Web App

The Basic Memory web app at app.basicmemory.com is a full-featured interface for working with your knowledge base. Notes open ready to edit, your AI assistant can join you live, and everything is saved as plain Markdown. Anything your AI assistant can do, you can do here too.

Layout

The app is organized into three panes:

Click a folder in the sidebar to filter the note list. Select a note to open it in the detail pane.

Navigating notes

Browse by folder

Expand folders in the sidebar to navigate your project structure. Click a folder to filter the note list to that location.

Filter with tabs

Switch between views above the note list:

Search notes

Use the search field in the sidebar to filter by title or content. Search is instant and scoped to the current project.

Pin important notes

Open a note's ⋮ menu (or use the command palette) and choose Pin Note. Pinned notes appear in the Pinned tab.

Editing notes

Notes open ready to edit. The app has three modes, switchable from the toolbar or with keyboard shortcuts:

And here's the same note in Preview mode, with clickable wiki links:

Markdown formatting

The rich editor supports full Markdown including:

• Headers, bold, italic, inline code
• Code blocks with syntax highlighting
• Tables
• Links and images
• Task lists (- [ ] and - [x])
• Basic Memory semantic syntax (observations, relations)

Press Cmd/Ctrl + / to see all formatting shortcuts.

Edit frontmatter

Open the Frontmatter panel from the toolbar (or the command palette) to edit a note's YAML metadata separately from its content.

Drafts

Start typing in an empty editor — or press Cmd/Ctrl + N for a new note — to create a draft. Drafts let you write before committing a file to a project.

• A draft shows a status dot until it's saved.
• Click Save Draft (or use the command palette) to write it into the current project as a Markdown file.
• Once saved, the note syncs like any other and is available to your AI assistant.

Working with your AI assistant

The web app treats your AI assistant as a real collaborator — you can watch it write, and steer it, in the same note you're editing.

Connect an agent

Click Connect Agent in the editor to start or resume an agent session for the workspace. When an agent is connected, the button shows its live status (for example, "Claude live").

Improve a selection

Select text in the editor and choose Improve to ask the agent to rewrite, summarize, or extend it. The agent's changes stream into the note as it works — connecting automatically if no agent is attached yet.

The agent pane

The agent pane shows the session: what the agent is working on, its progress, and a place to steer it ("Ask for a rewrite, summary, or next step…"). Updates flow into the note in real time, so you can follow along while it writes.

Creating and managing notes

Create a note

• Start typing in an empty editor, or
• Press Cmd/Ctrl + N, or
• Open the command palette (Cmd/Ctrl + K) → New Note

Move notes

• Use a note's ⋮ menu → Move to relocate it to another folder, or
• Drag the note card from the list onto the desired folder, or
• Drag a folder in the tree to move an entire directory.

Delete notes

Open a note's ⋮ menu → Delete.

Copy permalink and rename

From a note's ⋮ menu or the command palette, you can also Rename Note and Copy Permalink.

Share a note

From a note's ⋮ menu, choose Share note to create a public, read-only link anyone can open without an account. See Shared Notes.

See a note's history

Every save creates a new version. Click the File history icon (clock) in a note's toolbar to browse the timeline, compare any earlier version against the current one, and merge old content back in. See File History.

Projects

Projects are top-level containers. Each has its own folder tree, notes, and sync configuration.

Switch projects

Use the project selector in the sidebar to switch between projects.

Manage projects

Go to Settings → Projects to create new projects, upload files, download a project as a ZIP, or delete a project.

Import data

Import your existing AI conversations from Settings → Import.

1. Go to Settings → Import
2. Select the import type
3. Choose a target project (or use the default)
4. Set a destination folder (default: imports)
5. Upload your file and start the import

Snapshots

Create point-in-time backups of your cloud data from Settings → Snapshots. Use them before major changes like bulk imports or reorganizations.

Keyboard Shortcuts

The web app is designed for keyboard-first navigation. Press Cmd/Ctrl + / to see the full list in the app.

Command palette

Press Cmd/Ctrl + K to open the command palette and search for any action — navigate to notes, settings, the graph, or projects; create a new note; switch view modes; change theme; or run note and editor actions.

Formatting

Structure

View

Global

Settings

Access settings from the user menu (top of the sidebar) or the command palette.

You can also customize appearance — see Themes.

Tips for Effective Use

Organize with folders

Create a folder structure that matches how you think:

~/basic-memory/
├── projects/       # Active projects
├── research/       # Learning and exploration
├── decisions/      # Decision records
├── meetings/       # Meeting notes
└── archive/        # Completed/old content

Use pinned notes

Pin your most-accessed notes (project overviews, quick references) for one-click access.

Create snapshots before big changes

Before reorganizing folders, bulk importing, or deleting lots of notes, create a manual snapshot.

Collaborate with your assistant

The web app and your AI assistant work together:

1. AI creates detailed notes during conversations — or writes alongside you with Connect Agent
2. You browse and refine in the web app
3. AI references your refined notes in future conversations

Next Steps