Second Brain Update: Database Tools, OneNote Import, and How to Actually Get Started
A few things shipped this week, plus a practical note on how to stop overthinking your setup.
What’s new
Database management tools
You can now edit and delete data directly from the app. Browse your entries, fix a typo, remove something outdated, all from within Second Brain. This was one of the most requested features since launch, and it’s live now.
OneNote import
If you’ve been sitting on years of OneNote notebooks, you can now bring them into Second Brain. Export from OneNote, import into the app, done. Your notes land as structured entries in your local database, searchable and ready to connect with Claude.
Bug fixes
Several stability fixes across the board. Smoother imports, fewer edge cases on large datasets, better error handling. Nothing dramatic, but the kind of work that makes the app feel more solid every week.
Updated: How to connect with Claude
The setup instructions for connecting Second Brain with Claude Desktop have been updated. If you tried connecting before and hit friction, it’s worth revisiting.
Here’s the thing most people don’t realize: Claude Desktop’s free plan works with Second Brain. You get a limited number of prompts per day, but the MCP connection works the same way. You don’t need a paid Claude plan to start using your personal database as context. Install Second Brain, connect it to Claude Desktop, and you’re running.
The paid plan obviously gives you more prompts and longer conversations. But if you want to test the workflow before committing, the free option still works.
We also published a skills archive on GitHub with ready-to-use skills like weekly review, meeting prep, and quick lookup.
How to actually start
I keep hearing the same question: “What should I import first?”
Stop thinking about it as building an archive. Think about it as eliminating repetition.
What files do you upload to ChatGPT or Claude every week? What context do you re-explain every time you start a new conversation? Product specs, client data, meeting notes, project documentation, your own writing. That’s your starting point.
Import the stuff you’re already feeding to AI manually. Once it’s in your Second Brain database and connected via MCP, Claude has that context automatically. No more copy-pasting the same brief into every conversation.
You don’t need to import everything on day one. Start with what you use today. Add more as you go.
What’s coming next
We’ve gotten a lot of requests and ideas from early users (keep them coming). Two things we’re thinking about first:
Custom database location. Right now the SQLite database lives in a default directory. We want to give you the option to choose where it sits. Your NAS, a synced folder, an external drive. Your data, your choice of where it lives.
More tools to keep your Second Brain current. The initial focus was on importing historical data. The next step is making it easier to keep things up to date. Live syncs, scheduled refreshes, and smarter ways to capture new information as it happens, not after the fact.
Both are in active development. No dates yet, but these are top priority.
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