Anchor every note to its source.
LitAnchor = Literature + Anchor — start from the literature and keep every note anchored to its source.
Quick start · Why it is different · Reading modes · Note template · Docs · 中文
LitAnchor Notes is an evidence-first note brand. Its current public module, litanchor-paper-reading, handles one academic paper at a time. Give it a PDF for a standalone Markdown note, or use Zotero acquisition and safe Obsidian export.
Current public candidate: v1.0.0-rc1. It remains a Pre-release until public usage feedback supports promotion to the stable release.
Give the repository URL to an agent that can run local commands and access files:
Install this Skill for me: https://github.com/xieyf1024/Litanchor-paper-reading
Then provide a PDF directly:
Deep-read this PDF and create a Markdown note next to it.
Or use the integrated Zotero → Obsidian route:
Deep-read “Paper title” and save the note to my Research Vault.
The wording is not literal. Agents should recognize equivalent install, skim, deep-read, internalize, and export requests. The direct-PDF route needs neither Zotero nor Obsidian. The integrated route may confirm the Obsidian Vault, Literature Inbox, and MinerU consent policy on first use.
| 📌 Traceable | 🧠 Complete | 🖼️ Visual | 🛡️ Safe |
|---|---|---|---|
| Important facts link to verified physical PDF pages | Methods, equations, experiments, results, discussion, and limitations stay distinct | Key method or result figures are selected and cropped from the original PDF | Writes stay inside an authorized directory and refuse overwrite by default |
Reader notes stay clean: they show compact linked p.x Zotero locators, while Evidence, Claims, full quotations, and validation records remain in private sidecars.
| Generic summary tools | LitAnchor |
|---|---|
| Generate fluent prose directly from the document | Build Evidence → Claims → section synthesis before composing the note |
| Check only sentences already written | Review both factual fidelity and important-content recall |
| Emit page links even when locations are uncertain | Reject unverified PDF pages as formal evidence |
| Often skip equations, experiments, and figures | Run dedicated method, metric, experiment-chain, and visual passes |
| Fill gaps with model knowledge | Use the supplied paper as the only factual source |
flowchart LR
source["PDF / Zotero"] --> parse["Parse and map pages<br/>PyMuPDF + optional MinerU"]
parse --> ground["Read and ground<br/>Evidence → Claims"]
ground --> review["Review twice<br/>Fidelity + recall"]
review --> note["Markdown / Obsidian<br/>Page locators + key figures"]
classDef sourceNode fill:#E8F1FF,stroke:#2563EB,color:#172554
classDef processNode fill:#FFF7E6,stroke:#D97706,color:#451A03
classDef outputNode fill:#ECFDF5,stroke:#059669,color:#064E3B
class source sourceNode
class parse,ground,review processNode
class note outputNode
PyMuPDF remains authoritative for physical pages, quotations, coordinates, and original-image crops. For eligible files with user consent, MinerU automatically improves heading structure, reading order, captions, and complex-layout candidates. Its output must align back to the original PDF before supporting evidence.
| Mode | Use it when | Main output |
|---|---|---|
skim |
You need a fast decision on what the paper says and whether to continue | One-sentence summary, question, method skeleton, main results, conclusion boundary, and essential locators |
deep (default) |
You need an auditable graduate-level paper note | Background/gap, data, methods, equations, experiments, results, visuals, interpretation, limitations, and conclusions |
internalize |
You want to turn reading into testable research action | Everything in deep, plus research connections, falsifiable hypotheses, validation design, failure conditions, and follow-up reading |
All modes share the same factual boundary. Learning-layer content in internalize is labelled [analysis], [hypothesis], or [user]; it never masquerades as an author conclusion. See Paper Template v1.0 for the complete structure.
The current public build targets local-capable agents on Windows. The user asks for installation; the agent downloads the Release, creates an isolated environment, installs dependencies, runs doctor, and completes first-run setup.
Environment requirements and agent entry points
- Windows 10/11 x64;
- Python 3.10 or newer;
- Zotero 7 or newer (only for the Zotero integration route);
- Obsidian Desktop with a local Vault (only for Obsidian export);
- an agent that can run local commands, write to authorized paths, and download dependencies.
Python and Zotero use minimum versions only. Newer untested versions are capability-probed by doctor instead of being rejected by an arbitrary maximum.
.\install.ps1 -Action Install
.\litanchor.ps1 doctor
.\litanchor.ps1 setup -Vault "Vault name" -Inbox "LitAnchor\00_Inbox" -MinerUConsent ask_each_time -CreateInbox
.\litanchor.ps1 run-plan -Paper "Paper title" -Vault "Vault name"
.\litanchor.ps1 run-plan -PdfPath "D:\Papers\paper.pdf" -OutputNote "D:\Notes\paper.md"These are agent and contributor interfaces, not mandatory manual steps for end users. See installation requirements and integrations.
- Use only the supplied paper for formal paper facts.
- Preserve author uncertainty; never upgrade interpretation or speculation to fact.
- Preserve numbers, units, variables, ranges, errors, and applicability conditions.
- Block formal export when parsing, evidence, or important-content recall fails.
- Keep Zotero read-only and Obsidian writes inside the authorized Inbox.
- Require local consent for external parsing; MinerU is never an authoritative evidence source.
- One paper per run; no batch review or knowledge graph.
- Native-text PDFs are the stable path; scanned and pathological layouts may degrade or block.
- Markdown is the sole formal note output; LitAnchor does not generate a separate PDF note.
- No Zotero write-back, bidirectional sync, or silent overwrite of existing notes.
- Review key visuals, core numbers, and source locators before long-term use.
Documentation · Workflow · Data Schema · Evaluation · Roadmap · Contributing · Security
Use the matching installation, PDF runtime, or note-quality Issue form. Never upload paper PDFs, private Zotero data, Obsidian Vault contents, API keys, personal annotations, or runtime Evidence/Claim artifacts.
GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 only. See THIRD_PARTY.md and NOTICE.md for PyMuPDF licensing, MinerU service boundaries, and design references.