Every AI conversation, saved as Markdown in a folder you own.

Save ChatGPT, Claude, and Grok conversations to your computer or Obsidian vault. Carry never uploads your chats or files.

Add to ChromeAdd to EdgeBuy license · $59

Free for 14 days. No card to start.

  • No chat uploads, no account
  • Plain Markdown, not a JSON blob
  • ChatGPT · Claude · Grok

Lisbon or Barcelona: which is cheaper to live in?

Lisbon, usually, but the gap is shrinking:Central Lisbon rents have caught up fastGroceries and eating out cost a bit lessSalaries are lower too, so compare take-home pay.
Your folderSaved · just now

Research one move across three AIs. Every answer is saved to one folder you own.

The record

It keeps happening.

Bans, purges, redesigns, one wrong toggle. People lose their AI history in ways they never see coming. Every entry below is dated and sourced.

  1. Ongoing

    Grok permanently purges deleted chats after 30 days.

    Its account download is one big JSON file, not readable chats. What you don’t save in time is gone for good. (xAI)

  2. Jan 2026

    A professor lost two years of research to one data-consent toggle.

    The internet’s verdict: “why didn’t you have a local backup?” (Nature)

  3. Jul 2026

    Court filings revealed OpenAI retained ~78 million “deleted” conversations.

    Delete doesn’t mean deleted. It means the copy you could see is gone. Theirs remains. (TechCrunch)

  4. Dec 2025

    Extensions with 8M+ users were caught silently harvesting AI chats.

    The category that reads your conversations has a trust problem. On-device processing and clear network disclosures matter. (Koi Security)

The only copy that survives is the one you control, saved while the account still works. That’s the whole product.

How it works

Set it once. Forget it’s running.

Pick your folder

Connect providers

Then it’s automatic

What gets saved

The transcript is half of it.

Most backups stop at chat text. Carry saves the files, reports, and project context around it.

Coming soonGemini

Whatever the shape, it’s saved as plain files. Readable in thirty years.

Features

Built like a tool, not a service.

Carry reads ChatGPT, Claude, and Grok through your own session. It writes plain Markdown to a folder you pick.

Automatic capture

ChatGPT and Claude save automatically while Chrome is open. Save Grok from the popup.

High-fidelity Markdown

Keep code blocks, tables, and equations in readable Markdown.

Your chats stay yours

Saved to your folder. Carry never uploads your chats or files.

No API keys, no plugin

Connect the accounts you’re already signed into.

Re-sync never duplicates

One conversation, one file. Carry keeps your manual edits.

Your full history

Save every conversation, all the way back to the start, with a license.

The format

One conversation. One Markdown file. Yours.

See the same saved conversation as Markdown and in Obsidian.

  • One file per conversation, named by date, provider, and title.
  • Source, dates, and the original link included.
  • Search with Obsidian, Spotlight, or your preferred tool.
  • Save again to update the same file.
Download this exact file and drop it into Obsidian
2026-07-24-ai-chat-history-knowledge-base.md
Properties
source
chatgpt
created
2026-07-24
tags
#capture/chatgpt
url
chatgpt.com/c/6a63a824…

AI Chat History Knowledge Base

You

Compare how to turn AI chat history into a permanent, local-first knowledge base in Markdown with Obsidian.

ChatGPT

Why chat history is fragile

AI chats live on proprietary servers with no guaranteed permanence. Deleting a chat schedules it for removal within 30 days1 — once gone, there is no recovery.

  • Vendor lock-in — lose the account, lose the history.
  • No real export — you get one JSON blob, not readable Markdown.2
  • Policy can change — retention has jumped from 30 days to ~5 years unilaterally.3

Approaches, compared

ApproachProvidersStorageAutomatic
Official exportAllCloudNo
Copy / pasteAllLocalNo
Auto-capture extensionAllLocalYes

Why Markdown + Obsidian is durable

Plain Markdown files stay readable for decades, work with any editor, and drop straight into your knowledge graph — frontmatter for Dataview, backlinks between notes, and ripgrep or Spotlight search for free.

Ephemeral chat sessions become permanent, searchable, linkable knowledge you own.
Sources
  1. OpenAI — chat & file retention policies
  2. Anthropic Privacy Center — data export & retention
  3. xAI — Grok data controls and deletion window

Pricing

One price. No subscription.

Pay once. Keep saving and get every update free. AI subscriptions are separate.

Start here

14-day free trial

Freeno card required

  • Save new conversations as Markdown
  • Works with ChatGPT, Claude, and Grok
  • Into a folder you pick, or your Obsidian vault

Start with up to your latest 25 ChatGPT and Claude conversations and 5 from Grok, then save new ones. A license adds your full history and lifts the project limit.

Add to Chrome
Lifetime license

Carry

regularly $79, $59 at launch, $59lifetime

Launch price: use code EARLY20 to get a $20 early launch discount.

Everything in the free trial, plus

  • Every conversation, all the way back to the start
  • Every Claude project, with no trial limit
  • Your backup keeps running for life
  • Free updates for life
Buy Carry · $59

Try it free for 14 days first. No account, no card.

Questions, answered

Privacy & ownership

Is my data private?

Your chats and files stay on your device. Compatibility checks contact carry.md and share request metadata, including your IP address and User-Agent; you can turn them off. License metadata goes to Polar. See our privacy policy for details.

What happens to my files if I stop using Carry?

Your Markdown files stay in your folder, even if you uninstall Carry or your license expires. Only new saves stop.

Setup

Do I need an API key or an Obsidian plugin?

No. Choose a folder and connect your signed-in accounts.

Do I need Obsidian to use it?

No. Save Markdown to any folder, or choose your Obsidian vault to see conversations as notes.

Which browsers does it work in?

Chrome, Edge, Brave, Arc, Vivaldi, and other Chromium browsers. Install from the Chrome Web Store or Edge Add-ons.

Do I have to press sync every time?

Carry checks ChatGPT and Claude every few hours while Chrome is open. Save Grok from the popup.

What gets saved

Which AI tools does it work with?

ChatGPT, Claude, and Grok. Gemini support is coming soon.

What exactly gets saved?

Each conversation as a Markdown file, plus the files you upload, most files the AI makes, research reports, and Claude projects as folders. Some things aren’t saved, like ChatGPT Canvas documents and memory. A file Carry couldn’t save is named in the note, but other gaps can go unmarked.

What Carry saves from each app: ChatGPT · Claude · Grok

Will it overwrite notes I’ve edited, or make duplicates?

Each conversation updates one file. Carry keeps your manual edits and doesn’t create duplicates.

Can I save my older conversations?

Yes. A license lets you save every conversation, all the way back to the start. Choose Save history in Settings → License.

Pricing & license

How much does it cost?

$79 once, with free updates. Use EARLY20 for the launch price of $59. Try free for 14 days. No card needed.

Can I use one license on more than one computer?

Yes. One license covers 5 of your own devices. Activate it in each browser; free a slot when you change computers.

What happens when I’ve used all 5 device slots?

Free a slot in your Polar account at carry.md/account. Sign in with your purchase email.

What if Carry isn’t for me?

Email support@carry.md within 14 days for a full refund, no questions asked. Your saved files stay yours. Terms at carry.md/terms.

More questions about saving and exporting AI chats →

Save every conversation.

Choose a folder, connect your accounts, and save your first conversations.

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