1. Project Overview & Quickstart (anyproto/anytype-ts) Copy Chapter

Anytype Desktop

Local‑first, peer‑to‑peer & end‑to‑end‑encrypted knowledge OS for macOS, Windows & Linux.

Anytype is a personal knowledge base—your digital brain—that lets you gather, connect and remix all kinds of information. Create pages, tasks, wikis, journals—even entire apps—and define your own data model while your data stays offline‑first, private and encrypted across devices.

✨ Key Features Copy Chapter

• Offline‑first, local storage with optional peer‑to‑peer sync.
• Zero‑knowledge encryption powered by any‑sync.
• Composable blocks: text, databases, kanban, calendar & custom Types.
• Cross‑platform desktop client built with Electron + TypeScript.
• Extensible through a gRPC API and AI "Agents" (see AGENTS.md).
• Open code under the Any Source Available License 1.0.

📚 Table of Contents Copy Chapter

• Quick Start
• Prerequisites
• Building from Source
• Development Workflow
  • Updating Middleware
  • Updating Protobuf Bindings
• Localisation
• Contributing
• Community & Support
• License

🚀 Quick Start Copy Chapter

Just want to try it? Grab the latest installer from the releases page or head to download.anytype.io and log in with your Any‑ID.

🏗 Building from Source Copy Chapter

On ARM systems, node package keytar needs to be rebuilt during installation, so make sure that your system has a C++ compiler, Python3 and Python package setuptools. E.g. on Debian/Ubuntu: sudo apt install python3-setuptools. Alternatively, on any system, create a Python virtual environment (venv) and inside the venv: pip install setuptools. Then build from source inside the venv.

Linux also needs the protobuf compiler with the well-known .proto files (used to generate the gRPC bindings in step 5):

• Fedora: sudo dnf install protobuf-compiler protobuf-devel jq
• Debian / Ubuntu: sudo apt install protobuf-compiler libprotobuf-dev jq

# 1 – Clone & open this repository
git clone https://github.com/anyproto/anytype-ts.git && cd anytype-ts

# 2 - Install JavaScript dependencies
bun install

# 3 – Fetch the prebuilt middleware binary + proto/JSON assets into dist/
./update.sh <macos-latest|ubuntu-latest|windows-latest> <arm|amd>

# 4 – Build the core engine
cd .. && git clone https://github.com/anyproto/anytype-heart.git && cd anytype-heart
make install-dev-js CLIENT_DESKTOP_PATH=../anytype-ts && cd ../anytype-ts

# 5 – Generate protobuf bindings (middleware/) + service registry (src/ts/lib/api/service.ts)
#     From the anytype-heart checkout built in step 4:
bun run generate:protos
#     …or, to skip the anytype-heart checkout entirely, generate from the assets fetched in step 3:
#     bash scripts/generate-protos.sh --from-dist

# 6 - Update locale
bun run update:locale

# 7 – Build the Electron desktop app (see package.json for more options)
bun run dist:<linux|win|mac>

Steps 3–5 produce middleware/ and src/ts/lib/api/service.ts, which are git-ignored. Skipping step 5 causes Failed to resolve import "./service" from src/ts/lib/api/dispatcher.ts. See Updating Protobuf Bindings and scripts/README.md for details.

Environment flags Copy Section

🧑‍💻 Development Workflow Copy Chapter

You can use nix to install all the required dependencies at once.

# open a shell with all the required dependencies
nix develop --command $SHELL

Start the dev server with hot‑reload (builds Electron bundle, starts Vite, then launches Electron):

bun run start:dev     # Windows: bun run start:dev-win
# add --user-data-dir=./my_dir to electron(-win) script in package.json if you want to use custom user data directory

When you close Electron, the Vite dev server is automatically stopped.

For browser-based development without Electron:

bun run start:web

See Web Mode for details.

Useful commands Copy Section

bun run build         # Production build (Vite)
bun run build:dev     # Development build (Vite)
bun run typecheck     # TypeScript type checking
bun run lint          # Run linters (Biome + ESLint)

Environment variables Copy Section

Web Clipper Extension Copy Section

Build and switch manifest for different browsers:

bun run build:ext
bun run ext:manifest:firefox
bun run ext:manifest:chromium

Updating Middleware Copy Section

The middleware version is pinned in middleware.version. To fetch a pre-built middleware binary and its protobuf/JSON assets:

./update.sh <macos-latest|ubuntu-latest|windows-latest> <arm|amd>

This downloads the anytype-heart release matching the version in middleware.version, extracts the anytypeHelper binary into dist/, and copies protobuf definitions and generated JSON into dist/lib/.

