TL;DR
What is Medium's TK app?
On Monday, Medium launched TK, a free private notebook where you type "@TK" mid-draft to ask its AI a question or pull in old notes. If you write a blog or newsletter, it keeps AI help inside your draft. Try it with low-stakes notes first, since TechCrunch reports the notes aren't encrypted.
What does Medium TK do?
Medium launched TK on Monday, November 9, 2026. Medium calls it an "agentic notebook," meaning the AI inside can take small actions for you, like finding and pulling in an earlier note, instead of only chatting. CEO Tony Stubblebine announced it in a post titled We are betting on human intelligence.
The main features, per Medium and TechCrunch:
- @TK in the draft. Type "@TK" anywhere to ask a question or bring in something you wrote earlier.
- Editing skills. Built-in AI skills give editorial and headline feedback.
- Style matching. It can check a draft against a Medium publication's style guide.
- Topic pages. It turns your notes on one subject into a wiki-style summary page.
- Social libraries. Private groups where real people give you feedback.
- Human vs AI labels. Published notes can show which parts a person wrote and which the AI wrote.
Can TK import notes from Obsidian or Bear?
Yes. TK imports from Medium, Bear and Obsidian, and exports Markdown, the plain-text format most notes apps can read. That means your notes aren't locked in if you leave.
It also has an MCP server and a Claude skill. MCP (Model Context Protocol) is a standard way for an AI assistant to connect to an app, so your own AI agent, such as Claude, can read your TK notes. If you're weighing TK against the apps you use now, read our Notion vs Obsidian comparison.
Is Medium TK free?
Yes. TK is free with a Medium account, according to TechCrunch. It works on the web now, and Medium mentions a mobile app and widgets, with a native desktop app on the roadmap. Medium is profitable, TechCrunch notes.
Is Medium TK private?
TK is pitched as a private notebook, but TechCrunch reports the notes aren't encrypted, because the app is built around sharing. Medium makes a separate promise in its post: "No AI company ever trains on your writing or uses it without your permission."
So the AI side and the storage side are two different questions. Medium promises your words won't train outside AI models. It doesn't lock the notes so that only you can read them. Keep passwords, health details and client secrets out of it.
Stubblebine framed the launch this way: "We're not anti-AI, we're pro-human."
X reactions
One post asked the question most writers will have.
Medium just launched something that isn't a blog.
— Mr. Clicker (@MrClicker_1) November 9, 2026
TK is a private notebook with an agent inside. It pulls in old notes from Bear or Obsidian.
Medium's bet: human writing matters more in the AI era.
Would you trust a notebook that reads everything you write? https://t.co/5bhyzBwl4t
Our take
Putting AI inside the draft makes more sense than bouncing between a doc and a chat tab, and the human-vs-AI labels are a smart touch for writers whose readers care who wrote what. Markdown export and Obsidian import also mean trying it costs you very little.
We'd still hold back on moving everything in. A notebook is where half-finished thoughts, client names and private plans live, and "not encrypted" is a real trade-off for that kind of writing. Use TK for drafts you'd be fine sharing anyway, and keep your private notes where they are until Medium says more about how it stores them.
— Artificially Nerdy
What to do now
- Sign in with your Medium account and import a small folder of notes, not your whole vault.
- Try @TK on one draft for headline feedback before trusting it with longer edits.
- Keep sensitive notes out, since TechCrunch reports TK notes aren't encrypted.
- Export to Markdown once in a while, so you always have your own copy.
FAQ
Does Medium train AI on my TK notes?
Medium promises that "No AI company ever trains on your writing or uses it without your permission."
Do I have to publish my TK notes on Medium?
No. TK is a private notebook. Sharing and social libraries are optional.
Is there a TK desktop app?
Not yet. TK runs on the web, and a native desktop app is on Medium's roadmap.
Can I use TK with ChatGPT?
Medium names an MCP server and a Claude skill. It doesn't list other assistants by name.
Sources
- Medium blog: We are betting on human intelligence — Tony Stubblebine; features, training promise, "pro-human" quote.
- TechCrunch: Medium's new TK app brings AI assistance directly into the writing process — November 9, 2026; free with a Medium account, notes not encrypted.
- The Verge: Medium TK notes app — November 9, 2026.
- Mr. Clicker on X — November 9, 2026, 4:30pm ET.
