Repository: rowboatlabs/rowboat

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CLAUDE.md Copy Chapter

CLAUDE.md - AI Coding Agent Context

This file provides context for AI coding agents working on the Rowboat monorepo.

Quick Reference Commands Copy Chapter

Electron App (apps/x)

cd apps/x && pnpm install          # Install dependencies
cd apps/x && npm run deps          # Build workspace packages (shared → core → preload)
cd apps/x && npm run dev           # Development mode (builds deps, runs app)
cd apps/x && npm run lint          # Lint check
cd apps/x/apps/main && npm run package   # Production build (.app)
cd apps/x/apps/main && npm run make      # Create DMG distributable

Monorepo Structure Copy Chapter

rowboat/
├── apps/
│   ├── x/                 # Electron desktop app (focus of this doc)
│   ├── rowboat/           # Next.js web dashboard
│   ├── rowboatx/          # Next.js frontend
│   ├── cli/               # CLI tool
│   ├── python-sdk/        # Python SDK
│   └── docs/              # Documentation site
├── CLAUDE.md              # This file
└── README.md              # User-facing readme

Electron App Architecture (apps/x) apps/x)')" title="Copy chapter prompt for LLMs"> Copy Chapter

The Electron app is a nested pnpm workspace with its own package management.

apps/x/
├── package.json           # Workspace root, dev scripts
├── pnpm-workspace.yaml    # Defines workspace packages
├── pnpm-lock.yaml         # Lockfile
├── apps/
│   ├── main/              # Electron main process
│   │   ├── src/           # Main process source
│   │   ├── forge.config.cjs   # Electron Forge config
│   │   └── bundle.mjs     # esbuild bundler
│   ├── renderer/          # React UI (Vite)
│   │   ├── src/           # React components
│   │   └── vite.config.ts
│   └── preload/           # Electron preload scripts
│       └── src/
└── packages/
    ├── shared/            # @x/shared - Types, utilities, validators
    └── core/              # @x/core - Business logic, AI, OAuth, MCP

Build Order (Dependencies) Copy Section

shared (no deps)
   ↓
core (depends on shared)
   ↓
preload (depends on shared)
   ↓
renderer (depends on shared)
main (depends on shared, core)

The npm run deps command builds: shared → core → preload

Key Entry Points Copy Section

| Component | Entry | Output |
|-----------|-------|--------|
| main | apps/main/src/main.ts | .package/dist/main.cjs |
| renderer | apps/renderer/src/main.tsx | apps/renderer/dist/ |
| preload | apps/preload/src/preload.ts | apps/preload/dist/preload.js |

Build System Copy Chapter

- Package manager: pnpm (required for workspace:* protocol)
- Main bundler: esbuild (bundles to single CommonJS file)
- Renderer bundler: Vite
- Packaging: Electron Forge
- TypeScript: ES2022 target

Why esbuild bundling? Copy Section

pnpm uses symlinks for workspace packages. Electron Forge's dependency walker can't follow these symlinks. esbuild bundles everything into a single file, eliminating the need for node_modules in the packaged app.

Key Files Reference Copy Chapter

| Purpose | File |
|---------|------|
| Electron main entry | apps/x/apps/main/src/main.ts |
| React app entry | apps/x/apps/renderer/src/main.tsx |
| Forge config (packaging) | apps/x/apps/main/forge.config.cjs |
| Main process bundler | apps/x/apps/main/bundle.mjs |
| Vite config | apps/x/apps/renderer/vite.config.ts |
| Shared types | apps/x/packages/shared/src/ |
| Core business logic | apps/x/packages/core/src/ |
| Workspace config | apps/x/pnpm-workspace.yaml |
| Root scripts | apps/x/package.json |

Common Tasks Copy Chapter

LLM configuration (single provider) Copy Section

Add a new shared type Copy Section

Modify main process Copy Section

Modify renderer (React UI) Copy Section

Add a new dependency to main Copy Section

Verify compilation Copy Section

cd apps/x && npm run deps && npm run lint

Tech Stack Copy Chapter

| Layer | Technology |
|-------|------------|
| Desktop | Electron 39.x |
| UI | React 19, Vite 7 |
| Styling | TailwindCSS, Radix UI |
| State | React hooks |
| AI | Vercel AI SDK, OpenAI/Anthropic/Google/OpenRouter providers, Vercel AI Gateway, Ollama, models.dev catalog |
| IPC | Electron contextBridge |
| Build | TypeScript 5.9, esbuild, Electron Forge |

Environment Variables (for packaging) Copy Chapter

For production builds with code signing:
- APPLE_ID - Apple Developer ID
- APPLE_PASSWORD - App-specific password
- APPLE_TEAM_ID - Team ID

Not required for local development.

