ContextNest Community Edition

Self-hosted context governance server for AI workflows. Part of the PromptOwl platform.

⚠️ Commercial Software. ContextNest Community Edition is proprietary software licensed by Promptowl LLC. A free PromptOwl account is required to use it. Redistribution, hosting-as-a-service, and competitive use are prohibited. See LICENSE.md for full terms.

What it is

ContextNest Community Edition is a self-hosted server that lets you:

• Store, version, and govern markdown-based context documents ("nests")
• Import an existing folder or vault of markdown files in one step
• Apply stewardship workflows — draft, pending review, approved
• Share nests with collaborators or publish them read-only to the public
• Serve approved context to AI agents via MCP, HTTP, or CLI
• Sync with the PromptOwl hosted platform for multi-user collaboration

The server runs locally or on your own infrastructure. Your PromptOwl account handles authentication, entitlement, and governance metadata.

Quickstart

# 1. Run the community server
npx @promptowl/contextnest-community

# 2. Open the server in your browser
#    http://localhost:3838
#    On first boot with no license, it lands on the License Setup Page.

# 3. Paste your PromptOwl license key (pk_...) — see "License setup" below

The server listens on http://localhost:3838 by default. Without a valid license the server still runs and serves reads, but write actions return 503 until you activate. See CONFIGURATION.md for all environment variables (port, auth mode, storage, telemetry).

Optional: scaffold a local nest with the open-source CLI before connecting:

npx @promptowl/contextnest-cli init

License setup

ContextNest Community Edition requires a PromptOwl Community License key (pk_...). Getting and activating one:

1. Create the key (free)

1. Sign up or log in at https://app.promptowl.ai
2. Open the Overview menu → Community License
3. Click Create a Community License key
4. Copy the generated key — it starts with pk_

2. Activate the server

Pick one of two ways:

A. Browser setup page (recommended for first run)

1. Start the server: npx @promptowl/contextnest-community
2. Open http://localhost:3838 — with no license installed, the server boots into setup mode and shows the License Setup Page
3. Paste your pk_... key and submit
4. The server validates it against PromptOwl, writes it to your .env, and exits setup mode — no restart needed

B. Environment variable (recommended for Docker / CI / scripted deploys)

PROMPTOWL_KEY=pk_... npx @promptowl/contextnest-community

The key is read at boot. The server validates against PromptOwl on startup; if valid, it goes straight into licensed mode.

3. How licensing behaves at runtime

• Unlicensed / setup mode — reads work; every non-GET (write) request returns 503 until a valid key is installed.
• Live revocation — a long-poll watcher tracks license state against PromptOwl. If your key is revoked, the server blocks writes within seconds (no restart required) and returns to setup mode.
• Admin identity follows the license — the admin user is whichever PromptOwl account owns the installed key, resolved live per request. Transferring the license to another account immediately promotes the new owner and demotes the old one.

For redistribution, hosted-service, OEM, or regulated-industry licensing, contact [email protected].

System requirements

• Node.js 20.x or later
• PromptOwl account — free signup at https://app.promptowl.ai/signup
• OS: Windows, macOS, or Linux
• Disk: ~200 MB for the server, plus storage for your nests

What you get

| Feature | Community Edition | Enterprise | |---|:---:|:---:| | Self-hosted context server | ✅ | ✅ | | Markdown + YAML frontmatter vaults | ✅ | ✅ | | Import existing folder / vault | ✅ | ✅ | | Markdown rendering + wiki cross-linking | ✅ | ✅ | | External-edit detection + version diff | ✅ | ✅ | | Stewardship workflow (draft/review/approve) | ✅ | ✅ | | Per-nest sharing + collaborators | ✅ | ✅ | | Public read-only nests | ✅ | ✅ | | Custom logo / branding | ✅ | ✅ | | Admin password reset + user removal (in-platform) | ✅ | ✅ | | Wiki backlinks, outline, hover-preview, link health | ✅ | ✅ | | Rich editor — tables, callouts, toggles, code highlight, find/replace | ✅ | ✅ | | Steward version revert | ✅ | ✅ | | MCP server for AI agents | ✅ | ✅ | | Centralized multi-tenant admin console | — | ✅ | | SSO / SAML / SCIM | — | ✅ | | Audit log streaming | — | ✅ | | Policy transforms (redaction, summarization) | — | ✅ | | Priority support and SLA | — | ✅ |

For Enterprise pricing and features, contact [email protected] or visit https://promptowl.ai/contextnest/.

