ReflectAI - Your Local Second Brain

A lightweight, open-source desktop application built in Rust with Tauri that helps you store and retrieve information from text, URLs, and articles. Everything stays local on your machine—no cloud dependency, completely private.

Features

✨ Local Storage - All notes stored as JSON files in ~/.reflectai/
🔍 Full-Text Search - Instantly search across all your notes
📊 Text Analysis - Extract summaries and keywords from pasted content
🌐 URL Analysis - Fetch and analyze web articles automatically
💾 Import/Export - Backup and share notes as JSON
🎨 Dark Mode UI - Beautiful, modern interface optimized for long reading sessions
⚡ No Dependencies - Works completely offline, no API keys required (Gemini integration optional)
🖥️ Wayland Compatible - Runs smoothly on modern Linux desktops

Installation

Prerequisites

• Rust 1.70+ - Install from https://rustup.rs/
• Node.js 18+ (only if you want to modify the frontend)

From Source

1. Clone or download the repository:

cd ~/Documents/reflectAI

2. Install Rust (if not already installed):

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh
source $HOME/.cargo/env

3. Build and run:

cargo tauri dev

This will compile the app and open it in development mode. The first build may take 2-3 minutes.

Building a Release Binary

cargo tauri build

The compiled binary will be in src-tauri/target/release/.

Usage

Make sure to set API key for gemini in /frontend/.env as

VITE_GEMINI_API_KEY=urapikey

Adding Notes

1. Click "+ New" or start typing in the title field
2. Add your note title and content
3. (Optional) Add comma-separated tags
4. Click "💾 Save" or press Ctrl+S (or Cmd+S on macOS)

Analyzing Content

1. Paste text or a URL into the content area
2. Click "📊 Analyze"
3. View extracted summary and keywords in the right panel

Searching Notes

1. Type a search term in the search box (top-left)
2. Click "Go" or press Enter
3. Results update in real-time

Exporting Notes

1. Click "💾 Export"
2. A JSON file is downloaded with all your notes
3. Import later by opening that file with the app

File Storage

All notes are stored locally in:

• Linux/macOS: ~/.reflectai/notes.json
• Windows: %USERPROFILE%\.reflectai\notes.json

The JSON format is human-readable and can be edited manually or imported into other apps.

Example Note Storage

{
  "notes": [
    {
      "id": "abc123xyz",
      "title": "Rust Memory Safety",
      "content": "Rust guarantees memory safety without garbage collection...",
      "tags": ["rust", "programming"],
      "created_at": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z",
      "updated_at": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z",
      "source": null
    }
  ]
}

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+S or Cmd+S	Save current note
Enter (in search)	Search notes

Development

Project Structure

reflectAI/
├── src/
│   ├── main.rs          # Tauri app entry point & IPC handlers
│   └── lib.rs           # Storage, analysis logic
├── frontend/dist/
│   └── index.html       # UI (embedded CSS + JS)
├── Cargo.toml           # Rust dependencies
├── tauri.conf.json      # Tauri configuration
└── build.rs             # Build script

Building for Development

cargo tauri dev

Opens the app with hot-reload support (note: Rust backend changes require restart).

Running Tests

cargo test

Modifying the UI

Edit frontend/dist/index.html - CSS and JavaScript are embedded inline. Restart cargo tauri dev to see changes.

Architecture

Backend (Rust)

• Storage: Simple JSON file-based store with in-process locking
• Analysis: Local text summarizer and keyword extractor
• IPC: Tauri command handlers expose 9 commands to the frontend

Frontend (HTML/CSS/JavaScript)

• UI Framework: Vanilla JavaScript (no build step needed)
• Styling: CSS Grid layout with dark theme
• Communication: Tauri invoke API calls the Rust backend

Available Tauri Commands

invoke('get_notes')                              // Fetch all notes
invoke('search_notes', { query })                // Search notes
invoke('add_note', { title, content, tags })    // Create note
invoke('update_note', { id, title, content })   // Update note
invoke('delete_note', { id })                   // Delete note
invoke('analyze_text', { text })                // Analyze text
invoke('analyze_url', { url })                  // Fetch & analyze URL
invoke('export_notes')                          // Export as JSON
invoke('import_notes', { json_str })            // Import from JSON

Optional: Gemini AI Integration

To enable cloud-based AI analysis (requires Google Gemini API):

1. Get a free API key from Google AI Studio
2. Create a .env file in the project root:

GEMINI_API_KEY=your_key_here

3. Rebuild: cargo tauri build

(Currently the local analyzer works without this; cloud integration is a planned enhancement)

Troubleshooting

App Won't Start on Wayland

Ensure you're using a recent version of Tauri (v2.0+). If issues persist, try:

WAYLAND_DISPLAY= cargo tauri dev  # Falls back to X11

Cannot Find Rust Compiler

Make sure Rust is installed and in your PATH:

rustc --version

If not, run:

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh
source $HOME/.cargo/env

Slow First Build

Initial compilation takes 2-3 minutes. Subsequent builds are much faster. Consider using mold linker for faster builds:

# On Linux
export RUSTFLAGS="-C link-arg=-fuse-ld=mold"
cargo tauri dev

UI Not Showing

If the window opens but shows no content:

1. Check that frontend/dist/index.html exists
2. Verify tauri.conf.json points to correct paths
3. Check console for errors: open DevTools with F12

Contributing

Contributions welcome! Areas for improvement:

• Vector embeddings for semantic search
• Dark/light theme toggle
• Note encryption
• Sync between devices
• Better HTML extraction for URLs
• Integration with Gemini API
• Plugin system
• Offline embedding model support

License

MIT - Free for personal and commercial use.

FAQ

Q: Is my data private?
A: Yes. All data stays on your machine. No cloud sync or telemetry.

Q: Can I use this on multiple machines?
A: Manually export/import notes. Automatic sync is planned.

Q: Why Rust instead of Electron?
A: Rust + Tauri is faster, uses less memory, and works better on Wayland.

Q: Can I sync notes?
A: Not built-in yet, but JSON export lets you use tools like Syncthing.

Q: Is there a web version?
A: Not currently. Desktop app only.

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Made with ❤️ in Rust. Questions? Open an issue on GitHub!