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Usage

Web Access - Introduction - ONA.UNO Docs

Access your timeline, search, chat, and web clipping from any browser

ONA.UNO can run an embedded web server (“Web Access”) so you can access your library from any browser — on your phone, tablet, or another computer.

Use it to:

  • Browse your timeline and open item pages
  • Run search (including semantic search)
  • Use chat with streaming answers and clickable citations
  • Clip a URL from mobile Safari (no iOS app required)
Set scope

Web Access shows the currently selected Set only. There is no remote “switch Set” control — switch Sets inside the ONA.UNO app to change what the web UI shows. See Sets (Libraries).

Editing with a View

Enable Web Access

  1. Open ONA.UNO → Settings (Cmd+,) → Web Access.
  2. Set a password and click Save Password.
  3. Turn on Enable Web Server.
  4. Use Open Web UI (on the Mac itself) or copy one of the listed URLs in Status (for example http://192.168.x.x:8080/) and open it in your browser.
Note

The first time you start the server, macOS may ask for Firewall and Local Network permissions. If you want to connect from other devices, choose Allow.

Tip

ONA.UNO also shows a small Web Access indicator (network icon) in the bottom status bar. Click it to jump to Settings → Web Access. The icon changes depending on whether Web Access is off, local-only, or running with Tailscale remote access enabled.

Connect from another device

  • Make sure your phone/tablet is on the same Wi‑Fi network as your Mac.
  • Open one of the URLs shown in Settings (not 127.0.0.1, which only works on the Mac itself).
  • Log in using the same password you set in Settings → Web Access.
  • Bookmark the page for quick access.

Remote access with Tailscale (optional)

If you want to access your library when you are not on the same network (for example from cellular), use Tailscale.

If you’re new to it, see Tailscale for a quick explanation of what it is and why it’s a secure way to do remote access.

  1. Install Tailscale on your Mac and your device.
  2. Sign into the same Tailnet on both devices.
  3. In ONA.UNO → Settings → Web Access, enable Enable Remote Access (Tailscale).
  4. Use the Tailscale IP shown in the Status list (or click Copy Tailscale URL).
Tip

Avoid exposing the web server directly to the public internet (for example via port forwarding). Remote access is designed to be opt-in via Tailscale.

Using the Timeline (Web UI)

Open the root URL (the page titled “ONA.UNO Web Access”).

Source filter

  1. Choose a source (or keep “All active sources”).
  2. Click Apply.

Pagination (older/newer items)

The timeline shows your most recent items by default. Use Prev / Next at the bottom to load older or newer pages.

  1. Choose a search scope:
    • Titles
    • Summary
    • Content
    • Semantic
  2. Type your query and press Enter.
  3. Use Clear to return to the normal timeline.

When search is active, results may show tag chips you can tap to refine your query.

Item pages

Tap any item title to open its item page:

  • Summary (when available)
  • The item’s saved content (as stored by ONA.UNO)
  • Copy actions (plain text or markdown)
  • A best-effort Open original link (when available)

Chat (with streaming)

Use the Chat button in the top-right of the Web UI.

  • The left side lists your chat sessions.
  • Click New to start a new session.
  • Send a message and the assistant response streams in real time.
  • Citations like [#1] become clickable once the answer finishes and open the cited item page.
Info

Web chat uses the same underlying chat system as the desktop app. Starting or switching sessions in the browser can affect what you see in the in-app chat view if it’s open.

Web clipping (Add URL)

This is the easiest way to save a webpage from a phone without a browser extension.

  1. Copy a URL in your mobile browser.
  2. In the timeline page, paste it into Add URL and tap Add URL.
  3. Confirm the clip (“Save to ONA.UNO”).
  4. Wait for the status page to show Saved, then open the new item.
Tip

Web Access now handles more cookie-gated redirect flows than earlier versions. If a page used to fail after several redirects, retry the clip once on the latest build.

Bookmarklet (optional)

A bookmarklet is a normal browser bookmark that runs a small script. This one takes the page you’re currently viewing and opens ONA.UNO’s Confirm clip screen automatically.

1) Pick the base URL

Use one of the URLs shown in ONA.UNO → Settings → Web Access → Status (not 127.0.0.1).

Examples:

  • Local network: http://192.168.x.x:8080
  • Remote (Tailscale): http://100.x.x.x:8080 (see Tailscale)

2) Create the bookmarklet in iOS Safari

  1. Open any webpage in Safari.
  2. Tap Share → Add Bookmark (or Add to Favorites).
  3. Edit the bookmark and set:
    • Name: Clip to ONA.UNO
    • URL (replace the base URL first):
javascript:location.href='http://YOUR-MAC-IP:8080/clip?url='+encodeURIComponent(location.href)

Replace http://YOUR-MAC-IP:8080 with your base URL from step 1.

3) Use it

  1. Open the webpage you want to clip.
  2. Open your bookmarks/favorites and tap Clip to ONA.UNO.
  3. ONA.UNO opens a confirmation page — tap Save to ONA.UNO.
Note

Some websites may block bookmarklets or restrict script execution. If it doesn’t work, use the copy/paste method above (Add URL).

“Open original” in the web interface

On an item page, Open original tries to open the source in the most useful way for browsers:

  • Web sources (http/https) open the original URL.
  • Local files (Folder and Obsidian sources) are served by ONA.UNO via a /original/... URL.
  • Mail items use a message:// link so Apple devices can open the message in Mail (when available).

All “Open original” links open in a new browser tab.

Troubleshooting

  • Can’t connect from another device: check that the server is running in Settings → Web Access, and use a http://<your-mac-ip>:<port>/ URL (not 127.0.0.1).
  • Firewall/local network prompt was denied: allow ONA.UNO in macOS firewall settings, then restart the web server toggle.
  • Port already in use: change the port in Settings (default is 8080).
  • Tailscale IP doesn’t work: enable Enable Remote Access (Tailscale) in Settings; when disabled, requests from Tailscale IPs are rejected.
  • “Too many redirects” while clipping: some sites require a short cookie/consent redirect flow before serving content. Retry once; Web Access now supports more of these flows, but a few sites may still block automated clipping.
  • A clip failed — is Web Access down?: usually no. A failed clip job does not stop the Web Access server. You can immediately start a new clip or continue using Timeline/Search/Chat.

Related / Next