Get started

What Loam is, what it can do, and where to start: install, your first vault, core concepts, agents and plugins.

Let your agent set it up

This page explains what Loam is and gives you a reading path through the docs.

What Loam is

Loam is a native, local-first Markdown notebook for the Mac. A vault is a plain folder of Markdown notes on your disk. There is no account, and your notes do not depend on a server. Everything beyond writing is a plugin: boards, collections, mindmaps, tasks, habits, a graph of your notes, and more.

AI agents work in the same vault through the loam command line. They read and change notes, and they write new plugins.

Where to start

1. Install: one command installs the app and the loam command line.
2. Your first vault: open a folder of notes as a vault.
3. Core concepts: the terms used in these docs.
4. Agents: let an AI agent work in your vault.
5. Plugins: add a feature, or build your own.

Requirements and updates

These docs cover Loam 0.1, which runs on macOS 26 or later, on Apple silicon. Loam checks for updates once a day and downloads a new version in the background. It installs when you choose Restart to Update.