convoviz 0.6.2
Convert your ChatGPT export (ZIP) into clean Markdown text files with inline media, and generate data visualizations like word clouds and usage graphs.
Requires Python: >=3.12
Keywords: markdown, chatgpt, openai, visualization, analytics, json, export, data-analysis, obsidian

<p align="center">
  <h1 align="center">Convoviz</h1>
  <p align="center">
    Convert your ChatGPT history into clean, readable Markdown (text files).
  </p>
  <p align="center"><strong>
    Perfect for archiving, local search, or use with note-taking apps like Obsidian.
  </strong></p>
  <p align="center">
    Visualize your data with word clouds and usage graphs.
  </p>
</p>

<p align="center">
  <a href="https://pypi.org/project/convoviz/"><img src="https://img.shields.io/pypi/v/convoviz?style=for-the-badge&logo=python&logoColor=white" alt="PyPI Version"></a>
  <a href="https://github.com/mohamed-chs/convoviz/blob/main/LICENSE"><img src="https://img.shields.io/pypi/l/convoviz?style=for-the-badge" alt="License"></a>
  <a href="https://pepy.tech/projects/convoviz"><img src="https://img.shields.io/pepy/dt/convoviz?style=for-the-badge&color=blue" alt="Downloads"></a>
  <a href="https://github.com/mohamed-chs/convoviz/actions/workflows/ci.yml"><img src="https://img.shields.io/github/actions/workflow/status/mohamed-chs/convoviz/ci.yml?style=for-the-badge&logo=github&label=CI" alt="CI Status"></a>
</p>

---

## Features

|  |  |
|---------|-------------|
| **Markdown Export** | Clean, well-formatted Markdown with optional YAML headers |
| **Inline Images** | Media attachments rendered directly in your Markdown files |
| **Citations** | Web search results and source links accurately preserved |
| **Word Clouds** | Visual breakdowns of your most-used words and phrases |
| **Usage Graphs** | Bar plots and charts showing your conversation patterns |
| **Canvas Support** | OpenAI "Canvas" documents extracted as standalone files (`.py`, `.html`, etc.) |
| **Custom Instructions** | User/Model system messages exported to `custom_instructions.json` |

> see word cloud examples in the [`demo/`](https://github.com/mohamed-chs/convoviz/tree/main/demo) folder!

---

## How to Use

### Step 1: Export Your ChatGPT Data

1. Sign in at [chatgpt.com](https://chatgpt.com)
2. Navigate to: **Profile Name** (bottom left) → **Settings** → **Data controls** → **Export**
3. Click **Confirm export**
4. Wait for the email from OpenAI, then download the `.zip` file

<details>
<summary><strong>Alternative: Use the Direct Export Script</strong></summary>

If you want to grab recent conversations quickly or bypass the official export wait, use the direct export script.

1.  Follow the instructions in [`js/HOW_TO_USE.md`](https://github.com/mohamed-chs/convoviz/blob/main/js/HOW_TO_USE.md) to download your recent data as a `.zip` file.
2.  **Run Convoviz normally.**
3.  **Smart Discovery:** If you have a `convoviz_export.zip` in your `Downloads`, Convoviz will ask to merge it.
4.  **Additive & Smart:** You can combine multiple runs into the same folder. Convoviz uses identity-based overwriting to update existing chats without creating duplicates!
</details>

---

### Step 2: Install Convoviz

### Quick Install

Run one of the commands below to install **everything** you need automatically.

#### 🍎 macOS / 🐧 Linux
1. Open `Terminal`.
   - **macOS**: Press `Cmd + Space`, type "Terminal", and hit Enter.
   - **Linux**: Press `Ctrl + Alt + T`, or search "Terminal" in your app menu.
2. Copy and paste this command:

```bash
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mohamed-chs/convoviz/main/install.sh | bash
```

#### 🪟 Windows
1. Open `PowerShell`.
   - Press the `Windows` key, type "PowerShell", and hit Enter.
2. Copy and paste this command:

```powershell
irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mohamed-chs/convoviz/main/install.ps1 | iex
```

<details>
<summary><strong>Alternative: Install with pip</strong></summary>

If you prefer using `pip` directly:

```bash
# Create a virtual environment (keeps your system Python clean)
python3 -m venv .venv

# Activate the virtual environment
source .venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: .venv\Scripts\activate

# Install convoviz with visualization extras
pip install "convoviz[viz]"
```

</details>

---

### Step 3: Run Convoviz

The simplest way is to run this in your terminal and follow the interactive prompts:

```bash
convoviz
```

Or, provide arguments directly to skip the prompts:

```bash
convoviz --input path/to/your/export.zip --output path/to/output/folder
```

<details>
<summary><strong>Command Line Options</strong></summary>

#### Selective Output

By default, all outputs (Markdown, graphs, word clouds) are generated. Use `--outputs` to pick specific ones:

```bash
convoviz --input export.zip --outputs markdown --outputs graphs
```

Available options: `markdown`, `graphs`, `wordclouds`

> In interactive mode, you'll be prompted to choose which outputs to generate.

