Choose a capture method that fits the source
Start with where the article reaches you. An individual page in Chrome suits the browser extension. The web app provides another saving route. An existing library suits an import. Newsletters and recurring site updates have their own Pro capture methods, so you can choose a route for each source.
Create a KnowMan account to begin. Every new account starts with a 14-day Pro trial, with no credit card. Browser saving and supported imports are available on Free. Newsletters, RSS feeds and ingestion rules require Pro. Keep these boundaries in mind when choosing the capture methods you want to continue using after the trial.
Save an article from Chrome
Use KnowMan's Chrome browser extension to save an open page with one click or a keyboard shortcut. Start with an article you expect to use, then check that you can find it in your knowledge base. This connects capture to the task that made you save it.
KnowMan reads saved articles in full and automatically tags them. You can later search their text or ask questions about what they contain. Add a highlight or note when there is a particular passage or reason you want to retain. You do not need to finish reading an article before asking your knowledge base about it.
Use the web app as another saving route
You can also save articles through the KnowMan web app. Use this route when it fits your current browsing workflow. The web app works in modern browsers, including on mobile, while the browser extension is supported in Chrome.
For your first web app save, choose a source whose title and subject you recognize. After saving, search for a distinctive word from that article. Then try a question about a specific point it makes. This is a practical check that you can move from saving something to using it. Keep the example simple enough that you can inspect the result against the source.
Bring an existing library into KnowMan
Free supports imports from Pocket, Instapaper, Omnivore, Readwise, Wallabag and browser bookmarks. Choose the supported source that matches the material you already have. Importing is a way to bring that reading into your knowledge base without treating each article as a new manual save.
After importing, choose a few familiar articles and search for them. Check the saved material you expect to use first, then ask a question grounded in one of those sources. Keep this check separate from assumptions about transfer details: confirm what arrived before relying on particular annotations or organization from your previous library. The supported import list alone does not establish every field that transfers.
Receive newsletters through your private address
On Pro, KnowMan provides a private address for newsletters. Newsletters sent to that address land in your knowledge base. Use it for a publication you want available alongside your other saved reading, so you can retrieve its ideas when they become relevant.
Begin with one newsletter and check a delivered item before expanding the workflow. Search for a phrase you recognize from it, or ask a focused question and inspect the cited source. This tests the capture route with your own material. If you need to narrow incoming content, Pro ingestion rules can filter what arrives from newsletters and feeds.
Follow RSS feeds and filter incoming content
RSS feeds are another Pro capture method. Follow a site you trust so new posts arrive in your knowledge base. Choose a source connected to a subject you actively use; that gives you a clear reason for bringing its future posts into your research.
Pro rules filter incoming content from feeds and newsletters. Use them to focus what enters your knowledge base, then check incoming items against what you intended to keep. Treat feed selection and filtering as separate choices: first decide which source matters, then decide which of its material serves your purpose. You can evaluate both with actual incoming articles.
Find your saved articles with search
If you are wondering where your saved articles are, begin by searching your KnowMan knowledge base for words you remember. Try a distinctive phrase from the article, a term from its subject or wording you added in a note. Search covers saved text, highlights and notes.
Free uses keyword search. Pro adds search by meaning, which helps when you remember the idea rather than its exact wording. For example, you could describe a question the article addressed. If the first search misses, try a more specific term from the source. Open the result and check that it is the article you intended to retrieve.
Turn a saved article into something useful
Once you find an article, ask a question tied to your work. KnowMan answers from your saved reading and provides citations you can open to inspect the evidence. Free includes five Ask questions a day; Pro removes that daily limit.
Keep a note about why the source matters, or record a decision and its reasoning as a Memory. Search covers highlights and notes. Memories keep decisions and their reasons alongside the reading behind them. If you want to take material elsewhere, Pro supports exports to Obsidian, Logseq and EPUB. Finish your first capture test by using a checked source in a real task, such as a draft, discussion or decision.