README.md Copy Chapter

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AWoGo-L16I" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">
<img width="1339" height="607" alt="rowboat-github-2" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/fc463b99-01b3-401c-b4a4-044dad480901" />
</a>

<h5 align="center">

<p align="center" style="display: flex; justify-content: center; gap: 20px; align-items: center;">
<a href="https://trendshift.io/repositories/13609" target="blank">
<img src="https://trendshift.io/api/badge/repositories/13609" alt="rowboatlabs/rowboat | Trendshift" width="250" height="55"/>
</a>
</p>

<p align="center">
<a href="https://www.rowboatlabs.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">
<img alt="Website" src="https://img.shields.io/badge/Website-10b981?labelColor=10b981&logo=window&logoColor=white">
</a>
<a href="https://discord.gg/wajrgmJQ6b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">
<img alt="Discord" src="https://img.shields.io/badge/Discord-5865F2?logo=discord&logoColor=white&labelColor=5865F2">
</a>
<a href="https://x.com/intent/user?screen_name=rowboatlabshq" target="_blank" rel="noopener">
<img alt="Twitter" src="https://img.shields.io/twitter/follow/rowboatlabshq?style=social">
</a>
<a href="https://www.ycombinator.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">
<img alt="Y Combinator" src="https://img.shields.io/badge/Y%20Combinator-S24-orange">
</a>
</p>

Rowboat

</h5>

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)
- Track a person, company or topic through live notes
- Visualize, edit, and update your knowledge graph anytime (it’s just Markdown)
- Record voice memos that automatically capture and update key takeaways in the graph

Download latest for Mac/Windows/Linux: Download

⭐ If you find Rowboat useful, please star the repo. It helps more people find it.

Demo Copy Chapter

Watch the full video

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Installation Copy Chapter

Download latest for Mac/Windows/Linux: Download

All release files: https://github.com/rowboatlabs/rowboat/releases/latest

Google setup Copy Section

Voice input Copy Section

Voice output Copy Section

To enable voice output (optional), add an ElevenLabs API key in ~/.rowboat/config/elevenlabs.json

Web search Copy Section

To use Exa research search (optional), add the Exa API key in ~/.rowboat/config/exa-search.json

External tools Copy Section

To enable external tools (optional), you can add any MCP server or use Composio tools by adding an API key in ~/.rowboat/config/composio.json

All API key files use the same format:

{
  "apiKey": "<key>"
}

What it does Copy Chapter

Rowboat is a local-first AI coworker that can:
- Remember the important context you don’t want to re-explain (people, projects, decisions, commitments)
- Understand what’s 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)

Under the hood, Rowboat maintains an Obsidian-compatible vault of plain Markdown notes with backlinks — a transparent “working memory” you can inspect and edit.

Integrations Copy Chapter

Rowboat builds memory from the work you already do, including:
- Gmail (email)
- Google Calendar
- Rowboat meeting notes or Fireflies

It also contains a library of product integrations through Composio.dev

How it’s different Copy Chapter

Most AI tools reconstruct context on demand by searching transcripts or documents.

Rowboat maintains long-lived knowledge instead:
- context accumulates over time
- relationships are explicit and inspectable
- notes are editable by you, not hidden inside a model
- everything lives on your machine as plain Markdown

The result is memory that compounds, rather than retrieval that starts cold every time.

What you can do with it Copy Chapter

- 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)

Live notes Copy Chapter

Live notes are notes that stay updated automatically. You can create one by typing '@rowboat' on a note.

- Track a competitor or market topic across X, Reddit, and the news
- Monitor a person, project, or deal across web or your communications
- Keep a running summary of any subject you care about

Everything is written back into your local Markdown vault. You control what runs and when.

Bring your own model Copy Chapter

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) Copy Chapter

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 Copy Chapter

- All data is stored locally as plain Markdown
- No proprietary formats or hosted lock-in
- You can inspect, edit, back up, or delete everything at any time

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<div align="center">

Discord · Twitter
</div>