OpenScribe is a free MIT license open source AI Medical Scribe that helps clinicians record patient encounters, transcribe audio, and generate structured draft clinical notes using LLMs. The tool uses Whisper for audio transcription, Claude models for note generation, and persists app data locally by default.
node --version # Check you have Node.js 18+
# If not installed: brew install node if version < 18: brew upgrade node (macOS) or download latest from nodejs.org
npm install -g pnpmgit clone https://github.com/sammargolis/OpenScribe.git
cd OpenScribe
pnpm installpnpm setup # Auto-generates .env.local with secure storage keyEdit apps/web/.env.local and add your API keys:
OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-proj-YOUR_KEY_HERE
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-YOUR_KEY_HERE
# NEXT_PUBLIC_SECURE_STORAGE_KEY is auto-generated, don't modifypnpm dev # Web app → http://localhost:3001
pnpm dev:desktop # OR desktop app (Electron)OpenAI (transcription): platform.openai.com/api-keys - Sign up → API Keys → Create new secret key
Anthropic (note generation): console.anthropic.com/settings/keys - Sign up → API Keys → Create Key
Both services offer $5 free credits for new accounts
git pull origin main # Pull latest changes
pnpm install # Update dependencies
# If you encounter issues after updating:
rm -rf node_modules pnpm-lock.yaml && pnpm installOpenScribe exists to provide a simple, open-source alternative to cloud dependent clinical documentation tools. The project is built on core principles:
- Local-first: All data (audio recordings, transcripts, notes) is stored locally in the browser by default
- Privacy-conscious: No data collection, no analytics, no cloud dependency unless explicitly configured by the user
- Modular: Components can be swapped or extended (e.g., different LLM providers, transcription services)
- GitHub: sammargolis/OpenScribe
- Project Board: Trello
- Maintainer: @sammargolis
- Architecture: architecture.md
- Tests: packages/llm, packages/pipeline
- Core recording, transcription, and note generation
- AES-GCM encrypted local storage
- Browser-based audio capture
- Error handling improvements
- Comprehensive test coverage
- Basic audit logging
Physical Controls:
- User responsibility (device security, physical access)
See the Trello board for detailed progress.
- Package app to be able to run 100% locally with transciption model and small 7b model for note generation
- Multiple LLM providers (Anthropic, local models)
- Custom note templates
- Optional cloud sync (user-controlled)
- Multi-language support
- Mobile app
- EHR integration
- RCM integration
See architecture.md for complete details.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ UI Layer (Next.js) │
│ ┌──────────────┐ ┌─────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Encounter │ │ Workflow States │ │
│ │ Sidebar │◄────────────►│ - Idle │ │
│ │ │ │ - Recording │ │
│ │ │ │ - Processing │ │
│ │ │ │ - Note Editor │ │
│ └──────────────┘ └─────────────────────┘ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Processing Pipeline │
│ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌─────┐ │
│ │ Audio │──►│Transcribe│──►│ LLM │──►│Note │ │
│ │ Ingest │ │ (Whisper)│ │ │ │Core │ │
│ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └─────┘ │
│ │ │ │
│ └───────────────┐ ┌─────────────────┘ │
└───────────────────────┼─────────┼───────────────────────┘
▼ ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Storage Layer │
│ ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Encrypted LocalStorage (AES-GCM) │ │
│ │ - Encounters (patient data, transcripts, notes) │ │
│ │ - Metadata (timestamps, status) │ │
│ │ - Audio (in-memory only, not persisted) │ │
│ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Key Components:
- UI Layer: React components in
apps/web/using Next.js App Router - Audio Ingest: Browser MediaRecorder API → WebM/MP4 blob
- Transcription: OpenAI Whisper API
- LLM: Provider-agnostic client (defaults to Anthropic Claude via
packages/llm) - Note Core: Structured clinical note generation and validation
- Storage: AES-GCM encrypted browser localStorage
Monorepo Structure:
apps/web/– Next.js frontend + Electron rendererpackages/pipeline/– Audio ingest, transcription, assembly, evaluationpackages/ui/– Shared React componentspackages/storage/– Encrypted storage + encounter managementpackages/llm/– Provider-agnostic LLM clientpackages/shell/– Electron main processconfig/– Shared configuration filesbuild/– Build artifacts
Storage: AES-GCM encrypted localStorage. Audio processed in-memory, not persisted.
Transmission: All external API calls (audio → Whisper API, transcripts → Anthropic Claude) use HTTPS/TLS encryption. The application enforces HTTPS-only connections and displays a security warning if accessed over HTTP in production builds.
No Tracking: Zero analytics, telemetry, or cloud sync
Use Responsibility
- All AI notes are drafts requiring review
- Ensure regulatory compliance for your use case
- For production deployments serving PHI, ensure the application is accessed via HTTPS or served from localhost only
HIPAA Compliance: OpenScribe includes features like encrypted local storage and audit logging that are foundational steps toward HIPAA compliance, but these alone do not make the application HIPAA-compliant. Healthcare providers using this software are responsible for ensuring full compliance with HIPAA regulations, including signing Business Associate Agreements (BAAs) with any third-party service providers (e.g., OpenAI, Anthropic), implementing appropriate access controls, conducting risk assessments, and maintaining all required safeguards and documentation.
No EHR Integration: Standalone tool
Browser Storage Limits: ~5-10MB typical
No Warranty: Provided as-is under MIT License
Contributions welcome! See CONTRIBUTING.md for detailed guidelines.
Quick Start:
- Fork the repository
- Create a feature branch
- Make changes with tests
- Submit a PR
Check the Trello board for current priorities.
MIT
MIT License
Copyright (c) 2026 Sam Margolis
Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
copies or substantial portions of the Software.
THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
SOFTWARE.
OpenScribe
GitHub: https://github.com/sammargolis/OpenScribe
Maintainer: Sam Margolis (@sammargolis)