Genei
Summarizes sources and organizes notes for research-heavy writing
The visible research summarization loop is buildable, but a credible replacement needs more than the first screen. Genei earns its keep through data, import reliability, so expect a weekend or multi-day build and a narrower personal scope.
Build verification: not recorded. How we judge buildability
What you give up
- licensed scholarly metadata
- publisher-specific import reliability
- citation graph scale
- team libraries and institutional access
Why people still pay
Genei: Researchers pay for correct metadata, resilient importers, citation coverage, and workflows that survive publisher and browser changes.
Your build guide
The stack, security requirements, and agent rules for a focused replacement.
Before you start
- Runtime and tools: Python, SQLite FTS5, a PDF/text extraction worker and a React evidence notebook.
- Before starting: User-owned or licensed source documents, a local data folder and an optional explicitly configured model provider.
Use these project rules and optional skill references alongside the prompt. Review each skill before adding it to your agent; the AGENTS.md export includes the same guidance.
Project rule — domain: Store DocumentHash, PageText, Section, Quote and SummaryClaim; claims link to exact source passages, while OCR confidence and missing pages remain visible.
Project rule — scope and recovery: User-provided access does not grant redistribution rights. Use local extraction first and disclose any external model processing; bibliography formatting needs source metadata review.
Project rule — acceptance: Ask a question absent from two uploaded papers and one scanned appendix; respond with insufficient evidence, retain the scanned-source limitation and avoid a fabricated citation.
Project rule — delivery: document real setup commands and permissions; do not claim a build, accuracy level, performance result or security certification that has not been demonstrated.
Recommended skill: modern-python — structure the Python worker or explicitly optional read-only utility with pinned dependencies, typed boundaries and clear failure handling. Follow the maintainer's installation instructions and match its requirements to the chosen runtime.
Recommended skill: web-design-guidelines — review keyboard access, focus, validation, error recovery and the readable work/review interface or HTML report. Follow the maintainer's installation instructions and match its requirements to the chosen runtime.
Recommended skill: pdf — inspect PDF source/extraction or generated report layout in the workflow; check the skill license and required PDF/OCR binaries. Follow the maintainer's installation instructions and match its requirements to the chosen runtime.
Implementation plan
Phase 1
Pin the working slice and create its example input: Read uploaded papers beside a notebook, extract sections and write evidence-linked summaries and cross-paper answers. Confirm setup: User-owned or licensed source documents, a local data folder and an optional explicitly configured model provider.
Phase 2
Implement persistence and write-time invariants before decorating the UI: Store DocumentHash, PageText, Section, Quote and SummaryClaim; claims link to exact source passages, while OCR confidence and missing pages remain visible.
Phase 3
Connect the working view to real saved state. Preserve source hashes, page/section anchors and exact quotations. OCR and optional generated summaries are derived views, never replacements for originals; label missing text and unsupported claims.
Phase 4
Expose the app-specific limits and recovery path in context: User-provided access does not grant redistribution rights. Use local extraction first and disclose any external model processing; bibliography formatting needs source metadata review.
Phase 5
Walk through this concrete acceptance case and preserve its exported evidence: Ask a question absent from two uploaded papers and one scanned appendix; respond with insufficient evidence, retain the scanned-source limitation and avoid a fabricated citation. Finish the README and backup/restore instructions; report unfinished capabilities explicitly.
