Find content from visited web pages and local files on your own server
When you need to locate a specific sentence from a technical document you read yesterday or the contents of a locally stored configuration file, Hister searches for that information within your server. It is a tool that automatically collects visited pages via a browser extension and indexes local files, allowing you to search through a web interface, terminal, or AI assistant. All data remains on a server under your control, so you do not have to rely on third-party search services.
Search combining browser and local files
Hister indexes the full content of visited web pages and local files, not just URLs or titles. Installing the Firefox or Chrome extension automatically sends newly visited pages to the server for storage. You can also import existing browser history or bookmarks, or specify a local directory to index files. This collected data can be searched via a web browser, terminal UI, command line, or an AI assistant connected through MCP.
Precise search and semantic exploration
It supports various query features such as field filters, syntax, wildcards, negative conditions, aliases, and result prioritization to help you find desired information more accurately. You can also enable search based on document meaning by setting an embedding endpoint. This feature is optional; if activated, document text is sent to the embedding server you specify, so you should check your privacy settings in advance.
Installation and execution
The easiest method is to download the binary for your platform from the latest release. Rename the file to hister and grant execute permissions using the chmod +x hister command on Linux or macOS. Run the server with the ./hister listen command, then open the local host address (127.0.0.1:4433) in your browser to install the extension. Installation via Homebrew, Docker, and Nix is also supported, and no separate configuration file is required for local personal use settings.
Privacy and data control
Hister has no telemetry or cloud synchronization features by default. The browser extension sends page content to be indexed only to the Hister server you configure, and does not send data externally except for downloading page favicons. Documents and search indexes are all stored on that server. Multi-user support allows documents and search results for each user to be managed separately in shared server environments.
Pre-use considerations
Hister is distributed under the AGPLv3 license and requires Go 1.26, npm, and a C compiler for CGO dependencies for development. If you enable semantic search, document content is sent to an external embedding server, so you must review that server's privacy policy. If you want a completely isolated environment locally, disable the semantic search feature and carefully configure the server address that the browser extension connects to.
