Import your documents, approve their filing, and find answers with an assistant that cites its sources.
MIT License · Self-hosted · Local storage or Google Drive · Optional AI
Open File is a personal document management application. Each account has its own library, connections, and AI settings. The interface is in English; documents and questions can also be in French.
- Import and file PDFs, images, and text files. AI suggests a name, metadata, and a folder; you edit and approve them before filing.
- Organize by folders, tags, favorites, and collections, in list or grid view.
- Preview documents, edit their information, and review actions in the history.
- Ask questions about your documents with a conversational assistant: sourced answers, file cards, activity tracking, and persistent conversations.
- Choose your storage: local to the server or Google Drive, independently of AI.
- Work without AI: local extraction of text-based PDFs and TXT files, manual filing, and text search, with no external provider key.
| Without AI | With AI enabled |
|---|---|
| Import, previews, folders, tags, and collections | All features available without AI |
| Local extraction of text-based PDFs and TXT files | Extraction from scans and images |
| Manual filing | Suggested names, folders, and metadata |
| Text search | Semantic search and contextual answers |
AI uses each user's OpenAI key and billing account. The required content is sent to that provider when AI is enabled. Originals remain on the selected storage; extracted text and conversations are stored in the database.
Prerequisites: Docker Engine with Docker Compose, and Node.js to generate secrets
(Node 22.18+ within the 22.x branch, or 24.11+; the project's version is in .nvmrc).
From the project directory:
node scripts/setup.mjs
docker compose up --build -d
docker compose psOpen http://localhost:3000, create an account using the invitation code from
SIGNUP_TOKEN in your private .env, and click Import a document.
For an existing installation, follow the security migration before rebuilding.
You can use the six fictional PDFs.
No AI key or Google connection is required to get started.
To enable AI: go to Settings → Automatically with AI, enter your key, choose a model available to your account, then click Save and enable AI. Saving the key alone does not enable AI mode.
Data persists in the postgres and files Docker volumes. Also back up .env,
especially ENCRYPTION_KEY. The setup script preserves an existing .env file.
Never publish this file.
The import dialog stays open during analysis. You can edit the suggestion before clicking Approve and file. Resume later lets you continue without uploading again.
The assistant can find information, read a clause, count files, or display invoices. Its sources open the relevant documents.
All screenshots show the fictional Camille Martin account and the documents
provided in examples/. The AI answer was generated from these documents through
the real backend; the screenshots are not mockups.
| Guide | Contents |
|---|---|
| Installation and configuration | Docker, environment variables, development, Google Drive |
| Using Open File | Import, library, collections, assistant, and screenshots |
| Reproducible demo | Fictional PDFs, generation, and sample questions |
| Document assistant | Tools, sources, scopes, and limits |
| Architecture | Services, data, ports, and adapters |
| API | Authentication, routes, and formats |
| Operations | HTTPS, backups, updates, and troubleshooting |
| Contributing | Conventions and checks |
Formats: PDF, PNG, JPEG, WebP, and UTF-8 TXT, up to 5 files of 20 MiB each per import. Word, Excel, and OneDrive are not supported. Google Drive stores files imported through Open File; it does not automatically import an existing Drive or watch its folders.
This version does not provide team workspaces, password recovery by email, account deletion in the interface, or external notifications. Document deletion is available and schedules cleanup of the original; archiving keeps the file.
Registration is open. Before deploying an Internet-facing instance, read the operating requirements. AI answers and filing suggestions must be checked; they do not guarantee the accuracy of document contents.
Next.js 16 / React 19 · Express 5 · PostgreSQL 17 with pgvector · Better Auth · AI SDK · TypeScript · pnpm / Turborepo.
Distributed under the MIT License. The fictional documents and their generator are included under the same license. Dependencies retain their own licenses.