open-silong

README

Open-source, self-hostable collaborative workspace — inspired by Notion & Obsidian.

Live demo · Docs · Contributing · Security

A block-based workspace for notes, docs, and lightweight databases, with an Obsidian-style knowledge graph on top. Built for teams that want to own their data: self-host the full stack with Docker Compose, or run on Convex Cloud free tier. MIT licensed. No vendor lock-in.

Inspired by Notion & Obsidian. open-silong is an independent, clean-room project — not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Notion Labs, Inc. or Dynalist Inc. It borrows ideas (the block editor, the knowledge graph), never code or brand assets. See TRADEMARKS.md.

Screenshots

open-silong workspace — sidebar, pages and databases on the dashboard

Block editor	Database — Table	Database — Board

Template gallery	Admin panel	Command palette

Dark mode	Mobile	First-run setup

Captured live on silong-os.vercel.app, signed in as the workspace superadmin (demo workspace seeded from the /setup wizard).

Features

Block editor. Slash-menu, drag-handle reorder, nested children, inline markdown decorator (bold/italic/strike/code/links), cover image, 30+ block types (paragraph, headings, todo, bullet/numbered lists, toggle, callout, quote, code, equation, table, image, video, embed, columns, divider, synced, …).
Databases. Eleven views (Table · Board · List · Gallery · Calendar · Feed · Timeline · Chart · Map · Form · Dashboard). Filter, sort, search, group, hide. 27 property types. Inline embed in any page OR open as full page.
Knowledge graph. Obsidian-style interactive graph of every page, [[wikilink]], @mention, #tag, and database row — with backlinks and unresolved "ghost" nodes. Live d3-force layout with tunable forces, cluster tinting, and focus/neighbourhood highlighting.
Multi-workspace. Per-user workspaces, member roles, invites. Workspace switcher in sidebar.
Sharing. Public read-only share links (custom slug + search-indexable toggle). Wiki mode. Per-page grants — share one page with a specific member as viewer or editor.
Collaboration. Threaded comments per block, @page mentions, presence indicators, version snapshots.
Import / export. JSON round-trip preserves blocks + databases
- sharing state. Markdown export per page. ZIP bundle export.
MCP-ready. First-class Notion-canonical JSON HTTP surface for AI agents and integrations (/mcp/v1).
Self-host friendly. Docker Compose template for Convex backend + Postgres. Traefik-frontable. Dokploy-tested.

Quick start (pick a lane)

Lane 1 — Convex Cloud (fastest, free tier)

One-click: Deploy with Vercel — only asks for CONVEX_DEPLOY_KEY (create a project at dashboard.convex.dev → Settings → Deploy Keys). The build deploys the Convex functions, provisions the auth keys, and injects NEXT_PUBLIC_CONVEX_URL automatically. Your first visit lands on the /setup wizard: claim the owner (superadmin) account and seed the template gallery + demo workspace in one click.

Local development:

git clone https://github.com/rahmanef63/open-silong.git
cd open-silong
bun install
cp .env.example .env.local        # fill NEXT_PUBLIC_CONVEX_URL after step 4
bunx convex dev                   # creates Convex Cloud project, prints URL
bun run dev                       # http://localhost:3000

Convex Cloud free tier covers small teams. Full walk-through in DEPLOY.md.

Lane 2 — Self-hosted (Docker Compose, full control)

git clone https://github.com/rahmanef63/open-silong.git
cd open-silong
cp .env.example .env.local        # fill INSTANCE_*, JWT_*, POSTGRES_URL
docker compose up -d              # Convex backend on port 3210
bun install
bunx convex deploy --yes          # push schema + functions
bun run dev                       # http://localhost:3000

Full Dokploy + Traefik + Postgres + S3 setup in DEPLOY.md.

Google OAuth sign-in (any lane)

convex/auth.ts already wires Google — just provide credentials:

# 1. Google Cloud Console → APIs & Services → Credentials → Create OAuth 2.0
#    client (Web app). Authorized redirect URI:
#    https://<your-CONVEX_SITE_ORIGIN>/api/auth/callback/google
# 2. Set on Convex backend
bunx convex env set AUTH_GOOGLE_ID <client-id>.apps.googleusercontent.com
bunx convex env set AUTH_GOOGLE_SECRET <client-secret>

The "Sign in with Google" button in /auth activates automatically once those two env vars are set. Step-by-step including consent screen setup + adding GitHub/Apple/Discord providers: DEPLOY.md#google-oauth-sign-in-optional.

Lane 3 — Try without installing

silong-os.vercel.app — public demo. Lands you straight in a guest workspace (no sign-up needed), or create an email + password account to keep your data. Instance is shared.

