What it does
kotaemon is an app for asking questions about your own documents. It uses RAG (retrieval-augmented generation): the AI first looks up the relevant passages in your files, then writes an answer based on them.
Answers come with detailed citations, and you can see the highlighted source right in a built-in PDF viewer. It can handle documents with figures and tables, break complex questions into smaller ones, and supports several users with private or shared file collections.
It works with online AI providers such as OpenAI and Azure, or models running on your own computer through Ollama. Developers can also use it as a base for building their own document question-answering tools.
Who it's for
People and teams who want to search and question their own documents, and developers building document chatbots.
Can I use it without coding?
With some setup. A user guide and downloadable package are provided for non-developers, but it still needs Python and some setup. New to this? Start here.
Can I run it?
- Cost
- FreeNothing to pay or sign up for.
- Runs on
- Linux, Mac, Server, Web browser
- Privacy
- Your choice: run it on your device or use an online service
- API key
- Not needed
Try it
- Try the live demo online, or download the latest release and follow the User Guide.
- Open the app in your web browser and sign in.
- Choose an AI model, online or local, then upload documents and ask questions.
Using Claude Code, Cursor or another AI coding assistant? Paste the prompt and it will walk you through the setup.New to this?
Before you install
- Only download from the official GitHub page or the official download page above. Copies with similar names exist for many popular projects.
- License (Apache-2.0): Permissive: free to use, change and share, including for business.
- More on staying safe
Where people are talking about it
- Kotaemon: An open-source RAG-based tool for chatting with your documentsHacker News · Jan 2025