Frontmatter5 fields
type- Command Documentation
title- openknowledge view
description- Browse a local or connected knowledge base in the web viewer.
tagstimestamp
openknowledge view
Start the local web viewer. Specify a path or registry key to open one knowledge base. Omit the target to open the registry workspace selector.
Usage
okn view [key-or-path]
okn view --no-browser Wiki
okn view --host 127.0.0.1 --port 8080 Wiki
okn view --allow-network --host 0.0.0.0 Wiki| Option | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
--host <host> | 127.0.0.1 | Listener host. |
--port <port> | free port | Listener port. |
--allow-network | off | Permit a non-loopback bind and require authentication. |
--token <token> | environment/generated | Network access token. Prefer OPENKNOWLEDGE_VIEW_TOKEN. |
--name <name> | registry/folder name | Alias used for a direct path. |
--no-browser | off | Print the URL. Do not open a browser. |
--head-file <file> | environment | Trusted HTML injected into every page head. |
--head-html <html> | environment | Trusted inline HTML injected into every page head. |
--script-src <src> | environment | Trusted script URL. Repeatable. |
Head injection also reads OPENKNOWLEDGE_HEAD_FILE, OPENKNOWLEDGE_HEAD_HTML, and OPENKNOWLEDGE_SCRIPT_SRC.
Viewer features
- The viewer renders Markdown and follows local links. It renders fenced
mermaidblocks as diagrams. It also shows note panels, source graphs, validation context, highlighted assets, and media or PDF previews. - The link behavior control is next to viewer settings. Open-beside mode is the default. The control can select the current panel mode. The browser stores this selection. Hold Shift during activation to use the other mode one time. Each panel keeps its own focus and close controls.
- AST-based search uses the same section ranking as
okn search. It also uses the same one-level link expansion. Results group section matches by document. They can link to and highlight the matching text. - The viewer shows typed YAML frontmatter, tag filters, sortable tables, and directory breadcrumbs. The file explorer expands the active file branch. Directory rows can collapse, and the explorer has a Collapse all action.
- The knowledge graph reports the selected note and its connection count. A left detail panel keeps this information outside the graph canvas. The file tree stays in the file explorer. Arrow keys move the selection. Enter opens the selected note.
- You can change browser-local themes, typography, line length, contrast, motion, and link settings. Reset to defaults restores the viewer defaults. These preferences do not change source Markdown.
- Direct paths and writable local connections provide local editor links. Static exports use configured repository source links.
- The local viewer serves the same Vite-built JavaScript and CSS bundle as static exports. Local routes supply live API data. Static pages load one shared generated data file.
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
⌘K / Ctrl+K | Focus search. |
⌘⌥S / Ctrl+Alt+S | Toggle the file explorer. |
⌘⌥W / Ctrl+Alt+W | Close the focused note. |
The viewer selects the displayed brand from root metadata in this order: okf_bundle_title, okf_bundle_name, title, then the first H1.
Network and file safety
Loopback mode does not require a token. A non-loopback or wildcard bind requires --allow-network. All routes then use token authentication.
The initial URL exchanges the token for an HttpOnly, SameSite cookie. It then redirects to a clean URL. A remote client can also send Authorization: Bearer <token>.
Raw routes serve only regular non-Markdown bundle assets. They exclude dotfiles, .git, openknowledge.toml, and symlinks. Markdown and asset resolution cannot leave the bundle root.
The viewer inserts trusted head fragments in their original form. Use only content that you control.
In registry mode, the viewer rebuilds routes after the validated registry snapshot changes. It refreshes content-hashed search indexes after source edits. A registry or fingerprint failure returns an error. The viewer does not serve stale or partly trusted state.
Theme and source-link configuration comes from openknowledge.toml. For deployment, use the HTML exporter.