Open Knowledge Format (OKF)
Open Knowledge Format (OKF) is a vendor-neutral spec that packages organizational knowledge as markdown plus YAML frontmatter for humans and agents. We assess it under Technique while v0.1 and ecosystem producers are still early.
Blurb
OKF is an open, human- and agent-friendly format for representing knowledge — the metadata, context, and curated insight that surrounds data and systems. It is designed to be authored by people, generated by agents, exchanged across organizations, and consumed by both.
Summary
When to use: You want a portable, git-friendly knowledge bundle (tables, metrics, runbooks, APIs) that multiple agents and catalogs can read without a proprietary SDK.
When to skip: A single closed catalog already covers the estate and you have no need to exchange knowledge across tools or orgs. Skip also if you only need a private vault pattern such as gbrain with no interchange goal.
Trade-offs:
| Upside | Cost |
|---|---|
Just files: markdown + YAML frontmatter; cat and git work | Spec is v0.1 draft; fields and conventions will evolve |
Only type is required; producers stay lightly opinionated | Interoperability depends on voluntary producers and consumers |
| Formalizes the LLM Wiki pattern many teams already reinvent | Reference tooling today centers on Google Cloud Knowledge Catalog |
Related garden notes: LLM Wiki (Karpathy pattern), gbrain (opinionated implementation), Agent Skills Framework (portable agent instructions), Specification / AI Techniques (taxonomy home).
Details
What It Is
OKF v0.1 defines a knowledge bundle: a directory of concept markdown files. Path (minus .md) is the concept ID. Reserved names: index.md (progressive disclosure) and log.md (changelog).
Each concept has YAML frontmatter plus a free-form markdown body. Required field: type. Recommended: title, description, resource, tags, timestamp. Extra keys are allowed; consumers must tolerate unknowns.
Cross-links use normal markdown (bundle-root absolute paths preferred). The format does not replace domain schemas such as OpenAPI or Protobuf; it references them.
Sources
| Resource | URL |
|---|---|
| Announcement (2026-06-12) | https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/data-analytics/how-the-open-knowledge-format-can-improve-data-sharing |
| Spec + samples + reference agent/visualizer | https://github.com/GoogleCloudPlatform/knowledge-catalog |
| Spec document | https://github.com/GoogleCloudPlatform/knowledge-catalog/blob/main/okf/SPEC.md |
Design Principles (From Spec)
- Minimally opinionated (only
typerequired). - Producer and consumer independence.
- Format, not platform (no required SDK or account).
Fit With This Vault
This second-brain already uses markdown, frontmatter, and gbrain two-layer pages. OKF is the interchange layer for that shape of knowledge, not a replacement for PARA or the tech garden. Promote usefulness when a real producer or consumer (catalog export, agent ingest) lands in the estate.