# AI use cases for Open Notebook (lfnovo/open-notebook) Repo: [lfnovo/open-notebook](https://github.com/lfnovo/open-notebook) | Use cases: 3 | Page: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/lfnovo-open-notebook/ Open Notebook is an open source, self-hosted alternative to Google's NotebookLM. You add PDFs, videos, audio and web pages to notebooks, chat with an AI that cites your sources, search across everything and generate podcasts with one to four speakers. It works with 20+ model providers, including local Ollama and LM Studio, and runs with Docker Compose. This file holds every use case of this repo. Each one starts with a "## " heading and ends with its URL. - Self-host a private NotebookLM alternative with Docker: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/lfnovo-open-notebook/self-host-a-private-notebooklm-alternative/ - Chat with your PDFs and web pages and get cited answers: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/lfnovo-open-notebook/chat-with-your-research-using-cited-answers/ - Turn your research into a podcast with up to four speakers: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/lfnovo-open-notebook/generate-a-multi-speaker-podcast-from-your-notes/ ## How to self-host a private NotebookLM alternative with Docker with Open Notebook Repo: [lfnovo/open-notebook](https://github.com/lfnovo/open-notebook) | Difficulty: Beginner | Time: 20 minutes | Basis: From the README Download the official compose file, set an encryption key and start Open Notebook on your machine. **Who it is for:** A researcher whose documents are too sensitive to upload to Google's cloud. **The problem:** NotebookLM only runs on Google's servers with Google's models. **The outcome:** Open Notebook running at localhost:8502 with your own encryption key. ### Steps 1. Run `mkdir open-notebook && cd open-notebook` and download docker-compose.yml with the README's curl command 2. Change OPEN_NOTEBOOK_ENCRYPTION_KEY to a long random secret, for example from `openssl rand -hex 32` 3. Start it with `docker compose up -d` 4. Wait about 30 seconds and open http://localhost:8502 ### Prompt to paste into your agent ```text Set up lfnovo/open-notebook on this machine with the official docker-compose.yml, generate an encryption key, start it and confirm the UI loads on port 8502. Warn me if the ports are exposed beyond localhost. ``` ### Caveat This card is written from the lfnovo/open-notebook README, not from a test run by Deduped. Before you start, make sure you have Docker Desktop or Docker Engine with the Compose plugin. Check the repo for newer instructions before you rely on these steps. Risk, network-exposure: The README notes the UI (8502) and API (5055) are published on all interfaces with no password by default; do not run it on a shared network as is. Disclaimer: Third-party repos we don't own or vouch for. AI-generated use cases can be wrong: review everything and run at your own risk. Full text: https://dedupedai.com/disclaimer/ URL: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/lfnovo-open-notebook/self-host-a-private-notebooklm-alternative/ ## How to chat with your PDFs and web pages and get cited answers with Open Notebook Repo: [lfnovo/open-notebook](https://github.com/lfnovo/open-notebook) | Difficulty: Beginner | Time: 20 minutes | Basis: From the README Connect a model provider, add sources to a notebook and ask questions answered from your material. **Who it is for:** A student or analyst with a pile of papers, articles and recordings to make sense of. **The problem:** Reading and cross-referencing dozens of sources by hand takes days, and general chatbots do not cite your files. **The outcome:** Answers grounded in your notebook that cite the sources, notes and insights they used. ### Steps 1. Open Models in the sidebar and click Add Configuration for your provider (or a Base URL for Ollama) 2. Click Test, then add at least one Language model and one Embedding model 3. Click Auto-assign Defaults 4. Create a notebook, add PDFs, videos, audio or web pages, and start chatting ### Prompt to paste into your agent ```text In lfnovo/open-notebook, connect , create a notebook for , add , and ask . Show which sources each answer cites. ``` ### Caveat This card is written from the lfnovo/open-notebook README, not from a test run by Deduped. Before you start, make sure you have Docker Desktop or Docker Engine with the Compose plugin. Check the repo for newer instructions before you rely on these steps. Disclaimer: Third-party repos we don't own or vouch for. AI-generated use cases can be wrong: review everything and run at your own risk. Full text: https://dedupedai.com/disclaimer/ URL: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/lfnovo-open-notebook/chat-with-your-research-using-cited-answers/ ## How to turn your research into a podcast with up to four speakers with Open Notebook Repo: [lfnovo/open-notebook](https://github.com/lfnovo/open-notebook) | Difficulty: Intermediate | Time: 30 minutes | Basis: From the README Use Open Notebook's podcast generation with custom speaker profiles to make an audio summary. **Who it is for:** A teacher, team lead or creator who wants research turned into something people can listen to. **The problem:** NotebookLM's audio overviews are limited to two speakers and a fixed format. **The outcome:** A multi-speaker podcast episode generated from your notebook, with control over the script. ### Steps 1. Add the sources you want covered to a notebook 2. Set up one to four speaker profiles 3. Generate the podcast and review the script 4. Use a cheaper provider or local models to keep costs down ### Prompt to paste into your agent ```text Using lfnovo/open-notebook, generate a speaker podcast from my about , show me the script first, then produce the audio. ``` ### Caveat This card is written from the lfnovo/open-notebook README, not from a test run by Deduped. Before you start, make sure you have Docker Desktop or Docker Engine with the Compose plugin. Check the repo for newer instructions before you rely on these steps. Disclaimer: Third-party repos we don't own or vouch for. AI-generated use cases can be wrong: review everything and run at your own risk. Full text: https://dedupedai.com/disclaimer/ URL: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/lfnovo-open-notebook/generate-a-multi-speaker-podcast-from-your-notes/