LOCAL NODE · INTEGRITY OK · UTC 00:00:00 · BUILT BY HYPERION INDUSTRIES
Local-first archival intelligence

Your archive should remember why things matter.

CHRON.OS is a local-first archival intelligence system for preserving documents, media, provenance, temporal context, and user-weighted meaning — without making the cloud the source of truth.

Runs locally Preserves provenance Maps meaning over time Built for high-context work
Public beta · Installer recommended · Portable ZIP available for no-install use
01 — System overview

Most folders become digital junk drawers over time. CHRON.OS helps turn that around.

Most folders become unnavigable over time — files pile up, context disappears, and finding something from three years ago means hoping you remember what you named it. CHRON.OS turns scattered files into a searchable, connected archive. It keeps track of documents, media, timelines, duplicates, relationships, and project history so important things don't disappear into chaos.

— 01

Archive

Preserve files, metadata, source paths, hashes, and provenance. Originals are never mutated.

— 02

Understand

Classify by domain, form, entities, emotional salience, and user-adjusted meaning weights.

— 03

Navigate

Move through files by chronology, ontology, relationships, duplicates, and trace paths.

— 04

Remember

Build continuity across projects, cases, research, creative worlds, and operational records.

02 — What it preserves

Source → hash → metadata → meaning → trace.

CHRON.OS keeps more than the file itself. It preserves the trail around it — where it came from, when it changed, and how it connects to the rest of your archive.

01 · Source
Original
C:\Users\…\source.pdf — untouched. Path, drive, and intake context preserved.
02 · Hash
SHA-256
Cryptographic anchor. Detects duplicates, drift, and silent edits.
03 · Metadata
Sidecar
MIME, dimensions, timestamps, EXIF, embedded fields — captured once, kept locally.
04 · Meaning
Context
Domain, form, relationships, and meaning you can adjust over time.
05 · Trace
Continuity
How files connect across projects, timelines, and decisions.
03 — The Archivist subsystem

Not every file matters equally. Archivist helps surface the ones that do.

subsystem // archivist

Archivist helps surface the files that actually matter.

Some files are just files. Others are the ones tied to a decision, a breakthrough, a revision, an investigation, or a turning point in a project. Archivist helps CHRON.OS identify which is which — and lets you adjust that weighting as your understanding evolves.

"A datum is not significant merely because it repeats. A datum is significant when it changes future interpretation." — CHRON.OS Doctrine, §II
Archivist subsystem — chat surface with capabilities and indexed-archive context
04 — See it operate

See how the archive works in practice.

These are real screens from the live beta. Browse relationships between files, trace project history, inspect artifacts, and explore how CHRON.OS organizes information over time.

05 — What it can do today

What's working now, what's in progress, and what's still being built.

Working now

Operational
  • Local document intake & File Explorer previews
  • PDF, text, DOCX, image, and video preview support
  • Duplicate detection & full duplicate scan
  • Temporal ordering & recent-import views
  • Dashboard metrics & archive insights
  • Archivist-assisted meaning & classification
  • Ontology / dimension navigation
  • Constellation & Atlas relationship views
  • Local-first desktop workflow
verified · v0.9.4 · 549 indexed

In active development

Production track
  • Media inference for images and video
  • Frame sampling & visual entity learning
  • Media-to-document linking
  • Meaning Lab — user-guided ontology refinement
  • Stronger dashboard analytics
  • Semantic Atlas performance pass
  • External trust surfaces (post verification)
  • MCP-based local archive access for trusted tools
  • NAS / local redundancy after safety review
phased rollout · q3–q4 2026

What's still being built

Gated
  • Production OAuth / Google Drive sync (pending domain, branding, consent screen, and provider verification)
  • Full frame-by-frame video understanding
  • Replacement of human review for legal, medical, financial, or safety-critical interpretation
  • Mutation of original source files — by design, never
  • A requirement that the cloud be the canonical archive
  • Enterprise-grade security claims beyond what is implemented
policy · what we will not pretend
06 — Privacy and control built in

Your files stay under your control — by default, not by request.

Security vault — passphrase, auto-lock, Windows Hello, authenticator, hardware key
Security vault

Encryption is your call

Passphrase encrypts settings, sidecars, uploads, and the local search index. Local presence factors register here.

Cloud provider settings — Claude, OpenAI, Google, Mistral, plus local Ollama and edge OpenAI-compatible endpoints
Choose your AI tools

Cloud, local, or entirely on-device

Claude · OpenAI · Google · Mistral, plus local Ollama and any OpenAI-compatible LAN endpoint. Prefer-edge routes inference off-cloud.

Local source browser — preview originals before copying into the archive
Local source browser

Your original files are never touched

Browse, preview, and bring files into CHRON.OS without moving or modifying the originals.

07 — Your files stay with you

Your computer stays in control. Not a cloud account.

CHRON.OS is designed so your archive starts with you — not a cloud account. Your original files stay untouched on your machine unless you choose otherwise. Cloud tools and external services are optional add-ons, not requirements.

// 01
Local-first by default

Everything starts on your device. No sign-up, no cloud account required to get started.

Default
// 02
Original files untouched

CHRON.OS works with copies. It never renames, moves, or modifies your original files.

Enforced
// 03
Provenance preserved

Where a file came from, when it changed, and how it got there — all kept with the file.

Always on
// 04
No cloud account required

The full experience works without an internet connection. Cloud tools are optional and always opt-in.

Offline-ok
// 05
External providers gated

Cloud sync, OAuth, and third-party integrations are off by default. You enable them only if and when you need them.

Gated
Trust topology
YOUR MACHINE · CANONICAL Sources Index Metadata Archivist Atlas · Constellation · Ontology GATED External opt-in
08 — Beta status

Core features are live and improving quickly.

The core archive, file preview, duplicate detection, timeline navigation, dashboard, and relationship views are all working. The instrument works. The archive grows. Advanced media understanding, external cloud tools, and deeper Atlas performance are under active development.

Build · current
v0.9.4
public beta · stable channel
Index · live
549 artifacts
186 media · 357 documents · 6 archives
Custody · model
Local-first
no cloud account required
Surfaces · external
Gated
verification-dependent
Get started

Start building an archive you can actually navigate.

Point CHRON.OS at a folder and let it begin organizing your documents, media, research, and projects into a connected archive you can explore and search over time.

Recommended for most Windows users: one-click installer. Portable ZIP is for no-install testing or users who already have the required runtime pieces.

Install · footprint READY
macOS · 12+ · Apple Silicon & Intel
.dmg
Windows · 10/11 · x64
.exe
Linux · AppImage / .deb
build
Source · GitHub mirror
repo