#### Other Useful Flags

| Flag | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `--zip` / `-z` | Alias for `--input` (for convenience) |
| `--timestamp` / `-t` | Prepend conversation timestamp to the filename (e.g., `2024-03-21_15-30-05 - Title.md`) |
| `--no-interactive` | Force non-interactive mode |
| `--flat` | Put all Markdown files in a single folder (instead of organizing by date) |
| `--config PATH` | Use a specific TOML config file (otherwise the user config is used if present) |
| `--verbose` / `-v` | Enable detailed logging (use `-vv` for debug logs) |
| `--log-file PATH` | Specify a custom log file location |
| `--quiet` / `-q` | Reduce console output (still logs to file) |

For a complete list of options:

```bash
convoviz --help
```

</details>

---

<details>
<summary><strong>⚙️ Configuration</strong></summary>

Convoviz supports a TOML config file. Defaults are bundled with the package and can be copied into your user config directory.

Generate a user config file:

```bash
convoviz config init
```

Default user config locations:
1. Linux: `~/.config/convoviz/config.toml`
2. macOS: `~/Library/Application Support/convoviz/config.toml`
3. Windows: `%APPDATA%\\convoviz\\config.toml`

Use a custom config path:

```bash
convoviz --config path/to/config.toml
```

Markdown flavor options in config:
1. `standard` (default)
2. `obsidian` (collapsible callouts for reasoning content)

Markdown render order (config):
1. `active` (default, current branch)
2. `full` (all DAG branches)

Markdown timestamps can be toggled with `conversation.markdown.show_timestamp`.

Word clouds can be limited to your messages by setting `wordcloud.include_assistant_text = false`.
Word cloud layouts are deterministic by default; set `wordcloud.random_state = ""` to disable.

YAML frontmatter titles are sanitized; the original title is preserved in `aliases` when it changes.

</details>

---

### Step 4: Check the Output

After running the script, head to your output folder (defaults to `Documents/ChatGPT-Data` if you didn't change it) to see:
- Neatly formatted Markdown files
- Visualizations and graphs
- Extracted Canvas documents (if any)
- User "Custom Instructions" (`custom_instructions.json`)

If you've had a great experience, consider giving the project a ⭐ **star**! It keeps me motivated and helps others discover it!

![wordcloud example](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mohamed-chs/convoviz/main/demo/wordcloud-example.png)

---

## 💌 Share Your Feedback!

I hope you find this tool useful. I'm continuously looking to improve on this, but I need your help for that.

Whether you're a tech wizard or you're new to all this, I'd love to hear about your journey with the tool. Found a quirk? Have a suggestion? Or just want to send some good vibes? I'm all ears!

👉 **[Open an Issue](https://github.com/mohamed-chs/convoviz/issues)**

---

## Contributing

Interested in contributing? Check out the **[Contributing Guide](https://github.com/mohamed-chs/convoviz/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md)** for development setup, code style, and how to submit a pull request.

---

## Notes

<details>
<summary><strong>Offline</strong></summary>

Word clouds use NLTK stopwords. If you're offline and NLTK data isn't installed yet, pre-download it:

```bash
python -c "import nltk; nltk.download('stopwords')"
```

**NOTE:** The install script already handles this, so you can immediately go offline after running it.

</details>

<details>
<summary><strong>About This Project</strong></summary>

This is just a small thing I coded to help me see my convos in beautiful markdown. It was originally built with [Obsidian](https://obsidian.md/) (my go-to note-taking app) in mind, but the default output is standard Markdown.

I wasn't a fan of the clunky, and sometimes paid, browser extensions.

It was also a great opportunity to learn more about Python and type annotations. I had mypy, pyright, and ruff all on strict mode, 'twas fun.

</details>

<details>
<summary><strong>Direct Export (Experimental)</strong></summary>

There's also a JavaScript export flow under `js/` for grabbing additional conversation data directly from the browser outside the official ZIP export. This is experimental.

</details>