Introducing NIA‑Vault: Secure AI‑Powered CLI for Encrypted Notes and Files

NIA‑Vault is an open‑source command‑line interface (CLI) that provides developers, blockchain enthusiasts, and IT security professionals with a secure, AI‑powered vault for storing, syncing, and querying local notes and files using semantic search.

Why NIA‑Vault Matters in 2026

In an era where data breaches cost enterprises billions, the need for a cryptographically secure personal vault has never been higher. NIA‑Vault fills that gap by combining blockchain‑grade encryption with the intuitive power of large‑language‑model (LLM) semantic search. Whether you are a solo developer protecting API keys, a startup safeguarding product roadmaps, or a security team auditing confidential logs, NIA‑Vault offers a frictionless, locally‑hosted solution that never sends raw content to the cloud.

The project is hosted on GitHub, where the community continuously adds features, fixes bugs, and expands language support. By leveraging the OpenAI ChatGPT integration, NIA‑Vault can interpret natural‑language queries with remarkable accuracy, turning vague questions like “What did I write about the Q3 security audit?” into precise, ranked results.

Core Features & Benefits

• AI‑Powered Semantic Search: Uses large‑language‑model embeddings to understand intent, not just keywords.
• End‑to‑End Encryption: All notes are encrypted locally with AES‑256 before they ever touch a remote server.
• Multi‑Folder Sync: Seamlessly index dozens of directories, thanks to the Telegram integration on UBOS for real‑time sync notifications.
• Zero‑Trust Architecture: The vault never stores API keys; it reads them from the ChatGPT and Telegram integration configuration.
• Extensible CLI: Built with TypeScript, the command set can be expanded via plugins or custom scripts.
• Cross‑Platform Compatibility: Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux with Node.js ≥ 18 or Bun.

Quick Installation & First‑Run Guide

Getting NIA‑Vault up and running takes less than five minutes. Follow the steps below, and you’ll have a fully functional vault ready to answer your first query.

Prerequisites

• Node.js ≥ 18.0.0 or Bun installed.
• nia‑sync configured and authenticated.

Installation Commands

# With Bun (recommended)
bun install -g nia-vault

# With npm
npm install -g nia-vault

# With pnpm
pnpm install -g nia-vault

First‑Time Setup

1. Run vault init to launch the interactive wizard. The wizard detects your existing nia‑sync configuration and lets you pick which folders to index.
2. Confirm the folders you want searchable (e.g., ~/Documents/notes, ~/Projects/secret‑configs).
3. Optionally enable automatic Workflow automation studio hooks to trigger a sync before each query.

Running Your First Query

# Ask a natural‑language question
vault ask "What are the key takeaways from my Q2 security audit notes?"

The CLI returns the top five most relevant snippets, each with a confidence score. You can adjust the --limit flag to retrieve more results or narrow the search to a specific folder using --folder <id>.

Under the Hood: Architecture & Configuration

NIA‑Vault follows a modular, MECE‑compliant design:

• Encryption Layer: Utilises the crypto module to encrypt each file with a unique IV, stored alongside a SHA‑256 hash for integrity verification.
• Embedding Engine: Generates vector embeddings via the OpenAI ChatGPT integration, caching them in a local chroma‑db instance for fast similarity search.
• Sync Service: Relies on nia‑sync to keep encrypted blobs consistent across devices.
• CLI Core: Built with Web app editor on UBOS tooling for rapid prototyping and debugging.

Configuration Files

Two JSON files drive the runtime:

{
  "selectedFolders": ["folder-id-1", "folder-id-2"],
  "defaultLimit": 5,
  "syncOnAsk": true
}

The file lives at ~/.config/nia-vault/config.json. Sensitive credentials (API keys) are never stored here; they are read directly from ~/.nia-sync/config.json, preserving a zero‑trust posture.

Community, Contributions & Support

NIA‑Vault thrives on an open‑source community that values security, transparency, and rapid iteration. Contributors can:

• Open issues on the GitHub repository to report bugs or request features.
• Submit pull requests following the changeset workflow (patch, minor, major) to keep versioning clean.
• Leverage the UBOS partner program to co‑market extensions, such as a GPT‑Powered Telegram Bot that notifies you of new vault entries.

For deeper learning, explore the UBOS portfolio examples that showcase real‑world deployments of secure AI‑driven tools. The UBOS templates for quick start also include a ready‑made “Secure Notes” template that can be adapted to NIA‑Vault’s data model.

Practical Use Cases for Developers & Security Teams

Below are three scenarios where NIA‑Vault shines:

1. Secret Management for CI/CD: Store API keys, SSH certificates, and Docker secrets in encrypted files. Use vault ask "Show me the token for the staging environment" during pipeline runs, ensuring no plaintext secrets ever appear in logs.
2. Legal & Compliance Audits: Quickly retrieve contractual clauses or GDPR‑related notes without exposing the entire document set. Combine with the AI Article Copywriter to generate audit summaries on the fly.
3. Personal Knowledge Base: Researchers can index PDFs, markdown files, and code snippets, then ask “What were the main findings of my 2025 blockchain paper?” and receive concise bullet points, ready for citation.

How NIA‑Vault Differs from Conventional Password Managers

Traditional password managers encrypt static entries and rely on a UI‑driven lookup. NIA‑Vault, by contrast, offers:

• Semantic Retrieval: Search by meaning, not just exact strings.
• File‑Level Encryption: Every file is individually encrypted, reducing blast‑radius if a single key is compromised.
• Programmable CLI: Automate queries within scripts, CI pipelines, or chat‑ops bots.

Cost, Licensing, and Enterprise Options

NIA‑Vault is released under the permissive MIT license—free for personal and commercial use. Organizations seeking dedicated support, SLA‑backed updates, or custom integration services can explore the Enterprise AI platform by UBOS. Pricing details are transparent on the UBOS pricing plans page, with a free tier that includes unlimited vault entries and community support.

Get Started with NIA‑Vault Today

Secure your knowledge, boost productivity, and stay ahead of threats by adopting NIA‑Vault. Follow these quick steps:

1. Visit the UBOS homepage to learn more about the ecosystem that powers NIA‑Vault.
2. Read the About UBOS page for the team’s security philosophy.
3. Clone the repository, install the CLI, and run vault init—you’ll be querying your encrypted notes in minutes.
4. Explore complementary tools like the AI SEO Analyzer or the AI Video Generator to extend the value of your secured data.

Have questions? Join the discussion on the UBOS blog or become a partner through the UBOS partner program. Secure, search, and scale—NIA‑Vault makes it possible.