CleverGhost transforms messy PDF folders into a private, searchable library on your Mac. Organize documents automatically, search by meaning, ask questions, generate citations, compress PDFs, run OCR, remove duplicates, and explore your files with AI. Works with Apple on-device AI and local models by default, with optional cloud AI. Fast, private, and designed for researchers, professionals, and anyone managing large PDF collections.
Headline: Hi Product Hunt! 👋 Maker of CleverGhost here.
I built CleverGhost because I was tired of PDF tools that treat documents like simple stacks of text. As a researcher, my Downloads folder was a mess of cryptic filenames, and I was constantly struggling with "jumbled text" when trying to extract data from multi-column journals or scanned reports.
I wanted a tool that didn't just parse PDFs—I wanted one that could see them.
What is CleverGhost? It’s a native macOS PDF toolkit powered by AI Vision and on-device intelligence. It’s built for anyone who deals with documents—from researchers to busy professionals:
Beyond Documents: CleverGhost doesn't just "read" PDFs. Thanks to its AI Vision engine, it can treat and organize identity cards, plane tickets, and receipts with the same precision as a scientific paper. It "sees" the layout to extract exactly what's needed.
Layout-Aware Intelligence: Most tools jumble text in multi-column layouts. CleverGhost uses Vision OCR to recognize columns, headers, and captions just like a human does. When you "Ask AI" a question, the context remains perfect.
The AI Library Assistant: Forget manual tagging. You can literally ask CleverGhost, "Find me all papers related to medical bills" or "Show me documents on phase transitions," and it will surface every relevant file using AI-powered intuition, not just keyword matching.
Efficient Indexing: This works through our sophisticated, on-device indexing engine. It scans your library in the background using Vision OCR to extract perfectly clean text without freezing your Mac. It converts your documents into high-dimensional semantic embeddings, allowing for lightning-fast natural language search that understands "context" rather than just keywords.
The "BibGhost" Insurance: For researchers, CleverGhost is a complete, subscription-free alternative to services like Paperpile, Zotero, or ReadCube. It can rapidly extract all references from a paper and save them directly. If your .bib file is ever lost, no problem—your information is safely stored in bibghost, and it's 100% yours with no monthly fees.
Industrial Scale PDF Compressor: Shipped with a professional-grade PDF engine, CleverGhost handles massive document batches and reduces file sizes by up to 90% without losing visual fidelity. Whether it's a 500-page thesis or a high-res scan, our compression is built for industrial-scale demands.
Absolute Privacy: Most AI assistants require a cloud upload. CleverGhost uses Apple’s on-device FoundationModels (macOS Tahoe+). Your research, ID cards, and private notes never leave your Mac.
I developed CleverGhost to be the "clever" companion I needed for my documents. I’m thrilled to share it with you all today and would love to hear how it changes your workflow!
Special thanks to the PH community for the support! 🚀
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