You installed Notebook OS, opened your library, and noticed something: many of your notebooks have no description. Just an empty space where a summary should be.
This is expected behavior, and it is easy to fix. Here is why it happens and what to do.
Why Descriptions Are Missing
Notebook OS displays descriptions in your library by using the notebook's summary β a short text that Gemini Notebook generates internally when you open a notebook. This summary is not available until Notebook OS has had a chance to see it.
If you had notebooks before installing Notebook OS, the extension has never observed those notebooks being opened. It does not have the summary cached yet. So the description field shows blank.
New notebooks you create after installing Notebook OS will have descriptions automatically, because Notebook OS captures the summary when you first open them.
How to Get Descriptions for Existing Notebooks
The fix is simple: open each notebook you want a description for. Just navigate to it in Gemini Notebook. Notebook OS will automatically capture the summary when the notebook loads and store it for display in your library.
You do not need to do anything else. Open the notebook, let it load, and the description will appear in your library from that point on.
If you have a large library, prioritize the notebooks you use most. You do not need to open every notebook immediately β descriptions will fill in naturally as you use your library over time.
Writing Your Own Description
If you prefer to write your own description rather than using the auto-captured summary, you can. In the library view, switch to grid view and click the detail icon on a notebook card. You will see an option to edit the description manually.
Manual descriptions are especially useful for notebooks that have grown beyond their original purpose, or notebooks with vague names that need more context than an auto-summary provides.
Summary
- Missing descriptions = Notebook OS has not seen these notebooks open yet
- Fix: simply open each notebook β descriptions fill in automatically
- Alternative: write your own in grid view β detail β edit description