Build the following focused alternative to Genei. This is a deliberately limited personal or small-team substitute, not parity with the paid service. WORKING SLICE Read uploaded papers beside a notebook, extract sections and write evidence-linked summaries and cross-paper answers. SETUP AND ARCHITECTURE Use Python, SQLite FTS5, a PDF/text extraction worker and a React evidence notebook. Prerequisites: User-owned or licensed source documents, a local data folder and an optional explicitly configured model provider. Before integrating anything, record actual versions and permissions, plus model files or provider limits only where used, in the README; make unavailable dependencies visible rather than simulating success. DOMAIN MODEL AND INVARIANTS Store DocumentHash, PageText, Section, Quote and SummaryClaim; claims link to exact source passages, while OCR confidence and missing pages remain visible. IMPLEMENTATION CONTRACT Preserve source hashes, page/section anchors and exact quotations. OCR and optional generated summaries are derived views, never replacements for originals; label missing text and unsupported claims. Provide an input/setup view, the main work view, and a review/export view appropriate to this workflow. Preserve the last saved state if a job or save fails. Include empty, loading, permission-denied, partial and retryable-error states. Log identifiers and error categories without secret values or unnecessary private content. APP-SPECIFIC BOUNDARY AND RECOVERY User-provided access does not grant redistribution rights. Use local extraction first and disclose any external model processing; bibliography formatting needs source metadata review. ACCEPTANCE SCENARIO Ask a question absent from two uploaded papers and one scanned appendix; respond with insufficient evidence, retain the scanned-source limitation and avoid a fabricated citation. Also reopen the app after an interrupted operation, confirm the saved record/export remains inspectable, and document the recovery action. These are implementation acceptance requirements, not a claim that this guide has been tested. DELIVERY Deliver a runnable repository with migrations or project-format versioning, a non-sensitive example, environment/permission setup, the exact manual acceptance steps, and a backup/export-and-restore walkthrough. Implement the working slice before optional integrations; list any deferred paid-product capabilities honestly. Do not add capabilities outside the working slice just to resemble the original product. PROJECT RULES FOR AGENTS.md Keep the domain invariants above executable at the write boundary. Propose scope changes before adding providers or permissions. Never fabricate source evidence, publish results, identity matches or successful delivery. Preserve user originals and require an explicit confirmation for destructive changes or external publication.
$ open in your agent (prompt prefilled, you press enter), copy the prompt or copy or download AGENTS.md
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Alternatives to building your own
OOpen NotebookA self-hosted research notebook for sources, summaries and chat, with Docker attached.open source↗no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real
Genei pricing
| plan | monthly | annual (per mo) | what you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| professional basic | $13.51/user | $10.81/user | Up to 5 GB of uploaded files; unlimited projects and resources.Source prices: £9.99 monthly or £7.99/month annually; converted at the ECB 2026-08-12 reference cross-rate of about $1.35254/£. |
| professional pro | $40.56/user | $33.80/user | Unlimited uploaded-file storage, projects and resources.Source prices: £29.99 monthly or £24.99/month annually; converted at the ECB 2026-08-12 reference cross-rate. |
| academic basic | $6.75/user | $5.40/user | Up to 5 GB of uploaded files; unlimited projects and resources; academic eligibility required.Source prices: £4.99 monthly or £3.99/month annually; converted at the ECB 2026-08-12 reference cross-rate. |
| academic pro | $27.04/user | $21.63/user | Unlimited uploaded-file storage, projects and resources; academic eligibility required.Source prices: £19.99 monthly or £15.99/month annually; converted at the ECB 2026-08-12 reference cross-rate. |
free tierno free tier; 14-day trial
billingmonthly + annual; prices are published in GBP
hidden costsacademic rates require eligibility; currency conversion, taxes and card charges can change the final USD amount
pricing sources checked 2026-08-13 · pricing source ↗
Questions about Genei
Can you build your own Genei with AI?
Partly. The visible research summarization loop is buildable, but a credible replacement needs more than the first screen. Genei earns its keep through data, import reliability, so expect a weekend or multi-day build and a narrower personal scope.
What does the Genei build prompt cover?
The prompt starts with this scope: Read uploaded papers beside a notebook, extract sections and write evidence-linked summaries and cross-paper answers. Full-product capabilities excluded from the comparison include: licensed scholarly metadata; publisher-specific import reliability; citation graph scale. Follow the implementation plan and its prerequisites before expanding the build.
How do I use the prompt, AGENTS.md and agent skills?
Start with the Genei prerequisites and stack, then copy the prompt into your coding agent. Save the project rules as AGENTS.md in the project root. Linked skills are optional packages or source instructions for specific tasks; review their current contents and install only those matching the chosen stack. A skill does not supply API credentials or verify the finished app.
How long will this Genei project take?
The catalogue estimate is multi-day for the limited scope. Setup, integration approvals, debugging, deployment and ongoing maintenance can add time. This is an estimate, not a delivery guarantee.
What would I give up by replacing Genei?
licensed scholarly metadata; publisher-specific import reliability; citation graph scale; team libraries and institutional access. Genei: Researchers pay for correct metadata, resilient importers, citation coverage, and workflows that survive publisher and browser changes.
What can I use instead of building Genei?
Open Notebook: A self-hosted research notebook for sources, summaries and chat, with Docker attached. NotebookLM: Sources become cited answers, summaries and notes; the free limits are unusually humane. Check each option's license, hosting needs and feature limits.