AI Tool

Hister Review

Hister is an open-source, self-hosted tool that creates a private, full-text search engine out of browsing history and local files, indexing content for recall and integration with AI agents.

shipped Aug 29, 2026freemium

Domain rating31Monthly visits1/mo

Why it matters

1Hister is an open-source, self-hosted search engine released under the AGPLv3 License.

2It indexes the full content of visited web pages and local files, including PDFs, DOCX, and Markdown.

3Hister offers a developer API, with documentation available at https://hister.org/docs/.

4The platform features browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox for automatic page indexing.

About Hister

Business Model

Open Source

Funding

Bootstrapped

Platforms

Web, Desktop

Target Audience

Individuals seeking a private search engine solution

API Docs GitHubOpen Source

Specs

API Docs

View Documentation →

GitHub

View Repository →

API Available

Yes, public API

Screenshots

overview

What is Hister?

Hister is a personal search engine tool developed by asciimoo that enables individuals to create a private, full-text search index of their digital content. It indexes the full content of web pages visited, local files, and imported browser history, providing a user-controlled knowledge base.

features

Key Features of Hister

Hister provides a robust set of features designed for private, comprehensive content indexing and retrieval. Its architecture prioritizes user control and data privacy, offering capabilities beyond standard browser history functions.

Private and controlled search index: All indexed data resides on the user's server, ensuring full data ownership.
Full-text indexing: Indexes the entire content of visited web pages and local files (PDFs, DOCX, Markdown, text files).
Automatic browser indexing: Browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox automatically save newly visited pages.
Powerful query language: Supports advanced searches with field filters, exact phrases, wildcards, negation, and result priorities.
Optional semantic search: Allows configuration of custom embeddings endpoints for meaning-based document retrieval.
Versatile content ingestion: Imports existing browser history, crawls specified websites, and monitors local directories.
Multiple client interfaces: Accessible via a web interface, terminal user interface (TUI), command-line interface (CLI), and API.
AI Assistant Integration (MCP): Built-in Multi-Client Protocol (MCP) server enables AI assistants to access and search indexed history for context.
No telemetry: By default, Hister operates without any data collection or cloud synchronization.

use cases

Who Should Use Hister?

Hister is designed for users who require a high degree of privacy and control over their digital information, offering specific solutions for personal knowledge management and AI agent integration.

Individuals seeking a private, self-hosted search solution to reduce dependence on online search engines.
Researchers or professionals needing to index and search their own collected digital content, including web pages and local files.
Users who want to build a personal, searchable knowledge base from their browsing history, bookmarks, and documents.
Developers looking for a tool with API and command-line integration for custom workflows and AI agent context provision.

how to use

How to Use Hister

To begin using Hister, users typically deploy the self-hosted server and then integrate browser extensions or import existing data. The process involves setting up the local environment and configuring content sources.

1Download and install the Hister server software on a local machine or private server.
2Configure content sources, such as specifying directories for local file indexing.
3Install the Hister browser extension for Chrome or Firefox to automatically index visited web pages.
4Import existing browser history and bookmarks through the provided interface or CLI.
5Utilize the web interface, TUI, or CLI to perform full-text searches on indexed content.
6Optionally, connect AI assistants via the built-in MCP server to provide them with indexed context.

pricing

Hister Pricing & Plans

Hister is distributed as free, open-source software under the AGPLv3 License. There are no paid plans or subscription tiers for the core software. Development is supported by community contributions, including code, suggestions, and financial sponsorship.

Freemium: Free (open-source core with no mandatory paid features)

Enjoying this? Get one like it in your inbox each morning.

one email a day · unsubscribe in two clicks · no third-party tracking

Pros

+Full control over data privacy with no telemetry or mandatory cloud services.
+Comprehensive full-text indexing of web pages, local files (PDF, DOCX, Markdown), and browser history.
+Open-source software under AGPLv3 License, allowing for community contributions and transparency.
+Integration with AI assistants via a built-in Multi-Client Protocol (MCP) server for contextual recall.
+Multiple interfaces including web, TUI, CLI, and an API for flexible interaction.
+Powerful query language supporting advanced search parameters like field filters and wildcards.

Cons

−Requires self-hosting and technical setup, which may be a barrier for non-technical users.
−Reliance on community contributions for development and support, without dedicated commercial backing.
−No prominent user reviews or widespread reception data available as of early 2024.
−Initial setup and ongoing maintenance of a personal server may require time and resources.

Related AI Tools

Other tools in this category, matched by shared tags

Phonon-2 Erly Voicy Muse Code Vugola Go Tall

Visit Hister↗

Connect

⌘

GitHubgithub.com/asciimoo/hister

💬

Discorddiscord.gg/beEyuHxRSs