# Loam documentation

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

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](/docs/install): one command installs the app and the `loam` command line.
2. [Your first vault](/docs/first-vault): open a folder of notes as a vault.
3. [Core concepts](/docs/concepts): the terms used in these docs.
4. [Agents](/docs/agents): let an AI agent work in your vault.
5. [Plugins](/docs/plugins): add a feature, or build your own.

> **Tip:** For AI agents: `loam guide` prints the start guide, and `loam guide notes` explains how notes are written.

## 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.