Backstory

Search all your data exports in one place. It runs entirely on your own computer, and nothing ever leaves your PC.

You can download your data from Google, Telegram, and most other services. The problem is what you get back: a pile of JSON and CSV files that are nearly impossible to read. Backstory pulls those exports into one local database and lets you search across all of them at once. You can search from the command line or connect it to an AI assistant over MCP.

Nothing is sent to the cloud. Your data stays in a SQLite file on your machine. That is the main reason this tool exists, since this is the most personal data you have.

Contents

• What it can do
• Sources
• Quick start
• Use it from an AI agent
• How it works
• Commands
• Search quality
• MCP tools
• Privacy
• License

What it can do

• Import exports from Google, Telegram, Spotify, and Instagram.
• Search everything as one timeline, by meaning or by keyword.
• Match the same person or place across different sources.
• Answer questions from an AI agent, like "when did I last message Sarah about dinner?".
• Show you how to export your data, then import it automatically when it finishes downloading.
• Report a benchmark so you can see how well the search actually works.

Sources

Each source is a small adapter that turns an export into events. Here is what works today and what each one pulls in.

Adding a new source means writing one adapter. Nothing else changes.

Quick start

You need the .NET 10 SDK. It runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows.

Install as a global tool:

dotnet tool install -g Backstory

Or build from source today:

git clone https://github.com/magna-nz/backstory && cd backstory
dotnet build Backstory.slnx -c Release

Get your data in. Backstory shows you how to export it, then imports it for you when it lands in your Downloads folder:

backstory fetch google      # or: telegram
backstory watch

You can also point it at a file or zip yourself. Takeout zips are unpacked for you, including the multi-part ones:

backstory import ~/Downloads/takeout-20240101.zip
backstory import ~/Downloads/telegram-export/result.json

Then search:

backstory search "dinner plans with sarah"
backstory search "trip to japan" --from 2023-01-01

Use it from an AI agent

Backstory speaks MCP, so any

... View full README on GitHub