Abode 101 is an open-source project that creates a personal AI knowledge base for your house. You capture details about what you own, fix, and maintain. Your AI reads it and gives exact answers with sources — like 'the fridge filter is MWF, per the manual on page 12.'

Why do I need a knowledge base for my house?

Because you forget. What filter does the fridge take? When was the water heater installed? What's the battery in the thermostat? A house has hundreds of details you look up repeatedly. Abode 101 stores them once, and your AI retrieves them instantly.

How is this different from just asking ChatGPT?

ChatGPT doesn't know YOUR house. It guesses based on common models. Abode 101 stores your specific details — your exact appliance models, install dates, filter sizes, warranty info — and your AI answers from that, with citations.

What can I ask my Abode AI?

Anything about your home: 'What's the battery for the entry dimmer?' 'When was the HVAC last serviced?' 'What maintenance is due this month?' 'What size is the furnace filter?' It answers with sources and says 'I don't know' when data is missing.

Do I need to buy an app or subscription?

No. Abode 101 is free, open-source, and runs on plain Markdown files. No app, no database, no subscription. You use your existing AI (Claude, ChatGPT, local models) and point it at your folder.

How do I add things to my Abode?

Drop a manual PDF, receipt photo, or Amazon link into the intake folder. Tell your AI 'I bought a new dishwasher.' It creates a structured file with model, install date, warranty, and links to related systems.

What happens when home apps shut down?

Your data dies with them. Abode 101 uses plain Markdown files you own forever. Move them anywhere, back them up with git, read them in any text editor. The format survives app shutdowns, acquisitions, and pivots.

Can any AI use Abode 101?

Yes. Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, local LLMs — anything that reads Markdown. Point your AI at the AGENTS.md file and it understands how to navigate your home knowledge base.

What's the connection to Google's OKF?

Abode 101 follows Google's Open Knowledge Format spec — one concept per file, YAML frontmatter, Markdown body. It's a standardized pattern that any tool can read, now and in the future.

Abode 101: Build a Personal AI That Actually Knows Your House

By Prahlad Menon Published 2026-07-01 4 min read

You’ve explained your house to AI assistants dozens of times.

“What filter does my fridge take?” You look it up. Again. “When did we replace the water heater?” You dig through emails. “What’s the battery for the doorbell?” You Google the model. Again.

Your AI doesn’t remember because it doesn’t know your house. Every conversation starts from zero.

Abode 101 fixes this.

The Problem: Your House Has Hundreds of Details You Keep Forgetting

Every homeowner accumulates knowledge:

Model numbers — The fridge filter. The HVAC air filter size. The garage door opener frequency.
Install dates — When you bought the dishwasher. When the roof was replaced. When the water heater was installed (and when it’s due for replacement).
Maintenance schedules — Change the HVAC filter every 90 days. Replace smoke alarm batteries yearly. Service the furnace in fall.
Specs and quirks — The dimmer needs a CR2032 battery. The outdoor faucet requires winterization. The breaker for the kitchen is #14.

This knowledge is scattered: emails, manuals in a drawer, photos on your phone, your memory. Every time you need it, you hunt for it.

The Solution: A Folder Your AI Can Read

Abode 101 is a structured folder of Markdown files — one file per “thing” in your house. Your AI reads it, answers questions, and even helps maintain it.

What it looks like in practice:

you ▸ what's the battery for the entry dimmer?
abode ▸ Panasonic CR2032, per the manual (items/entry-dimmer.md, page 10).

you ▸ what filter does the fridge take?
abode ▸ GE MWF. Last replaced 2026-01. Due for replacement.
       (items/refrigerator.md)

you ▸ how old is the water heater?
abode ▸ Installed April 2019, so about 7 years. Typical lifespan is 10-12.
       (items/water-heater.md)

you ▸ what maintenance is due this month?
abode ▸ From maintenance/schedule.md:
       - HVAC filter change (every 90 days, last: April 1)
       - Check water softener salt level (monthly)

you ▸ what's the warranty on the dishwasher?
abode ▸ 2-year parts & labor, expires August 2027.
       (items/dishwasher.md, receipt attached)

The key difference from asking ChatGPT: It answers from your data, cites the source, and explicitly says “I don’t know” when something isn’t recorded.

