Common questions
Everything you need to know about Hjarni. Can't find your answer? Email evert@hjarni.com.
Getting started
What is Hjarni?
A simple knowledge base that gives ChatGPT and Claude long-term memory. Write notes in Markdown. Connect your AI via a built-in MCP server.
How does Hjarni work?
You write notes. Your AI reads them. Hjarni has a built-in MCP server, so a connected ChatGPT or Claude can search, read, create, and update your notes when a task calls for it. Your notes stay available without you copying and pasting them into every chat.
Is this just another note-taking app?
No. It's a knowledge base your AI can actually use. Your notes become live context for every AI conversation.
Who is Hjarni for?
Anyone tired of re-explaining context to their AI. Developers, researchers, founders, writers, and teams.
What does Hjarni mean?
Old Norse for brain. It's what the product does: give your AI a brain it can use across conversations.
AI and MCP
What's MCP?
Model Context Protocol. An open standard that lets AI assistants connect to external tools and data. Hjarni has a built-in MCP server. Your AI reads and writes your notes directly.
Which AI assistants work with Hjarni?
Connect ChatGPT or Claude from their directory listings, subject to availability for your account and workspace. Cursor, Claude Code, Copilot and other MCP clients can connect to the same notes. Ask your connected assistant to check Hjarni when it needs your saved context.
How do I give my AI a memory?
Connect Hjarni from the ChatGPT or Claude directory and sign in or create a free account. Ask your assistant to save one useful note. In a new chat, ask it to check Hjarni and retrieve that note. For recurring work, add an instruction to check your notes before answering.
ChatGPT already has memory. Why do I need this?
Built-in memory can help with preferences inside your assistant. Hjarni adds notes you can read, edit, organize, and export, shared across the assistants you connect. Ask your AI to check the relevant notes before answering and update them when facts change. See the full comparison: Hjarni vs ChatGPT memory.
Can I control how my AI uses my notes?
Yes. Set custom AI instructions on any folder, team, or your whole account. Your AI follows your conventions. Not its defaults.
Does Hjarni have its own AI?
No. You bring your own. That means no per-message costs, no token limits, no surprises on your bill.
Does Hjarni work with Gemini?
Yes, two ways. Gemini CLI connects over MCP from your terminal. The Gemini app can connect too, through Spark's custom-app connector, though Google currently limits that to Spark-eligible personal Google accounts in the US, so a Workspace account cannot use it yet.
MCP configuration
What is an MCP config file?
A JSON file that tells an MCP client like Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or Cursor which servers to connect to. The standard shape is a top-level "mcpServers" object where each key is a server name.
Where is claude_desktop_config.json stored?
On macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json. On Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json. Claude Desktop creates the file the first time you open Settings, Developer, Edit Config.
Is the MCP Config Validator safe to use with real API keys?
Yes. Validation runs entirely in your browser with JavaScript. Your API keys, tokens, and environment variables never leave the page, and nothing is sent to our servers.
What is the difference between a local and a remote MCP server?
A local (stdio) server runs as a subprocess on your machine and uses "command" and "args". A remote server runs on the internet and uses "url" with an "http" or "sse" transport. A single server entry cannot use both "command" and "url" at the same time.
Why do MCP servers need -y when launched with npx?
Without "-y", npx prompts interactively on first run to confirm package installation. MCP clients cannot answer that prompt, so the server fails to start. Adding "-y" (or "--yes") skips the prompt so the server boots cleanly.
Features
Why not Notion or Obsidian?
Great tools. Different goals. Hjarni is built from the ground up for AI. Custom instructions per folder. Team-wide AI conventions. An MCP server designed around your knowledge, not bolted onto a workspace. See how Hjarni compares to Notion, Obsidian, ChatGPT Projects, Claude Projects, and Apple Notes.
Which note-taking apps have a native MCP server?
A handful now do, and they split into two kinds. Hjarni, Notion and Heptabase answer at a hosted endpoint, so ChatGPT on the web or on your phone can reach them. Bear, Tana, Anytype and Roam ship official servers that run on your own machine, so only the assistants on that machine can use them. Hjarni's is built into the product and connects over OAuth, with no plugin, export or copy-paste.
Is there a mobile or desktop app?
Yes, and they are free on every plan. Native apps for iPhone, iPad and Android, and the same Apple app runs as its own window on Apple Silicon Macs. Same account, same notes, same features as the web. Hjarni also runs in any browser and has a Chrome web clipper.
Can I collaborate with others?
Yes. Create a team, invite members, share folders. Everyone's AI benefits from the shared knowledge.
Does Hjarni support file attachments?
Yes. PDFs, images, documents. Drop them on any note. Free includes 20 MB across five attachments in personal notes; paid plans have no attachment count or storage cap (files up to 25 MB each) and cover attachments in team notes.
Can I email notes into Hjarni?
Yes, on Pro. Every folder can have its own email address, so a forwarded newsletter, receipt, or thread becomes a note in that folder with the subject as the title and attachments included. Quoted replies and signatures are stripped first. See email notes into Hjarni.
Can I import my Obsidian vault?
Yes. Zip your vault folder and upload it from the Import page. Folder structure, frontmatter, wiki-links, and embedded attachments all come across. Any folder of Markdown files works, not just Obsidian.
Pricing
Is Hjarni free?
Yes. 25 notes with full API and MCP access. No trial. No expiration.
How much does Pro cost?
$12/month (€11, £10). Your AI's full memory: unlimited notes, unlimited file attachments, and public links guests can edit. View-only public links are free on every plan.
How much does Teams cost?
$20/seat/month (€18, £15). Shared knowledge base with member management.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel from Settings in a couple of clicks. When your plan ends you move to the free plan. No emails, no phone calls.
What happens to my notes if I cancel Pro?
Nothing is deleted, and you can always export everything. Every note stays readable and searchable by you and your AI. If you're within the 25-note free limit you carry on as normal. If you're over it, the account becomes read-only: you can still read, search, export and delete, but not edit or add notes until you're back under 25 or on Pro again.
Privacy and data
What happens to my data?
Your notes live on our servers. Export everything as Markdown anytime. We don't train AI on your data. We don't sell it. It's yours.
Can I export my notes?
Yes. Export everything as Markdown in a ZIP. Anytime. No lock-in.
Can I self-host Hjarni?
Not currently. It's a hosted service. That keeps things simple, for you and for us.
Start here
Write once. You both remember.
25 notes free, forever. No credit card required.
Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and any MCP client.