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Welcome to ThinkEx

This guide will walk you through creating your first workspace, adding content, and using AI to enhance your thinking. You’ll be up and running in less than 5 minutes.
Using ThinkEx Cloud at thinkex.app? Skip to Step 1. Self-hosting? Check out our Self-Hosting Guide first.

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Step 1: Create Your First Workspace

Workspaces are where all your thinking happens. Each workspace is a dedicated canvas for a project, topic, or area of study.
1

Open the workspace creator

After signing in, click the ”+ New Workspace” button on your home screen.
2

Name your workspace

Give your workspace a descriptive name like “Research Project” or “Study Notes”.
Choose an icon and color to make your workspace visually distinctive in your workspace list.
3

Invite collaborators (optional)

Want to work with others? Add team members by email. They’ll receive an invitation to collaborate in real-time.
Example: team@example.com
4

Create the workspace

Click “Create Workspace” and you’ll be taken to your new canvas.

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Step 2: Add Content to Your Canvas

Now let’s populate your workspace with content. ThinkEx supports multiple types of cards to organize different kinds of information.

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Adding a Note

Notes are the foundation of your thinking. They support rich text formatting, math equations, and code blocks.
1

Create a note card

Click anywhere on the canvas or use the ”+” button in the toolbar, then select “Note”.
2

Write your content

ThinkEx uses a rich text editor (BlockNote) that supports:
  • Markdown formatting: Headings, bold, italic, lists
  • Math equations: Use LaTeX syntax for mathematical notation
  • Code blocks: Syntax highlighting for multiple languages
  • Links and images: Embed external resources
3

Organize spatially

Drag cards to arrange them spatially. Position related notes near each other - your spatial organization helps you (and AI) make connections.

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Uploading a PDF

PDFs become interactive, searchable documents with highlighting and annotation support.
1

Upload your PDF

Drag and drop a PDF file onto the canvas, or use the ”+” button → “PDF”.
2

Navigate and annotate

  • Use the built-in viewer to read and navigate pages
  • Highlight important passages for AI context
  • Search within the document
  • Select specific text to reference in AI conversations

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Adding YouTube Videos

YouTube videos include transcript support, making them fully searchable and AI-ready.
1

Paste a YouTube URL

Click ”+” → “YouTube” and paste any YouTube video URL.
2

Work with transcripts

ThinkEx automatically loads the video transcript, allowing you to:
  • Search for specific moments
  • Select transcript sections for AI analysis
  • Reference exact timestamps in your notes

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Other Content Types

ThinkEx supports additional card types for different use cases:

Flashcards

Create study flashcards with rich text front and back. Perfect for memorization and review.

Images

Upload images with captions. Visual references stay in context.

Audio

Upload or record audio. ThinkEx transcribes and summarizes automatically.

Folders

Group related cards together for better organization.

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Step 3: Use AI to Enhance Your Thinking

This is where ThinkEx truly shines - AI that works with your content, not in isolation.

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Start a Conversation

1

Open the AI panel

Click the AI chat icon in the toolbar to open the conversation panel.
2

Select context

Here’s the key difference: You control what AI sees.
  • Select specific cards on your canvas
  • Highlight text in PDFs or notes
  • Choose YouTube transcript sections
Selected content appears in the “Sources” section of the AI panel.
3

Ask questions

Ask questions about your selected content:
What are the main arguments in these sources?

Compare the methodology in this PDF with my notes.

Create flashcards from this video transcript section.
4

Extract insights

AI responses can be saved as new cards:
  • Save explanations as notes
  • Generate flashcard decks for studying
  • Create quizzes from your content
  • Build structured summaries

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Advanced AI Features

Deep Research: Ask AI to conduct thorough research on a topic. It will search the web, synthesize findings, and create a comprehensive note with sources cited.
Multi-Model Support: Switch between different AI models (Google Gemini, etc.) based on your task. No vendor lock-in.

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Context Persistence

Unlike traditional chatbots, ThinkEx maintains context:
  • AI sees all selected cards in your workspace
  • Previous conversations remain accessible
  • Reference past insights without re-explaining
  • Build on existing knowledge over time

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Step 4: Organize and Collaborate

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Spatial Organization

Your canvas is infinite. Organize cards spatially to mirror your thinking:
  • Group by topic: Cluster related cards together
  • Create workflows: Arrange cards left-to-right to show progression
  • Use proximity: Place cards near each other to suggest connections
  • Add folders: Group cards into collapsible folders

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Collaboration Features

Real-time Collaboration

Multiple users can edit the same workspace simultaneously. See collaborator cursors and changes in real-time.

Share Workspaces

Generate shareable links with view or edit permissions. Export workspaces as JSON for backup.

Version History

Access previous versions of your workspace. Restore or compare changes over time.

Access Control

Manage who can view or edit your workspace. Invite specific collaborators by email.

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Next Steps

You’re now ready to explore ThinkEx’s full potential:

Master Workspaces

Learn advanced workspace organization and management

Explore Card Types

Deep dive into each content type and its capabilities

AI Capabilities

Unlock the full power of AI-assisted thinking

Collaboration

Work effectively with teams in shared workspaces

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Tips for Success

Think spatially: Don’t just list cards - arrange them to show relationships. Proximity matters.
Select deliberately: When using AI, carefully choose which cards and text to include. More context isn’t always better - targeted context is.
Save insights as cards: When AI generates useful explanations, save them as permanent notes in your workspace.
Use folders for phases: Create folders for different stages of your work - “Research”, “Drafts”, “Final” - to keep your canvas organized.

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Need Help?

Join our community or check out additional resources:
  • Documentation: Explore in-depth guides in this documentation
  • GitHub: Report issues or contribute at github.com/ThinkEx-OSS/thinkex
  • Community: Connect with other users and the development team
Ready to transform how you think? Start using ThinkEx →

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