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Frequently Asked Questions ​

Common questions about Flint, answered concisely.

General ​

What is Flint? ​

Flint is an open source, local-first note-taking app with integrated AI assistance. Your notes are markdown files stored on your computer, and you can optionally use AI to help organize, search, and work with your notes.

Is Flint free? ​

Flint itself: Yes, free and open source.

AI features: Requires API key from AI provider (OpenRouter, etc.)

  • You pay the AI provider directly
  • Typically $5-20/month depending on usage

Where can I find the source code? ​

GitHub: github.com/disnet/flint-note

  • View all source code
  • Report bugs and request features
  • Contribute to development
  • See what's being worked on

What platforms does Flint support? ​

Currently:

  • macOS 10.15+
  • Windows 10+
  • Linux

Can I use Flint without AI? ​

Yes! Flint works great without AI:

  • Full note editor
  • Wikilinks and backlinks
  • Search
  • Organization
  • Daily notes
  • All local features

Features that require AI:

  • AI agent chat conversations
  • Agent powered reviews
  • Agent note suggestions

Notes and Organization ​

Where are my notes stored? ​

In a folder on your computer:

Example:

~/Documents/MyVault/
├── general/
│   └── my-note.md
├── daily/
│   └── 2024-01-22.md
└── .flint-notes/
    └── search.db

Can I edit notes outside of Flint? ​

Yes, notes are standard markdown.

Edit with:

  • Any text editor (VS Code, Sublime, Vim, etc.)
  • Other markdown apps
  • Mobile editors (if syncing)

Flint will detect changes and reload automatically.

Sync and Backup ​

How do I sync between devices? ​

Use cloud storage provider like Dropbox, Google Drive etc:

  1. Open your vault in a cloud folder:

    ~/Dropbox/FlintVaults/MyVault/

  2. Add vault in Flint on other devices

  3. Cloud service syncs automatically

Vault is just a folder - sync like any folder.

What about version control? ​

Git works great:

bash
cd ~/Documents/MyVault
git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"

Privacy and Security ​

Is my data secure? ​

Your data never leaves your computer except:

  • When you ask the AI agent to process it
  • When you sync with cloud storage

Flint doesn't:

  • Send data to our servers
  • Track your usage
  • Collect analytics
  • Share your data

Where are API keys stored? ​

In your OS's secure keychain:

  • macOS: Keychain Access
  • Windows: Credential Manager
  • Linux: Secret Service

Can the Flint developers see my notes? ​

No. Your notes are on your computer.

We never see:

  • Your note content
  • Your vault structure
  • Your API keys
  • Your AI conversations

What does Flint collect? ​

Nothing.

No telemetry, no analytics, no tracking.

We don't know:

  • How many notes you have
  • What features you use
  • How often you use Flint
  • Anything about your usage

Technical ​

What format are notes? ​

Standard markdown (.md files).

With YAML frontmatter:

markdown
---
title: Note Title
type: general
created: 2024-01-22
---

# Note Title

Content here...

Can I export my data? ​

Your data is already exported!

Notes are markdown files in vault folder:

  • Copy folder anywhere
  • Open in any text editor
  • Import to other apps
  • No export needed

Can I use Flint with existing markdown files? ​

Yes!

Two options:

  1. Open folder as vault:

    Flint → Open Existing Vault → Select folder
Flint indexes existing .md files

  2. Copy files into vault:

    Copy .md files to vault/notes/
Restart Flitn to rebuild database

Does Flint support mobile? ​

Not yet.

Currently: Desktop only (macOS, Windows, Linux)

Meanwhile:

  • Sync vault to cloud
  • Edit with mobile markdown app
  • Changes sync back to Flint

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