Quick Start - Cloud AI Providers (5 minutes)

Get Open Notebook running with Anthropic, Google, Groq, or other cloud providers. Same simplicity as OpenAI, with more choices.

Prerequisites

1. Docker Desktop installed

   • Download here
   • Already have it? Skip to step 2

2. API Key from your chosen provider:

   • OpenRouter (100+ models, one key): https://openrouter.ai/keys
   • Anthropic (Claude): https://console.anthropic.com/
   • Google (Gemini): https://aistudio.google.com/
   • Groq (fast, free tier): https://console.groq.com/
   • Mistral: https://console.mistral.ai/
   • DeepSeek: https://platform.deepseek.com/
   • xAI (Grok): https://console.x.ai/

Step 1: Create Configuration (1 min)

Create a new folder open-notebook and add this file:

docker-compose.yml:

services:
  surrealdb:
    image: surrealdb/surrealdb:v2
    command: start --user root --pass password --bind 0.0.0.0:8000 rocksdb:/mydata/mydatabase.db
    ports:
      - "8000:8000"
    volumes:
      - ./surreal_data:/mydata
    # Removed the healthcheck because the v2 image is too minimal to run wget/curl
    restart: always

  open_notebook:
    image: lfnovo/open_notebook:v1-latest
    pull_policy: always
    ports:
      - "8502:8502"  # Web UI
      - "5055:5055"  # API
    environment:
      - OPEN_NOTEBOOK_ENCRYPTION_KEY=change-me-to-a-secret-string
      - SURREAL_URL=ws://surrealdb:8000/rpc
      - SURREAL_USER=root
      - SURREAL_PASSWORD=password
      - SURREAL_NAMESPACE=open_notebook
      - SURREAL_DATABASE=open_notebook
    volumes:
      - ./notebook_data:/app/data
    depends_on:
      - surrealdb
    restart: always

Edit the file:

• Replace change-me-to-a-secret-string with your own secret (any string works)

Step 2: Start Services (1 min)

Open terminal in your open-notebook folder:

docker compose up -d

Wait 15-20 seconds for services to start.

Step 3: Access Open Notebook (instant)

Open your browser:

http://localhost:8502

You should see the Open Notebook interface!

Step 4: Configure Your AI Provider (1 min)

1. Go to Settings → API Keys
2. Click Add Credential
3. Select your provider (e.g., Anthropic, Google, Groq, OpenRouter)
4. Give it a name, paste your API key
5. Click Save
6. Click Test Connection — should show success
7. Click Discover Models → Register Models

Your provider's models are now available!

Multiple providers: You can add credentials for as many providers as you want. Just repeat this step for each provider.

Step 5: Configure Your Model (1 min)

1. Go to Settings (gear icon)
2. Navigate to Models
3. Select your provider's model:

4. Click Save

Step 6: Create Your First Notebook (1 min)

1. Click New Notebook
2. Name: "My Research"
3. Click Create

Step 7: Add Content & Chat (2 min)

1. Click Add Source
2. Choose Web Link
3. Paste any article URL
4. Wait for processing
5. Go to Chat and ask questions!

Verification Checklist

• Docker is running
• You can access http://localhost:8502
• Provider credential is configured and tested
• Models are registered
• You created a notebook
• Chat works

All checked? You're ready to research!

Provider Comparison

Troubleshooting

"Model not found" Error

1. Go to Settings → API Keys
2. Click Test Connection on your credential
3. If valid, click Discover Models → Register Models
4. Check you have credits/access for the model

"Cannot connect to server"

docker ps  # Check all services running
docker compose logs  # View logs
docker compose restart  # Restart everything

Provider-Specific Issues

Anthropic: Ensure key starts with sk-ant- Google: Use AI Studio key, not Cloud Console Groq: Free tier has rate limits; upgrade if needed

Cost Estimates

Approximate costs per 1K tokens:

Check provider websites for current pricing.

Next Steps

1. Add Your Content: PDFs, web links, documents
2. Explore Features: Podcasts, transformations, search
3. Full Documentation: See all features

Need help? Join our Discord community!