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RA-OS Overview

What is RA-OS?

RA-OS is a minimal knowledge graph UI with MCP server integration. It provides a local-first knowledge management system designed to be extended by external AI agents via the Model Context Protocol.

Open Source: github.com/bradwmorris/ra-h_os

Design Philosophy

Local-first — Your knowledge network belongs to you. Everything runs locally in a SQLite database you control.

Agent-agnostic — No built-in AI chat. Instead, RA-OS exposes an MCP server that any AI agent (Claude Code, custom agents) can connect to.

Simple & focused — 2-panel UI for browsing and editing your knowledge graph. No bloat.

Tech Stack

  • Frontend: Next.js 15, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS
  • Database: SQLite + sqlite-vec (vector search)
  • Embeddings: OpenAI (BYO API key)
  • MCP Server: Local connector for Claude Code and external agents

What's Included

  • 2-panel UI (nodes list + focus panel)
  • Node/Edge/Dimension CRUD
  • Full-text and semantic search
  • MCP server with graph and skill tools
  • Skills system (shared instructions for internal + external agents)
  • PDF extraction
  • Graph visualization (Map view)
  • BYO API keys

What's NOT Included

  • Chat interface (use external agents via MCP)
  • Voice features
  • Built-in AI agents
  • Auth/subscription system
  • Desktop packaging

Two-Panel Layout

┌─────────────┬─────────────────────────┐
│   NODES     │        FOCUS            │
│   Panel     │        Panel            │
│             │                         │
│ • Search    │ • Node content          │
│ • Filters   │ • Connections           │
│ • List      │ • Dimensions            │
│             │                         │
└─────────────┴─────────────────────────┘

MCP Integration

RA-OS is designed to be the knowledge backend for your AI workflows:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ra-h": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["ra-h-mcp-server"]
    }
  }
}

Add this to ~/.claude.json and restart Claude. Works without RA-OS running.

Core tools include: createNode, queryNodes, updateNode, getNodesById, createEdge, queryEdge, queryDimensions, createDimension, updateDimension, deleteDimension, listSkills, readSkill

Documentation

Doc Description
Schema Database schema, node/edge structure
Tools & Skills Available MCP tools, skill system
UI Component structure, panels, views
MCP External agent connector setup
Troubleshooting Common issues and fixes