Epicenter: A Database for Your Mind, Built on Plain Text
A shared workspace for everything you think, write, and build.
TL;DR: if you're a hacker, a generalist, a cracked Svelte/Typescript developer, or a local-first/open-source/privacy enthusiast, join our Discord and DM me. I would love to build with you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZNOH5yKxO0
Hey everyone! 👋 It’s Braden, and I’m building Epicenter.
Epicenter is an open-source suite of tools built around a single idea:
Creativity thrives when you blur the lines between disciplines.
Your tools should reflect that. Most tools divide you—one for writing, one for planning, one for research. We’re building tools that talk to each other—so you can stay in flow across every kind of work.
Epicenter will be a growing software ecosystem—a text editor, a CRM, a personal assistant, and more—all built around a shared local memory.
The problem
Modern knowledge work is fragmented.
I journal into an app I don’t trust. I plan my week in a calendar app I’ll abandon next month. My notes drift aimlessly in systems I’ve outgrown. And every time I switch apps, the app forgets what I was working on.
Notes, code, and ideas live in isolated tools that don’t talk to each other, breaking flow and burying context.
The solution
A suite of open-source tools that share a single memory: a folder on your machine. Open-source, open-format, and fully yours.
The tools share so you can make connections across disciplines. Your ideas and data are never locked in.
I just launched epicenter.sh: a local-first assistant you can chat with. It lives in a folder, and we want to make it the access point to everything you’ve ever written, thought, or built.
epicenter.sh is the first addition to Epicenter. This is your new shell: your second brain becomes your dialogue partner. You type; it thinks. You ask; it searches. Under the hood, it’s powered by a modified version of Opencode, an excellent open-source coding agent. We’ve made our own CLI and UI to simplify configuration and the user experience. It’s rough around the edges, but it’s our first step in laying the foundation for our future applications.
Where We’re Headed
In a world where every app wants to trap you and your data, we’re building the opposite.
Epicenter is open-source, local-first, and plain-text native—so you can trust it, tweak it, or take it with you. We’re building tools that support intentional, interdisciplinary thinking: software for people who read, write, build, and connect.
A renaissance workflow, built on plain text and real ownership.
Our Ask
We’re early. But if you think like a generalist, build like a hacker, and value tools that respect your mind—we’d love to hear from you.
→ if you’re a cracked Svelte/Typescript developer, please DM me
→ star / fork / dive into the code on GitHub: https://github.com/epicenter-md/epicenter/
→ join the community on Discord. share what you’re excited to build
Sign up and tell us which tools you’d be most excited to use. Your input will shape what we build next.
About me:
At 18, I taught myself to code while studying ethics, politics, and economics at Yale. Since then, I’ve averaged ~10k commits/year and worked at three YC startups. I wrote my 65-page senior thesis on open-source governance and digital platforms. I care deeply about data ownership, open-source, and interdisciplinary thinking.
