Getting Started

Welcome to AI2U - a local-first knowledge management platform where your data lives on your device, with optional cloud sync when you need it.

Local-First Philosophy

Your data stays on your device by default. No account required. No cloud uploads. Just pure, fast, local storage with the option to sync when you want.

Why Local-First?

• Privacy - Your knowledge stays yours
• Speed - Instant access, no network latency
• Offline - Works everywhere, always
• Control - Export, backup, or delete anytime

Index Cards: Your Knowledge Hub

Our flagship Index Cards system is a powerful knowledge management tool inspired by the classic 4×6 and 3×5 index card methodology.

The Card Philosophy

"If you can't fit your idea on a 4×6 card, you're not thinking hard enough.
Once you do, break it down into 3×5 cards."

• 4×6 Master Cards - Big ideas, projects, concepts
• 3×5 Sub Cards - Tasks, details, supporting information

Three Ways to Work

Choose how you interact with your knowledge base - or use all three simultaneously with real-time synchronization:

1. 🎨 Visual Interface

For Everyone - The intuitive graphical interface

Navigate your knowledge with three powerful views:
- List View - See all your cards in an organized list
- Graph View - Visualize connections between ideas
- Grid View - Spatial organization of your knowledge

How to access: Click "Index Cards" in the navigation or visit /index-cards-prototype/

2. 🤖 AI Assistant Chat

For Natural Interaction - Let AI help manage your knowledge

Press `Ctrl + `` (backtick) to open the AI chat interface, where the AI2U assistant can:
- Query your knowledge base naturally
- Create new cards from conversations
- Organize and categorize automatically
- Suggest connections between ideas
- Generate summaries and reports

Example:

You: What do I have about the SaaS project?
AI: I found 3 master cards and 12 sub cards related to your SaaS project...

You: Create a new card for the MVP milestones
AI: Created master card M-DEF456 "MVP Milestones" with 4 sub-tasks...

3. 💻 Developer Terminal

For Power Users - Command-line interface for rapid interaction

For developers and power users, there's a hidden terminal mode. Click the terminal button in the top-right of the chat to switch to it, or check out our Terminal Reference Guide for the full experience.

Preview of what's possible:

$ card                          # List all cards
$ card create master "Big Idea" # Create a 4×6 master card
$ card search "keyword"         # Search your knowledge
$ card M-ABC123 --edit-title "Updated Title"

Features:
- Short, memorable IDs (e.g., M-ABC123 for masters, S-XYZ789 for subs)
- Instant creation and editing
- Powerful search and filtering
- Export and backup commands

Real-Time Synchronization

All three interfaces update instantly when you make changes:

1. Create a card in the terminal → Appears immediately in the visual interface
2. Edit in the visual tool → Terminal sees the changes instantly
3. AI creates cards → Both other interfaces update in real-time

This is powered by our event-driven architecture - no polling, no delays, just instant updates.

Quick Start Guide

Step 1: Open Index Cards

Navigate to AI Tools → Index Cards or go directly to /index-cards-prototype/

Step 2: Create Your First Card

Option A - Visual:
- Click "New Master Card" button
- Enter your big idea
- Save

Option B - Terminal:

$ card create master "My First Big Idea"
✓ Created master card: M-ABC123

Option C - AI Chat:

You: Create a master card for learning AI2U
AI: ✓ Created master card M-XYZ789 "Learning AI2U" 

Step 3: Break It Down

Add sub-cards to break down your big idea into manageable pieces:

$ card create sub "Research competitors"
$ card create sub "Define MVP features"
$ card create sub "Set timeline"

Step 4: Explore Your Knowledge

• Switch to Graph View to see connections
• Use Search to find specific information
• Export your data anytime as JSON

Keyboard Shortcuts

Optional: Cloud Sync

Want to access your cards from multiple devices? Create a free account for:
- Automatic backup to the cloud
- Cross-device sync
- Collaboration features (coming soon)
- Version history and recovery

Important: Your data still lives locally first. Cloud sync is just a backup.

Enabling Sync

1. Click "Sign Up" (optional)
2. Verify your email
3. Enable sync in settings
4. Your local data syncs automatically

Data Export & Backup

Your data is always exportable:

$ card export
✓ Exported 42 cards to index-cards-2024-01-15.json

Or use the visual interface:
- Click the export button (↓)
- Choose format (JSON, CSV, Markdown)
- Download your complete knowledge base

Tips for Success

Organizing Knowledge

1. Start with one master card for each major area
2. Keep masters high-level - the big picture
3. Use subs for details - actionable items
4. Tag liberally - Makes searching easier
5. Link related cards - Build your knowledge graph

Using the Terminal

# See what you have
$ card

# Quick search
$ card -k "project"

# View specific card
$ card M-ABC123

# Edit on the fly
$ card M-ABC123 --edit-content "Updated content here"

Working with AI

• Be specific in your queries
• Provide context for better results
• Review AI suggestions before accepting
• Use natural language - no special syntax needed

Common Workflows

Research Project

$ card create master "Research: Local-First Apps"
$ card create sub "Benefits analysis"
$ card create sub "Implementation patterns"  
$ card create sub "Case studies"

Daily Planning

You: Create cards for today's tasks
AI: What are your main priorities today?
You: Code review, team meeting, and documentation
AI: Created 3 cards with suggested sub-tasks...

Knowledge Capture

1. See something interesting → Create a card
2. Add context and tags
3. Link to related cards
4. Let AI suggest categorization

Troubleshooting

Cards not syncing between interfaces?

• Ensure you're using the same browser tab
• Check browser console for errors
• Refresh the page if needed

Terminal not opening?

• Try `Ctrl + `` (backtick, not apostrophe)
• Check if another modal is open
• Ensure JavaScript is enabled

Lost your data?

• Check browser's localStorage
• Use the export backup feature regularly
• Enable cloud sync for automatic backups

Next Steps

• Index Cards Deep Dive - Master the card system
• Terminal Commands Reference - All CLI commands
• AI Assistant Guide - Get the most from AI
• API Documentation - Integrate with your tools

Questions? The AI assistant is always ready to help - just press `Ctrl + `` to open the chat!