| name | open-knowledge-discovery |
| description | Read when the user asks what Open Knowledge is, wants to install it on a repository, wants to share an Open Knowledge project with collaborators, or asks how `ok init` / `ok install-skill` / OK Desktop set up a project. Do NOT load to perform Open Knowledge reads/writes — the runtime guidance for editing markdown inside an initialized OK project ships as a separate project-local skill at `.claude/skills/open-knowledge/` whenever `ok init` runs. If the user appears to be editing markdown inside a `.ok/` project and this is the only OK skill loaded, advise them to re-run `ok init` to install the project-local skill. |
| compatibility | Any agent host — no MCP server required. Pure discovery + install guidance. |
| metadata | {"version":"0.9.0","author":"Inkeep","repository":"https://github.com/inkeep/open-knowledge"} |
Open Knowledge — what it is and how to install it
Open Knowledge (OK) is a markdown-CRDT collaboration platform. It turns a
directory of .md / .mdx files into a live, multi-writer knowledge base:
agents and humans edit the same documents in real time, every change is
attributed, and a browser preview renders edits as they land.
This skill is discovery-only. It explains what Open Knowledge is and how
to set it up. It carries no runtime rules for reading or editing markdown
— that guidance ships separately (see Working inside a project below).
Install Open Knowledge on a repository
Run ok init from the repository root:
npx @inkeep/open-knowledge init
npm install -g @inkeep/open-knowledge
ok init
ok init is the one setup verb. It:
- scaffolds a
.ok/ directory (project config — content.dir defaults to .);
- wires the Open Knowledge MCP server into detected editors (Claude Code,
Cursor, Codex) — skip with
--no-mcp;
- installs the project-local runtime skill at
.claude/skills/open-knowledge/
and .cursor/skills/open-knowledge/ so agents working in this repo get the
full read/write contract;
- ensures the project has a
.git/.
Re-run ok init any time to refresh wiring and skills to the installed CLI
version.
Share an Open Knowledge project with collaborators
An OK project travels with its repository. To share one:
- Commit the
.ok/ directory and the project-local
.claude/skills/open-knowledge/ (and .cursor/skills/open-knowledge/)
directories along with your .md content.
- Collaborators clone the repo and run
ok init once — that registers the
MCP server on their machine and refreshes the project skill.
- Start the editor + preview with
ok start (or open the project in OK
Desktop).
Collaboration is real-time once two writers have the project open against the
same content directory.
ok install-skill — Claude Chat & Cowork
ok init's editor wiring does not reach Claude Chat or Cowork — those read a
separate Skills list inside the Claude Desktop App. Run ok install-skill to
build openknowledge.skill and open Claude Desktop so the user can upload it
(Customize → Skills → + → Create skill → Upload skill).
OK Desktop
OK Desktop is the standalone macOS app (@inkeep/open-knowledge-desktop). It
bundles its own CLI, opens a project as an editor + preview window, and keeps
the project's MCP wiring and skills current on every launch. Download DMGs
from the releases page.
Working inside a project — use the project-local skill, not this one
Do not use this skill to perform Open Knowledge reads or writes. The
runtime contract — STOP rules for native file tools on in-scope markdown, the
preview-attach handshake, grounding and linking rules, the MCP tool routing
table — lives in a separate project-local skill installed at
.claude/skills/open-knowledge/SKILL.md whenever ok init runs.
If the user is editing markdown inside a project that has a .ok/ directory
and this discovery skill is the only Open Knowledge skill loaded, the
project-local skill is missing (the repo was never ok init'd, or the skill
directory was not committed). Advise the user to run ok init to install it.
Learn more
