Installation
ScholarOS is a native desktop app that runs on macOS, Windows, and Linux. Your data stays on your machine — no cloud sync required.
Download ScholarOS
Free and open source. MIT licensed. No account required to download.
System Requirements
macOS
macOS 12 (Monterey) or later. Apple Silicon or Intel. 200 MB disk space.
Windows
Windows 10 or later. 64-bit. 200 MB disk space.
Linux
Ubuntu 20.04+, Fedora 38+, or equivalent. AppImage or .deb. 200 MB disk space.
First Run
Open ScholarOS
Launch the app. You'll see a welcome screen asking you to select a vault folder — this is where your notes, PDFs, and past papers live.
Choose or create a vault folder
Point ScholarOS at an existing folder of markdown files and PDFs, or create a new empty folder. The vault is just a regular folder on your machine — no proprietary format, no vendor lock-in.
Sign in (optional)
Create an account or sign in to unlock AI features. The subscription covers all model access — GPT-5, Claude 4, and Gemini. No separate API keys needed.
Start adding material
Drop PDFs, markdown notes, or past papers into your vault folder. The AI begins reading and linking them automatically. You can also add files directly from within the app.
Supported Formats
Documents
- Markdown (.md)
- PDF (.pdf)
- Plain text (.txt)
Coming Soon
- Obsidian (.obsidian) vaults
- Word documents (.docx)
- Annotated PDFs with highlights
Next Steps
Now that ScholarOS is installed, learn how the core concepts work together.