What's new in 1.2.0

• Admin user management (no email server needed) — POST /auth/admin/reset-password/:userId sets a user's password or returns a one-time temp password; DELETE /auth/users/:userId removes a user and revokes their API keys, sessions, and role rows. New self-service Change password in the user menu blocks reusing the current password.
• PROMPTOWL_SIGN_IN_GATE — open / admin-only / disabled restricts "Sign in with PromptOwl" (admin reaches it via ?admin=1). See CONFIGURATION.md.
• Plain-text agent view — ?format=markdown on a node returns frontmatter + body as text/markdown for LLM-friendly consumption.
• Steward version revert — POST .../revert restores an earlier version as a new one; pending-review docs are now editable (saving withdraws the review).
• Editor — always-editable surface — Notion-style buttery headline, selection bubble toolbar (format-on-highlight), turn-into block conversion, Cmd+F find & replace, rich blocks (tables, callouts, toggles, syntax-highlighted code, columns), and wiki/code-safety fixes.
• Wiki usability — backlinks panel ("Linked from N documents"), outline/TOC for 3+-heading docs, hover-preview on [[wiki links]], multi-tag AND filtering with clickable chips, per-doc copy link, rename-safety warning for title-form links, link-health report (broken links + orphans), recently-edited strip.
• Sharing clarity — share button reads "Share nest"; dialog clarifies nest-wide scope; deep links open documents directly.
• Security — hardened scanner gate (PolinRider + Shai-Hulud preflight) in bin/.

Full history in CHANGELOG.md.

What's new in 1.1.0

• Vault import — import an existing folder of markdown files into a new nest in one step, from the dashboard ("Import folder") or via the API. Frontmatter, wiki links, and folder structure are preserved.
• Nest sharing + collaborators — set per-nest visibility and add collaborators with read or write access. A Share affordance is now inline in the document view.
• Public read-only nests — flip a nest to visibility=public to serve it to unauthenticated readers (bypasses auth for GETs only); writes still require a key.
• Custom logo / branding — set LOGO_URL to show your own logo in the UI header and login screen. See CONFIGURATION.md.
• Governance — nest owners can self-approve their own changes; new per-nest auto-approve toggle; role-based action gating (buttons reflect the viewer's role); stewards can edit scope during a role change.
• Editor — [[wikilink]] autocomplete, broken-link click creates a new doc with the title pre-filled, tag chips filter the nest list, Notion-style H1 title, click-to-edit, and an unsaved-changes warning.
• Stability — added an error boundary so a render error in one view no longer blanks the whole app; bumped uuid to 14.

Full history in CHANGELOG.md.

What's new in 1.0.1

• Document hashing pipeline — external-edit detection, conflict-aware safe-publish, and inline version diffs powered by @promptowl/contextnest-engine. When a file is edited outside the UI, the editor shows an "External edit detected" banner with a side-by-side diff and an adopt / keep choice.
• Markdown rendering — new DocumentViewer (react-markdown + remark-gfm + wikilink support) renders CLI/MCP-authored markdown correctly, with a view/edit toggle.
• License revocation now blocks writes synchronously — revoke flips an in-process "writes blocked" flag immediately; the next write returns 503.
• Dashboard stats — new GET /stats endpoint surfaces nest / document / user counts.
• Docker fix — Dockerfile now installs via npm against the shipped package-lock.json; base image bumped to node:22-slim.

Full history in CHANGELOG.md.

Licensing

ContextNest Community Edition is commercial software. It is not open source.

You may:

• Install and run the Software on devices You own or control
• Use the Software for internal business purposes, tied to a valid PromptOwl account
• Make backup and archival copies

You may not:

• Redistribute, resell, rent, lease, or sublicense the Software
• Offer the Software as a hosted, managed, or software-as-a-service product to third parties
• Reverse engineer, decompile, or create derivative works
• Use the Software to build a competing product or service
• Remove copyright, trademark, or license notices

Full license text: LICENSE.md

For redistribution, hosted-service, OEM, or regulated-industry use, contact [email protected] for a commercial license agreement.

Platform terms

Because the Software requires a PromptOwl account, the following terms also apply to Your use:

• End User License Agreement — https://promptowl.ai/eula/
• Terms of Service — https://promptowl.ai/terms-of-service/
• Privacy Policy — https://promptowl.ai/privacy-policy/
• Acceptable Use Policy — https://promptowl.ai/acceptable-use/
• Disclaimer — https://promptowl.ai/disclaimer/
• Cookie Policy — https://promptowl.ai/cookies/

Support

• Documentation: https://promptowl.ai/contextnest/
• Product questions: https://promptowl.ai/contact-us/
• Support & bugs: [email protected]
• Commercial licensing: [email protected] (subject: ContextNest Commercial License)

AI output disclaimer

The Software injects content into large language models. AI output may be inaccurate, incomplete, or inappropriate for your use case. You are responsible for reviewing and validating any AI-generated content before relying on it, particularly in business-critical or regulated contexts. Do not deploy the Software in medical, legal, financial-advisory, or safety-critical environments without appropriate human oversight.

Copyright © 2026 Promptowl LLC. All rights reserved. "ContextNest" and "PromptOwl" are trademarks of Promptowl LLC.

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