Write with the pen.
The page writes back.
Inka is a pen-first AI journal for BOOX e-ink tablets. Write on a blank page, rest your hand, and a reply flows onto the paper in handwriting, word by word, like the notebook is thinking with you.
from GitHub Releases
→ free, open source, bring your own AI key
① How it works
- Write. Use the BOOX pen like you would in any paper notebook.
- Pause. Rest your hand for a moment. On-device handwriting recognition reads what you wrote and sends the text to your chosen AI provider, with your own API key.
- Read. The reply is written back onto the page, word by word, in a handwriting-style script tuned for e-ink.
② What's in the box
- Pen-first writing on BOOX tablets
- Handwritten replies, right on the page
- Word-by-word reply animation
- Ink fade & dissolve after you finish
- Local notebook history
- Built-in writing personas
- Reader-style UI made for e-ink
- On-device handwriting recognition
- Bring your own OpenAI, Anthropic, or Groq key
- Phone-assisted QR setup for API keys
- Adjustable reply handwriting style
- Experimental neural handwriting synthesis
a few pages from the app (tap one to open it full size) ↓
③ Why?
Hi, I'm Daniel. Inspired by Maxime Rivest's Riddle, I built Inka as an experiment: what does it feel like to talk to an AI when there's no keyboard, no chat bubbles, no glowing screen, just a pen and a quiet sheet of e-paper?
You write a question, a worry, or a diary entry. You pause. Inka reads your handwriting on-device, asks the AI model you configured, and the answer appears on the page in a flowing handwritten voice. Then the ink of the old thoughts can gently fade away.
Honestly? It mostly exists because it was fun to build, and because I get to wow my son with a magic notebook. This is a tinkering project, not a startup.
④ Privacy first
Your notebook lives in private storage on your tablet. Your API key is stored in encrypted Android preferences. When you ask for a reply, the recognized text goes directly from your device to the AI provider you picked.
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→ the boring details live in the privacy policy
⑤ What you'll need
- A BOOX e-ink tablet. Built and tested on the BOOX Note Air 5C. Other Android tablets may open it, but the pen feel and e-ink refresh are the whole point.
- Android 10 or newer.
- An API key from OpenAI, Anthropic, or Groq. Set it up in a minute by scanning a QR code with your phone.
- Network access for the AI replies. Handwriting recognition itself runs on the device.