The core features are free and open source. Diary, self-hosted sync, and custom model APIs don’t depend on a paywall. If officially hosted sync, backup, or AI services show up later, they’re optional. See Privacy & open source.
On your local device by default. Sync and backup only go to remotes you configured yourself, and AI requests only go to the model providers you configured. See Workspaces & data location and Privacy & open source.
Officially, Windows and Android. You can compile Linux yourself; there’s no iOS or macOS client for now. See Install & platforms.
Note-taking tools lean toward organizing and writing; BaiShou leans toward long-term memory built out of AI companions, memory rings, and RAG. See What is BaiShou.
To click through the UI once, see Chat in ten minutes. Add a provider under Settings → Provider management, then go to Global default models and assign the chat, summary, and embedding models. Reference: AI providers & models.
First check that the companion type is intimate companion, that the embedding model is configured, and that RAG isn’t showing unindexed warnings — then run a full scan. See RAG memory.
No — don’t treat them as one mechanism; the cloud paths and the scope are both different. See Which method to use.
| Term | In one line |
|---|---|
| Memory rings | Weekly journals, monthly reports, quarterly reports, yearbooks; by default each layer only reads the one below |
| Shared memories | Folds several summary layers into one block you can copy or inject |
| RAG | Semantic search over vectorized diaries |
See Memories & shared recall and RAG memory.
Install over the old app, then run the in-app version migration; the recommended order is in Migrate from legacy BaiShou. Remember to rescan RAG when you’re done.
Yes. Markdown export, full ZIP backup, and sync to your own S3 or WebDAV all work. You’re not locked to the platform.
Treat them as a rough guide only; your model provider’s bill is what counts.
