Revise README for clarity and feature updates

Updated the README to clarify Rowboat's features and capabilities, including its local-first approach and integration options.
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</h5> </h5>
Rowboat connects your email and meeting notes, builds long-lived knowledge from them, and uses that knowledge to help get work done on your machine. Rowboat connects to your email and meeting notes, builds a long-lived knowledge graph, and uses that context to help you get work done - privately, on your machine.
You can do things like:
- `Build me a deck about our next quarter roadmap` → generates a PDF using context from your knowledge graph
- `Prep me for my meeting with Alex` → pulls past decisions, open questions, and relevant threads into a crisp brief (or a voice note)
- Visualize, edit, and update your knowledge graph anytime (its just Markdown)
- Record voice memos that automatically capture and update key takeaways in the graph
Download latest for Mac/Windows/Linux: [Download](https://www.rowboatlabs.com/)
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@ -37,7 +45,7 @@ Rowboat connects your email and meeting notes, builds long-lived knowledge from
[![Demo](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/3f560bcf-d93c-4064-81eb-75a9fae31742)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AWoGo-L16I) [![Demo](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/3f560bcf-d93c-4064-81eb-75a9fae31742)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AWoGo-L16I)
Full video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AWoGo-L16I [Watch the full video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AWoGo-L16I)
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@ -49,17 +57,19 @@ Full video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AWoGo-L16I
## What it does ## What it does
Rowboat ingests your: Rowboat is a **local-first AI coworker** that can:
- **Email** (Gmail) - **Remember** the important context you dont want to re-explain (people, projects, decisions, commitments)
- **Meeting notes** (Granola, Fireflies) - **Understand** whats relevant right now (before a meeting, while replying to an email, when writing a doc)
- **Help you act** by drafting, summarizing, planning, and producing real artifacts (briefs, emails, docs, PDF slides)
and organizes them into a local, Obsidian-compatible vault of plain Markdown files with backlinks. Under the hood, Rowboat maintains an **Obsidian-compatible vault** of plain Markdown notes with backlinks — a transparent “working memory” you can inspect and edit.
This vault is not just for browsing or search. It becomes a working memory that Rowboats AI uses to take actions on your behalf. ## Integrations
As new emails and meetings come in, the relevant notes update automatically, building persistent context across people, projects, organizations, and topics. Rowboat builds memory from the work you already do, including:
- **Gmail** (email)
--- - **Granola** (meeting notes)
- **Fireflies** (meeting notes)
## How its different ## How its different
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The result is memory that compounds, rather than retrieval that starts cold every time. The result is memory that compounds, rather than retrieval that starts cold every time.
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## What you can do with it ## What you can do with it
Rowboat uses this knowledge to help with everyday work, including: - **Meeting prep** from prior decisions, threads, and open questions
- **Email drafting** grounded in history and commitments
- **Docs & decks** generated from your ongoing context (including PDF slides)
- **Follow-ups**: capture decisions, action items, and owners so nothing gets dropped
- **On-your-machine help**: create files, summarize into notes, and run workflows using local tools (with explicit, reviewable actions)
- Drafting emails using accumulated context ## Background agents
- Preparing for meetings from prior decisions and discussions
- Organizing files and project artifacts as work evolves
- Running shell commands or scripts as agent actions
- Extending capabilities via external tools and MCP servers
Actions are explicit and grounded in the current state of your knowledge. Rowboat can spin up **background agents** to do repeatable work automatically - so routine tasks happen without you having to ask every time.
--- Examples:
- Draft email replies in the background (grounded in your past context and commitments)
- Generate a daily voice note each morning (agenda, priorities, upcoming meetings)
- Create recurring project updates from the latest emails/notes
- Keep your knowledge graph up to date as new information comes in
You control what runs, when it runs, and what gets written back into your local Markdown vault.
## Bring your own model
Rowboat works with the model setup you prefer:
- **Local models** via Ollama or LM Studio
- **Hosted models** (bring your own API key/provider)
- Swap models anytime — your data stays in your local Markdown vault
## Extend Rowboat with tools (MCP)
Rowboat can connect to external tools and services via **Model Context Protocol (MCP)**.
That means you can plug in (for example) search, databases, CRMs, support tools, and automations - or your own internal tools.
Examples: Exa (web search), Twitter/X, ElevenLabs (voice), Slack, Linear/Jira, GitHub, and more.
## Local-first by design ## Local-first by design
- All data is stored locally as plain Markdown - All data is stored locally as plain Markdown
- No proprietary formats or hosted lock-in - No proprietary formats or hosted lock-in
- Works with local models via Ollama or LM Studio, or hosted models if you prefer
- You can inspect, edit, back up, or delete everything at any time - You can inspect, edit, back up, or delete everything at any time
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<div align="center"> <div align="center">
Made with ❤️ by the Rowboat team
[Discord](https://discord.com/invite/htdKpBZF) · [Twitter](https://x.com/intent/user?screen_name=rowboatlabshq) [Discord](https://discord.com/invite/htdKpBZF) · [Twitter](https://x.com/intent/user?screen_name=rowboatlabshq)
</div> </div>