How It Works

1. One File Per Thing

Each item, system, or area in your house gets a Markdown file:

---
type: Item
title: Kitchen Refrigerator  
model: GE GNE27JYMFS
install_date: 2022-08
warranty_expires: 2024-08
---

# Filter
- Type: GE MWF
- Replace every: 6 months
- Last replaced: 2026-01-15

# Specs
- Dimensions: 35.75"W x 69.875"H x 36.25"D
- Breaker: #8 (kitchen circuit)

# Manual
[GE GNE27JYMFS Manual](/resources/ge-refrigerator-manual.pdf)

2. Drop Things In, AI Organizes

Got a new appliance? Drop the Amazon link, receipt photo, or manual PDF into the resource_intake/ folder. Tell your AI:

“I just bought a new Dyson vacuum, here’s the receipt”

It creates a structured file: model, purchase date, warranty, maintenance schedule, and links to related items.

3. Ask Questions, Get Cited Answers

Point any AI at your Abode folder. It reads AGENTS.md first (the “contract” explaining how to navigate), then answers questions with sources.

No guessing. If the info isn’t there, it says so:

you ▸ what's the paint color in the living room?
abode ▸ Not recorded. I'd need that added to areas/living-room.md.

4. Maintenance Reminders Without an App

Your maintenance/schedule.md tracks recurring tasks:

| Item | Task | Frequency | Last Done | Next Due |
|------|------|-----------|-----------|----------|
| HVAC | Replace filter | 90 days | 2026-04-01 | 2026-07-01 |
| Fridge | Replace water filter | 6 months | 2026-01-15 | 2026-07-15 |
| Smoke alarms | Replace batteries | 12 months | 2025-11-01 | 2026-11-01 |
| Water heater | Flush tank | 12 months | 2025-09-15 | 2026-09-15 |

Ask “what’s due this month?” and get a real answer based on your actual schedule.

Why Markdown, Not an App?

Every home management app eventually dies. Notion pivots. That startup gets acquired. The company sunsets the product. Your data goes with it.

Markdown files:

You own them. No account, no subscription, no terms of service.
They’re portable. Move them anywhere. Back them up with git.
They’re readable. Open in any text editor, forever.
Any AI can use them. Claude, GPT, Gemini, local models — they all read Markdown.

The app is your AI. The database is a folder. The format is plain text.

Getting Started

git clone https://github.com/NOTHANS/ABODE101.git my-house
cd my-house

# Initialize your files
cp index.template.md index.md
cp log.template.md log.md

# Start capturing
# Drop a manual into resource_intake/, or just tell your AI what you bought

Point Claude, ChatGPT, or any AI at the folder. Start with:

“Read AGENTS.md, then help me capture details about my refrigerator.”

The Pattern Behind It

Abode 101 follows Google’s Open Knowledge Format (OKF) — a spec released June 2026 for representing knowledge as structured Markdown. One concept per file, YAML frontmatter, links between files.

It’s also based on Karpathy’s “LLM wiki” idea: instead of RAG (searching chunks on every query), build a knowledge base the AI writes and maintains. Relationships are established once at capture time, not re-derived every time you ask a question.

You don’t need to understand the spec to use Abode 101. It’s already structured for you. Just start capturing your house.

What You Can Build

Once your Abode is populated:

Warranty tracker — “What warranties expire this year?”
Moving checklist — Export everything for the next owner
Insurance inventory — “List all appliances with purchase dates and values”
Contractor handoff — “Give me all the specs for the HVAC system”
Troubleshooting — “The kitchen outlet isn’t working — what breaker is it on?”

Your house knowledge, always accessible, never forgotten.

MIT licensed. 6 stars and growing.

Check it out: github.com/NOTHANS/ABODE101

Watch the 60-second explainer: YouTube

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