Self-host kiwifs
v0.19.81Markdown knowledge server for agents and teams
- Stars
- 870
- Ports
- 3333 (REST API, web UI, MCP over HTTP), 2049 (NFSv3), 3334 (S3-compatible API), 3335 (WebDAV), 8181 (MCP HTTP (development))
- Requires
- Git
ameliaanhlam/kiwifs
What is kiwifs?
KiwiFS is a markdown filesystem that makes a folder of .md files searchable, versioned, and accessible to both AI agents and humans. A single Go binary packages a web UI with a block editor, wiki links, and a knowledge graph. It uses SQLite FTS5 for full-text search and supports optional vector search through various providers. Every write becomes a git commit automatically. Six protocols are exposed: REST, MCP (78 tools), NFS, S3, WebDAV, and FUSE. Additional capabilities include DQL queries over frontmatter, 19 data importers, webhooks, schema validation, multi-space isolation, and a 25+ command CLI. It operates on macOS, Linux, and Docker without needing an external database. The license is BSL 1.1, which becomes Apache 2.0 after a four-year period.
Should you self-host kiwifs?
kiwifs scores 53/100 on selfhost.directory (how scoring works) and ranks #18 of 42 in Knowledge Management. It has 870 GitHub stars.
It shipped 24 stable releases in the past year. The latest, v0.19.81, came out on 28 October 2026. New versions land roughly every 1 days.
Setup is moderate: expect some configuration beyond a single command. An official Docker image is available. It is Other-licensed and written mostly in Go.
Its closest alternative on selfhost.directory is Memos (86/100, 64 151 stars). It scores higher overall, so compare the two before you pick. See kiwifs vs Memos side by side.
Features
- 6 access protocolsNFS, S3, WebDAV require explicit flags to enable
- CLI (25+ commands)
- Content health checks
- Data Export
- Data importers (19 sources)
- DQL queries
- Full-text search (BM25)
- MCP server (78 tools)
- Multi-space
- Schema Validation
- Vector SearchOptional, requires configuration
- Webhooks
- Web UI with block editor
- Wiki links & knowledge graph
kiwifs README
FAQ
Is KiwiFS open source?
KiwiFS is source-available under the Business Source License 1.1. You can self-host, modify, and embed it, including in production. You can't offer KiwiFS itself to third parties as a competing hosted service. Each release converts to Apache 2.0 four years after it ships.
Can I hide parts of the web UI?
Yes. Set keys under [ui.features] to false, for example edit = false for a read-only UI. This only hides buttons; use auth scopes to actually block writes.
How do I rebuild the search index?
Run kiwifs reindex --root ./knowledge
Can I run vector search without a cloud API key?
Yes. Use Ollama (or the built-in ONNX embedder) as embedder and sqlite as vector store provider. Everything stays on your machine.
Is my server open by default?
Yes. The default auth mode is none, which suits a laptop. Before exposing a server, set auth type to apikey, perspace, or oidc.
Can agents use KiwiFS without a running server?
Yes. kiwifs mcp --root ~/knowledge works directly on the folder in-process. To share one knowledge base between several agents, run kiwifs serve and point them at it.
What are the system requirements?
One static binary. SQLite and the web UI are embedded, and there are no CGo dependencies. KiwiFS runs on macOS, Linux, and Docker. git must be on the path for git versioning. The FUSE client isn't available on Windows.
Is KiwiFS production-ready?
KiwiFS is in active development (v0.19). Core features run in production, but public APIs may change before v1.0. Pin a version and read the changelog before upgrading.
Do I need to know git?
No. Git runs under the hood and the web UI and API hide it. It is the audit trail, not the interface.
How is this different from Notion or Confluence?
Those tools keep content in their own databases. KiwiFS stores plain markdown, so cat page.md and git clone always work.
How is this different from Obsidian?
Obsidian is a desktop app. KiwiFS is a server that adds a web UI, agent APIs, a git audit trail, and server-side search over the same kind of markdown files. You can import an Obsidian vault directly.
What is KiwiFS?
A markdown filesystem for agents and teams. It's a single Go binary with a web UI, git versioning, full-text and vector search, and access over REST, MCP, NFS, S3, WebDAV, and FUSE. Content stays as plain markdown files on disk.
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