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Kuku

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AI-native Markdown editor for macOS

Writing AppsAI AssistantsNote-Taking
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Tracked since2026
0 reviews tracked

The Bottom Line

Entry price

Free, no paid tier

Biggest pro

No vendor lock-in, files are plain .md on your disk

Biggest con

macOS only, no Windows or Linux version

TL;DR - Kuku

  • AI-native Markdown editor for macOS with local-first file storage
  • Gemini AI agent searches your vault and suggests edits as diffs
  • Lightweight Tauri app (~15MB) compatible with git and Obsidian
Pricing: Free forever
Best for: Individuals & startups

What is Kuku?

Editorial review
Kuku is an AI-native Markdown editor for macOS that combines local-first file storage with built-in AI capabilities. Files stay as .md on disk, compatible with vim, git, and Obsidian. Features include bidirectional WikiLinks, a force-directed graph view, a Gemini-powered AI agent that can search your vault and create documents, cursor-style diff editing, local speech-to-text via Whisper.cpp, and full-text search with BM25 ranking. Lightweight at ~15MB.

Available on: macOS, Windows, Linux

how we evaluateSourcekuku.mom ↗

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • No vendor lock-in, files are plain .md on your disk
  • AI agent can search, read, and create documents in your vault
  • Extremely lightweight (~15MB bundle, ~80MB memory)
  • Offline speech-to-text with no cloud dependency

Cons

  • macOS only, no Windows or Linux version
  • AI features depend on Gemini API key
  • Young project with limited community and plugins
  • No mobile companion app

Key Features

Local-first .md files compatible with git and ObsidianBidirectional WikiLinks with autocomplete and backlinksForce-directed graph visualization of connectionsGemini-powered AI agent with tool callingCursor-style AI editing shown as accept/reject diffsLocal speech-to-text via Whisper.cpp (offline)Full-text search with SQLite FTS5 and BM25 rankingKorean tokenization support

Pricing

Free

Kuku is completely free to use with no hidden costs.

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Reviews

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Kuku FAQ

Is Kuku compatible with Obsidian?

Yes. Kuku stores files as plain .md on disk using standard Markdown and WikiLink syntax, so your vault works seamlessly with Obsidian, vim, git, and any other Markdown tool.

Does the AI work offline?

Speech-to-text works offline via Whisper.cpp. The AI agent and cursor-style editing require a Gemini API key and internet connection.

What is Kuku built with?

Kuku uses Tauri v2 (Rust backend) with React 19 and the Tiptap editor. It uses SQLite FTS5 for search. The bundle is approximately 15MB with ~80MB memory usage.

Is Kuku free?

Yes, Kuku is free to use. AI features require your own Gemini API key, which is billed separately by Google.

Source: kuku.mom

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