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Guide · Open source

How to use OpenWiki: install, connect an agent and create a wiki

Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data

OpenWiki is an open-source CLI from langchain-ai that writes and maintains agent documentation for your codebase. It turns a repository into a linked set of Markdown pages that you own, which coding agents can read to understand the code. This guide shows you how to install it, connect a supported coding agent, create a wiki, search it and link several repositories together.

OpenWikilangchain-ai/openwiki · ★ 17.7k · MIT

Quick start

  1. 1Check Node.js. Make sure Node.js 22.22.0 or newer is installed. OpenWiki will not run on older versions.
  2. 2Install OpenWiki. Run npm install -g openwiki to install the CLI globally.
  3. 3Connect your agent. Run openwiki integrations install followed by your agent name, for example codex. Pi uses pi install npm:openwiki instead.
  4. 4Restart the agent. Restart your coding agent so it loads the new integration.
  5. 5Create the wiki. Open a repository and ask the agent to initialise OpenWiki from the source and tests. Pages are written to the openwiki/ folder.
  6. 6Search and link. Ask concrete questions to search the wiki, or use openwiki link to join several repositories into one workspace.

What you need before you install OpenWiki

OpenWiki needs Node.js 22.22.0 or newer. The main workflow runs inside a supported coding agent, such as Codex, Claude Code or Cursor, so you need one of those set up with its own model session.

OpenWiki uses that agent's authenticated model session and repository tools, so there is no separate model provider to configure.

  • Node.js 22.22.0 or newer
  • A supported coding agent such as Codex, Claude Code, OpenCode, Cursor, IBM Bob / Bob Shell, Kiro, Oh My Pi, Antigravity, GitHub Copilot CLI or Pi

Install OpenWiki with npm

Install OpenWiki globally with npm. If you use Pi, skip this step and install the package through Pi instead, since a separate global installation is not required.

On Windows, install with a Node.js package manager (npm or pnpm). The README notes that installing with bun can fall back to compiling the better-sqlite3 native dependency, which needs Visual Studio Build Tools with the Desktop development with C++ workload.

npm install -g openwiki

Connect OpenWiki to your coding agent

Choose the integration command for your agent. The example below connects Codex. Integrations install at user level by default, so one installation works from any Git repository.

Other agents use the same pattern, for example openwiki integrations install claude for Claude Code. Pi is the exception: it is not a target of this command and loads OpenWiki from the npm package with pi install npm:openwiki.

  • Check status with openwiki integrations list
  • Remove an integration with openwiki integrations uninstall <host>
  • Add --project [path] to list, install or uninstall for repository-scoped state
openwiki integrations install codex

Create your wiki from inside the agent

Restart your coding agent, open a repository and ask it to initialise the wiki. Your agent researches the repository and writes a linked wiki in the openwiki/ folder. OpenWiki tracks source evidence and saves progress as each page completes, so an interrupted run can resume.

The README says host-driven runs use repository source and tests. Connector-sourced context, including LangSmith, is not yet supported in this mode.

Initialize this repository's OpenWiki from the current source and tests.

Search your wiki and link related repositories

Ask your agent a concrete question and it can search the wiki with openwiki_search, then read the complete sections it selects with openwiki_read. These tools are local, read-only and do not start a generation run. Use openwiki link to group the wikis of related repositories, such as a control plane, a data plane and infrastructure, into one named workspace that you can search together.

  • openwiki_search returns compact, ranked results
  • openwiki_read retrieves the full sections the agent selects
  • openwiki_list_workspaces and openwiki_list_wikis help discovery when repositories are linked
Search this repository's OpenWiki for how retry handling works, then read the relevant sections.

Explore the wiki as pages or a graph

You can read the same Markdown pages your agent uses, or browse them as an interactive graph. The README also lists portable OKF v0.2 output and publishable visualizers as available options. Because the wiki is plain Markdown in your repository, it stays under your control.

What people use it for

  • Get a coding agent up to speed on a large or unfamiliar repository by reading its generated wiki pages.
  • Search one wiki spanning a control plane, a data plane and infrastructure repositories grouped with openwiki link.
  • Keep repository docs current as code changes, using OpenWiki's source-drift tracking to focus updates.
  • Give teammates a readable, linked set of Markdown docs they can browse as a graph.

Frequently asked questions

Is OpenWiki free to use?

OpenWiki is released under the MIT licence, as stated in the project's README. The source does not list any price or hosted plan, and it describes a local tool that writes files into your repository.

What do I need to install OpenWiki?

You need Node.js 22.22.0 or newer and a supported coding agent such as Codex, Claude Code or Cursor. Install the CLI with npm install -g openwiki.

Which coding agents does OpenWiki support?

The README lists Codex, Claude Code, OpenCode, Cursor, IBM Bob / Bob Shell, Kiro, Oh My Pi, Antigravity and GitHub Copilot CLI, plus Pi, which loads OpenWiki from its npm package. Each has an integration command, except Pi.

Does OpenWiki need a separate AI model API key?

No separate model provider needs configuring, because OpenWiki uses your coding agent's authenticated model session and repository tools. This applies to the coding-agent workflow the README describes.

Can OpenWiki use Slack, Notion or LangSmith data?

Host-driven runs in the coding agent support repository code wikis only, and the README says connector-sourced context, including LangSmith, is not yet supported. Personal knowledge is covered by the standalone CLI, which the README describes as secondary.

How do I remove OpenWiki from my coding agent?

Run openwiki integrations uninstall followed by the host name, for example codex. Use openwiki integrations list first to check the installation status.

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Our verdict

OpenWiki suits developers who work in a supported coding agent and need it to understand large or unfamiliar repositories, especially teams with several related repos. It is a poor fit if you do not use a supported agent, need connector-sourced context such as LangSmith, or want a hosted service, since it is a local tool that writes files into your repository.

Install options & downloads