Offline FirstPrivacyWorkflow

Offline Productivity: Building a Zero-Internet Workflow with LibreOffice and Local Tools

UUnknown

2026-02-24

10 min read

Practical guide for teachers and learners to run a zero-internet workflow with LibreOffice, LAN file syncing, local versioning, printers and encrypted backups.

Build a reliable, offline workflow teachers and learners can trust—no cloud required

If you've ever lost a homework folder to a flaky Wi‑Fi, worried about cloud AI agents reading student work, or fought with printer queues the morning an assignment's due, this guide is for you. In 2026, with desktop AI agents asking for filesystem access and cloud privacy in the spotlight, a robust zero‑internet productivity stack is no longer niche—it's classroom resilience.

Why an offline workflow matters in 2026

Late 2025 and early 2026 brought a fresh wave of desktop AI tools that request broad access to local files and can autonomously edit or organize your folders. Anthropic's Cowork and similar tools demonstrated the convenience of powerful agents—but also highlighted a new risk: giving an agent free file system access can expose student data, test answers, or sensitive school records.

"Anthropic's Cowork brings autonomous desktop agents to knowledge workers—powerful, but it changes the trust model for every file on your machine." (reported in early 2026 coverage)

For teachers and learners who need predictable access, privacy, and control, a local-first workflow built around LibreOffice and a handful of local tools provides:

Predictability: work continues if the internet drops, school filters block sites, or cloud services add paywalls.
Privacy: student submissions and grades stay on school hardware or local storage, not third‑party servers.
Control: you decide when and how files are shared, backed up, or printed.

High-level setup (most important steps first)

Standardize on LibreOffice and save templates as Flat ODF (.fodt/.fods) for easier diffing and version control.
Use a LAN-only sync tool such as Syncthing or Unison—configured to never use the internet.
Host a lightweight Git/Gitea instance on a local Raspberry Pi/NAS for assignment repositories and version tracking.
Run encrypted, local backups with Borg or Restic to an external drive or local NAS.
Set up a local CUPS print server and common printer drivers so printing never depends on cloud services.

Core tools and why they matter

LibreOffice (desktop-first, privacy-friendly)

LibreOffice remains the ideal offline office suite in 2026 for schools that want a powerful editor without SaaS lock‑in. Important features for this workflow:

Save as Flat ODF (.fodt/.fods): stores the document as a single XML file, making text diffs feasible in Git.
File > Versions: LibreOffice can keep incremental file versions in a single ODT, but for collaborative version history you should combine this with Git.
Export to PDF: reliable, standardized output for printing and archival.

Syncthing (LAN-only peer sync)

Syncthing is open source, peer‑to‑peer, and can be configured to limit discovery and sync strictly to LAN peers. Use it to mirror shared folders between teacher machines, classroom laptops, and a local NAS without touching the cloud.

Gitea on a Raspberry Pi or NAS (local Git server)

Gitea is a lightweight self‑hosted Git front end. On a local network it provides a familiar web UI for commits, pull requests, and code reviews without internet dependency. For class workflows, create one repo per assignment or per student cohort.

BorgBackup or Restic (encrypted deduplicating backups)

Both Borg and Restic offer client-side encryption and deduplication. Borg is excellent for large datasets and local NAS targets; Restic is easy to script and cross‑platform. Schedule nightly backups to an external drive or a local NAS with a systemd timer or cron job.

CUPS (local print server)

Use CUPS to centralize printers on the LAN. Teachers can control access and queue management, and students can print without uploading documents offsite.

Step-by-step: Set up a classroom offline workflow

1. Standardize document formats and templates

Create templates for assignments, rubrics, and submission forms in LibreOffice. Save them as both .ott templates and as .fodt (Flat ODF) examples for version control.

Template naming convention: assignment-YYYY-term-class.ott
Include a header with metadata: teacher, due date, version, and brief instructions.

Why Flat ODF (.fodt) matters for versioning

Traditional .odt files are ZIP archives (binary) which makes diffs opaque. Flat ODF writes the document as a single XML file so Git can show textual diffs and merges are more deterministic:

File > Save As > choose Flat ODF (.fodt).
Commit the .fodt to your local Git/Gitea repo instead of .odt.

2. Host a local Git server (Gitea) for submissions

Quick setup on a Raspberry Pi or local server:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y git sqlite3
# follow Gitea install guide or use the official Docker image
# create organization per class, repos per assignment

Teacher workflow:

Create a repo named assignment-1-physics and add the template.
Give students push access on the LAN account or use a shared staging branch where students create PRs.
Review diffs (Flat ODF) in the Gitea web UI, leave comments, merge after grading.

3. Configure Syncthing for LAN-only file syncing

Install Syncthing on each classroom machine and the NAS. Important settings to enforce offline-only operation:

In Settings > Connections, disable global discovery and relay servers.
Set the allowed LAN addresses and block outgoing ports at the router if available.
Create a shared folder for each class and set it to "Send Only" on the teacher machine for distribution or "Send & Receive" for collaborative folders.