For CI environments (requires GitHub credentials):

./update-ci.sh --user=<GITHUB_USER> --token=<GITHUB_TOKEN> --os=<OS> --arch=<ARCH> --middleware-version=<VERSION>

Updating Protobuf Bindings Copy Section

The TypeScript protobuf bindings (middleware/) and the gRPC service registry (src/ts/lib/api/service.ts) are generated and git-ignored — a fresh checkout has neither, and the dev/build will fail with Failed to resolve import "./service" from src/ts/lib/api/dispatcher.ts until you generate them.

From a local anytype-heart checkout (expected at ../anytype-heart, requires the Go toolchain):

bun run generate:protos

Without an anytype-heart checkout (uses the .proto files downloaded by ./update.sh into dist/lib/protos/):

./update.sh <macos-latest|ubuntu-latest|windows-latest> <arm|amd>
bash scripts/generate-protos.sh --from-dist

Prerequisites: bun install must have been run (for ts-proto), and protoc plus the well-known google/protobuf/*.proto files must be installed:

• Fedora: sudo dnf install protobuf-compiler protobuf-devel
• Debian / Ubuntu: sudo apt install protobuf-compiler libprotobuf-dev
• macOS: brew install protobuf

The -devel / -dev package is required on Linux — without it protoc reports google/protobuf/struct.proto: File not found. See scripts/README.md for the full Linux first-time setup and troubleshooting.

🌍 Localisation Copy Chapter

Translations live on Crowdin. Pull the latest locale files with:

bun run update:locale

🤝 Contributing Copy Chapter

We ♥ contributors! Please read our Contributing Guide and follow the Code of Conduct.

Security issues? Don’t open public issues—email [email protected] and see our Security Guide.

💬 Community & Support Copy Chapter

• Forum – https://community.anytype.io
• Docs – https://doc.anytype.io
• Blog – https://blog.anytype.io

📝 License Copy Chapter

Made by Any — a Swiss association 🇨🇭

Licensed under the Any Source Available License 1.0.

2. Official Technical Reference & Guides (anyproto/docs) Copy Chapter

Welcome

Anytype is a safe haven for your digital life. We believe your thoughts, plans, and private conversations should belong to you—and only you.

Most apps store your data to view, scan, monetize, and control it. You're essentially asking for permission to access your own digital life. Anytype puts you back in charge. We’ve built a tool where you are the sole owner of your digital world.

What makes Anytype different? Copy Chapter

• Local-First: Everything you create lives on your device first, not on a corporate server. You can work completely offline, sync across your own devices, or self-host your data. Whether you’re on a remote mountain or in a high-security office, you remain in control.
• End-to-End Encryption: Your data is protected by a digital vault where it is scrambled into a secret code. Only you, and the people you explicitly choose to share with, can access the information. Nobody, not even the team at Anytype, can see what you’re working on.
• No Lock-In: You are never a hostage to a subscription or a service provider. You have access to your data and the Anytype software forever. Because you aren't dependent on any vendor, nobody can ever switch off your access to your own digital life—not even us.

Quick Overview Copy Chapter

In this short video, you will gain an overview of Anytype and how to get started.

{% embed url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpPEl8VTPjg" %}

How does Anytype work? Copy Chapter

Anytype lets you create different spaces for your work and personal life. Because each space is kept isolated, you never have to worry about your information being shared with the wrong people.

• Personal Spaces: A private sanctuary for your eyes only. Use these to organize your diary, manage to-do lists, and store important documents.
• Collaborative Spaces: Shared environments where you can work seamlessly with family, project teams, or entire communities. Chats and discussions live directly inside your spaces, allowing you to hold private conversations right alongside your documents, tasks, and media.

What powers Anytype? Copy Chapter

Anytype is powered by AnySync, which is an open-source protocol we developed that supports high-performant collaboration over encrypted data and is offline-first. With every architectural choice, we aim to make fundamental digital freedoms unconditional. Here you can read more of our thoughts on cloud vs. local first internet.

Join the Community Copy Chapter

Have questions or ideas? Join our Community Forum.