Thalo Documentation

Welcome to the Thalo documentation. Thalo is a structured plain-text language for capturing personal knowledge, thoughts, and references.

Quick Start

New to Thalo? Start here:

1. Getting Started - Install Thalo and create your first knowledge base
2. Syntax & Concepts - Learn the core language syntax
3. Entity Definitions - Define custom entity types
4. Change Tracking - How Thalo tracks changes for synthesis
5. CLI Reference - Complete command-line interface reference
6. Examples - Real-world examples and patterns

What is Thalo?

Thalo (Thought And Lore Language) is a structured plain-text format for your knowledge. It's:

• Plain text - Version control with git, search with grep, edit with any tool
• Structured - Not just markdown soup, actual typed entries with metadata
• Queryable - Cross-reference with ^links, filter by #tags, define syntheses
• AI-ready - Feed your knowledge base to LLMs with full context

Core Concepts

Entities

Define custom types for your knowledge (opinions, journals, references, lore, or anything you need).

Entries

Create structured entries with metadata, links, tags, and content sections.

Syntheses

Query your knowledge base and generate AI prompts for synthesis.

Links & Tags

Build a web of connected knowledge with ^links and organize with #tags.

Example

2026-01-08T14:30Z create opinion "Plain text is the universal interface" ^plain-text-ftw #pkm
  confidence: "high"

  # Claim
  When your knowledge lives in plain text, everything can read it and write it.

  # Reasoning
  - grep works. git works. your editor works.
  - AI writes plain text natively—no plugins, no export, no friction.
  - structured text gives AI the context it needs to help you think.

Get Started

Ready to begin? Check out the Getting Started guide to install Thalo and create your first knowledge base.