Lane 4 — Template only (no backend)

Looking for the UI as a localStorage-only starter? The same editor ships as notion-page-clone-os in the rahman-resources template marketplace:

bunx rahman-resources@latest add notion-page-clone-os

Stack

Layer	Choice	Why
Frontend	Next 16 (App Router) + React 19	RSC, streaming, file-based routing
Styling	Tailwind v4 + shadcn/ui	Theme tokens, primitives, dark mode
Backend	Convex 1.43 (self-hostable)	Realtime, optimistic, typed end-to-end
Auth	`@convex-dev/auth`	Magic-link, OAuth-ready, no Clerk
Storage	Convex file storage OR S3 adapter	Pluggable per slice
Search	Convex full-text index	No external search service
Deploy	Docker Compose + Traefik (self-host) OR Convex Cloud	Pick your trade-off

Architecture

A one-screen system view. The full set — data model, auth/authz flow, slice graph, and the memory-graph pipeline — lives in docs/architecture/diagrams.md.

flowchart LR
    B["Browser<br/>Next 16 · React 19"] --> P["proxy.ts<br/>optimistic auth gate"]
    B -- "reactive queries" --> C["Convex backend<br/>queries · mutations<br/>in-handler authz"]
    P --> C
    C --> S["schema.ts · 32 tables"]
    S --> DB[("Postgres / Convex Cloud")]
    C --> F[("Files: Convex blob / S3")]
    A["AI agents"] -- "Notion-canonical JSON" --> H["MCP HTTP surface"] --> C

Repository layout:

app/                  Next 16 App Router routes
  dashboard/*         Authenticated surfaces (pages, db, settings, …)
  share/[id]          Public read-only share surface
  preview/*           Marketing + sandbox

frontend/
  slices/<name>/      Vertical feature slices — see docs/api/slices.md
  shared/             Cross-slice primitives, providers, store hooks
proxy.ts              Convex auth optimistic gate (not the security boundary)

convex/
  features/<name>/    Per-feature backend (schema + queries + mutations)
  _shared/            Auth helpers, rate limit, workspace gates
  http.ts             Public HTTP routes (share, MCP)
  mcp/                MCP HTTP surface (Notion-canonical JSON)

docker-compose.yml    Convex self-hosted (port 3210, Traefik-frontable)

The codebase follows a slice architecture: each feature lives in frontend/slices/<name>/ with optional convex/features/<name>/ mirror. Cross-slice imports go through the barrel only. See CONTRIBUTING.md for the rules.

Documentation

Topic	Where
Documentation index (what is current, what is archived)	`docs/README.md`
Per-slice API + UX docs	`docs/api/`
Architecture diagrams (system · data model · flows)	`docs/architecture/diagrams.md`
Deploy walkthroughs (cloud + self-host + Dokploy)	`DEPLOY.md`
Slice catalog (every feature in one page)	`docs/api/slices.md`
Architecture decisions + audit notes	`docs/audit/`
Historical / superseded docs	`docs/archive/`
Contributing guide	`CONTRIBUTING.md`
Roadmap + good first issues	`ROADMAP.md`
Security policy	`SECURITY.md`
Code of Conduct	`CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md`
Trademarks + inspiration + legal notes	`TRADEMARKS.md`
Changelog	`CHANGELOG.md`

Roadmap

Block editor + eleven database views
Multi-workspace + invites
Public share links + wiki mode
Comments + mentions + snapshots
JSON import/export
MCP HTTP surface
Per-page share grants (viewer / editor)
Partial Prerendering (Cache Components)
Google OAuth sign-in (opt-in)
More OAuth providers (GitHub, Apple)
Real-time multiplayer cursors
PWA + offline mode

See ROADMAP.md for the full picture — what is next, the known gaps and debt, and what is explicitly out of scope.

Contributing

Bug reports, feature ideas, doc fixes, and code PRs are all welcome. The maintainer pushes straight to main; outside contributions come in as pull requests and get CI-checked. Read CONTRIBUTING.md for dev setup, the slice architecture, and PR conventions — and ROADMAP.md for a list of verified small tasks to start on.

By participating, you agree to the Code of Conduct.

Security

Found a vulnerability? Please don't open a public issue. Email security@rahmanef.com or use a private GitHub Security Advisory — see SECURITY.md for SLAs and scope.

License

Trademark + inspiration notice

open-silong is an independent open-source project. It is not affiliated with, sponsored by, endorsed by, or associated with Notion Labs, Inc. or Dynalist Inc. (the maker of Obsidian) in any way.

It is inspired by Notion (the block editor + lightweight databases) and Obsidian (the local-first knowledge graph). "Notion" and "Obsidian" are trademarks of their respective owners, used here only in a nominative / descriptive sense to identify familiar UI patterns — analogous to how an "iPhone case" advertises compatibility without claiming any link to Apple.

open-silong is a clean-room implementation built independently on Convex, Next.js, shadcn/ui, and the open-source d3-force layout. No proprietary Notion or Obsidian code, design files, brand assets, or trade secrets are used. Import/export adapters target documented public file formats purely for interoperability.

A full plain-language explanation — the idea/expression distinction, nominative fair use, and international (EU/CJEU) anchors — is in TRADEMARKS.md. If you represent a rights holder and have a good-faith concern, reach us via the email in SECURITY.md — we will adjust naming, disclaimers, or surfaces in good faith.

This notice is not legal advice; consult a qualified attorney for guidance specific to your jurisdiction and use.