Nib, a GPLv3 fully local PDF tool (fill, sign, real redaction) in a single Go binary

FOSS Applications/Projects
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I built this for myself because I’ve not found a PDF tool that does what I want, I’m not willing to pay for one, and I don’t like pushing my private info up to some random cloud service. I call it Nib. Figured this sub might be interested. GPLv3, runs entirely on your own machine.

The closest thing most people know is Stirling-PDF, which I like, but that’s a server you deploy and share. Nib is the opposite: a single cgo-free binary that opens like a desktop app. No Docker,no JVM, no upload.

Hit Detect and it finds the blanks (lines, boxes, checkboxes, “circle one”) and adds fields you can type into. It errs toward too many rather than too few, so you ignore the extra fields instead of hunting for misses. It fills existing form fields too, and you can type anywhere.

It saves your signature and logos so you reuse them. Draw it or upload a photo and it cleans up the background. Stored encrypted, unlocked by your SSH key (it’ll help you generate one if you don’t have it).

True redaction re-renders the page, so the text underneath is actually gone, not just covered.

It also does cryptographic signing with a timestamp if you need tamper-evidence, separate from the handwritten signature. Plus flatten and export, and the sidebar lets you reorder pages by dragging their thumbnails.

One Go binary (pdf.js, pdfcpu, pdfsign under the hood), Linux/macOS/Windows. GPLv3, looking for maintainers. Toggleable version check at startup, nothing else leaves the machine.

Me: systems admin/engineer of 30 years. Written with Claude Code (the app itself contains no AI).

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So you used Claude as an IDE.
When you say “contains no AI” do you mean that all the code is hand coded by you?
or
Is there some code written by Claude?

I like the app. It does fill a gap in the pdf area.

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in a way. I engineered it with Claude. I told Claude exactly what I wanted and how to go about doing it. I’m not a software developer, but I do know what I’m doing and Claude is way, way better at coding than I am. But the app itself is all golang. It doesn’t have any AI hooks built in. It doesn’t use Ollama or anything.

Glad you like it!

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Thanks for the honest account.

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I’m truly sorry, but I strictly reject the outcome of any vibe-coding projects. Period.

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Unfortunately, as you all vibe-coded it, its legal status is quite complicated.

If you used the free AI, the AI company claims ownership (which is legally quite murky).

If you claim ownership, you need to figure out where all the source code came from the AI learned off and ask for permission to change the license - if at all possible.

Until such time, I don’t feel it’s fair or appropriate to post this as a “new” application and especially put a license on it such as the GPL v3.

Even if I had a need for an application like this, I still would not use it, because of its murky legal status. Perhaps someone put a license on some code which the AI was trained on proclaiming that all work of the user is now the software owner’s property. NO THANKS.

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I had the same concern and it’s true of using the free version, but I am paying for a subscription due to job requirements. The interesting paragraph from their license follows. The applicable sentence is the last (bolded by me). Inputs are the prompts used, Outputs is the code generated.

Rights and Responsibilities. You are responsible for all Inputs you submit to our Services and all Actions. By submitting Inputs to our Services, you represent and warrant that you have all rights, licenses, and permissions that are necessary for us to process the Inputs under our Terms and to provide the Services to you, including for example, to integrate with third-party services, to share Materials with others at your direction, and to take Actions. You also represent and warrant that your submitting Inputs to us or directing Claude to take Actions will not violate our Terms, our Acceptable Use Policy, or any laws or regulations applicable to those Inputs or Actions. As between you and Anthropic, and to the extent permitted by applicable law, you retain any right, title, and interest that you have in the Inputs you submit. Subject to your compliance with our Terms, we assign to you all of our right, title, and interest—if any—in Outputs.

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Fair play. Fortunately or unfortunately, I think AI is going to touch all software (code at least) in the near future. The linux kernel itself is receiving patches generated by AI for issues found by AI. Like it or not, AI is here.