just want to type Markdown, switch to plain-text mode to view and edit headings, tables, lists, and code blocks as source. Switch back to rich text when you want to see the formatted result.
Documents also support mathematical formulas and diagrams, which is useful when a note needs more than paragraphs. When you're done, you can export to Word or a Markdown ZIP, giving you options for taking your work elsewhere or passing it along.
Stuck mid-sentence? There's an AI assistant
The AI assistant is right there in the editor. Open it and you can start with a suggested prompt, like polishing text or creating an outline, or type your own question. If I'm unsure how to structure a project description, for example, I could ask it for a starting outline and then fill in and revise the details myself.
You'll need to configure a model before using it, and it's a good idea to check anything it generates. The editor also offers revision history, a reading view, and publishing controls, so you can see how a document looks once you've tidied it up.
In the reading view, the knowledge base tree stays on the left and the current page's headings appear on the right. For a longer document, you can jump back to a section instead of scrolling around hoping to find it.
Useful on your own, useful together
Some notes are just for you; others need to be maintained with colleagues. HelloDoc supports knowledge base permissions and collaborator management, so you can arrange access to suit the situation.
There's also a discussion area on document pages. Keeping the conversation near the document makes it easier to recover the context later, instead of digging through a chat wondering, “Which version were we talking about again?”
Connect AI to find, summarize, and organize your knowledge
If you already use AI to help with your work, HelloDoc's assistant and MCP support are worth exploring.
Once a model is configured, the AI assistant can help with conversations and document editing. There's also MCP: compatible AI clients can connect to HelloDoc to browse, search, and read knowledge bases, as well as update documents and perform other operations within the account's permissions.
After a project discussion, for example, you can ask a connected AI client to find related documents, use the existing material to help summarize the discussion, and save the result in an appropriate knowledge base and folder. When you need a deployment procedure, it can search documents, read relevant content, and provide source links. Within its permissions, the client can create or update documents, create folders, and move content to help turn scattered information into an organized, searchable knowledge base.
You can host the knowledge base on your own machine or server and connect AI clients through MCP. The assistant's model is configured separately; you can choose a compatible model service that your deployment can reach. Self-hosting the knowledge base does not automatically mean the model runs locally: whether information reaches an external model provider depends on your configuration. Available operations depend on account permissions and client support, and AI-generated summaries should be checked.
Host it yourself and use it at your own pace
HelloDoc can be self-hosted, and the project provides a Docker Compose deployment option. Besides the browser experience, there's a mobile web interface and an Electron desktop client. That gives you some flexibility to organize things at your desk and check them again when you're out.
Self-hosting also means taking care of deployment, backups, and maintenance yourself. If you're happy to do a little setup and want to run your knowledge base in your own environment, it may be a good fit.
What appeals to me is that HelloDoc doesn't ask you to invent an elaborate system before you begin. You can start with one note, then gradually organize things into knowledge bases and folders as your collection grows.
If you're looking for a place to bring scattered documents together, take a look:
- GitHub project: aladdin0414/hellodoc
- Deployment and usage: English README
- MCP setup: MCP guide