4. Local backups with Borg (example)

Initialize a Borg repo on a local external drive or NAS:

# initialize (on backup target)
borg init --encryption=repokey /mnt/backup/borg-repo

# backup (on source machine)
borg create --stats /mnt/backup/borg-repo::{hostname}-{now} /home/teacher/documents

Automate with systemd timers or cron and keep a retention policy via borg prune. Ensure the backup target is physically secure and that encryption keys are kept offline.

5. Configure CUPS for reliable classroom printing

Install CUPS on a local server or teacher workstation and share printers over the LAN. Example commands:

sudo apt install cups
sudo lpadmin -p MyPrinter -E -v ipp://printer.local:631 -m everywhere
sudo cupsctl --remote-any  # allow remote administration on LAN

Best practice: export a "print-only" queue for students and keep administrative access locked to teacher accounts. Use PDF export from LibreOffice to standardize output and avoid driver mismatches.

Practical class workflows (teacher + students)

Assignment distribution (teacher)

Create assignment template (.fodt) and push to Gitea repo or place in Syncthing "send" folder.
Announce location and filename convention (e.g., smith_j_assignment1.fodt).
Optional: print copies via CUPS for in-class work.

Student submission (student)

Copy template to personal folder, edit locally in LibreOffice.
Save as .fodt and commit to local repo or push to assigned Gitea repo.
If Git is too advanced, students can sync a submission folder via Syncthing to the teacher's review folder.

Review and grading (teacher)

Use Gitea diffs to view changes in Flat ODF (text diffs make comments meaningful).
Annotate PDFs for feedback (Okular, Xournal++), then place graded file in student folder or push to repo with a grade tag.

Handling common pain points

Binary ODT files and merge conflicts

If you must use .odt, keep submission protocols strict: one student edits at a time, or use file locks. For collaborative writing, prefer .fodt or use a local Etherpad server where simultaneous editing is expected and then export the final text to LibreOffice for formatting.

Offline-first AI assistance (caution)

Local AI models are more accessible in 2026. If you run an offline LLM for drafting help, follow these rules:

Run the model on an air‑gapped or firewalled machine.
Isolate the model in a container with no network access if you want true offline behavior.
Audit prompts and outputs—do not allow autonomous agents unsupervised filesystem write access.

Allowing an autonomous agent blanket read/write of student folders is equivalent to giving a third party full access to private data—avoid it unless you fully control the model and runtime.

Advanced strategies and 2026 trends

Here are techniques and practices gaining traction among privacy‑focused educators:

Flat ODF + Git as a classroom SCM: teachers run a local Gitea instance and students learn basic version control as part of digital literacy.
LAN-only Syncthing clusters: Syncthing can run on school laptops and a central NAS; discovery disabled to ensure no cloud relay is used.
Encrypted block‑level backups with Borg/Restic: retention policies and offline key storage meet compliance needs.
Containerized apps for safety: run LibreOffice and local AI or conversion tools in Flatpak or Docker containers to control filesystem access.

Checklist: Zero-internet classroom setup

Install LibreOffice and create Flat ODF templates.
Deploy Gitea on local server and create class repos.
Install Syncthing on all classroom devices; disable global discovery/relays.
Set up Borg or Restic backups to an encrypted local drive with scheduled jobs.
Install CUPS and configure printers with secure queues.
Document workflows and train students in basic Git, saving, and printing procedures.
Strictly control any AI tools: run offline, sandboxed, and with human supervision.

Troubleshooting quick tips

Syncthing not seeing peers: confirm all devices are on the same subnet, and ensure discovery is disabled but local discovery is enabled.
Confusing diffs on .odt: switch to .fodt or export to plain text before committing.
Backup fails: check encryption keys and run a manual borg check; verify target drive mount points in scripts.
Printer drivers differ: print to PDF on student machines and use the teacher's workstation for driver-specific printing.

Real-world example: a week in a classroom with this stack

Monday: Teacher drops assignment .fodt into Gitea and Syncthing mirrors to student machines. Students open the template in LibreOffice and start work offline.

Wednesday: A student loses Wi‑Fi at home—no problem. They commit locally to Git and Syncthing sends updates over LAN the next day.

Friday morning: printer queue stalls on one laptop; teacher exports final PDFs and prints from the CUPS server. Backups ran overnight using Borg and are encrypted on the school NAS.

Outcome: no cloud dependency, student privacy preserved, and the class schedule stays on track even during internet outages.

Final considerations: policy, training, and digital literacy

Moving to an offline workflow is as much about people as technology. Adopt simple policies: how submissions are named, how merges are handled, and who has admin access. Use this shift to teach students about privacy, version control basics, and why limiting autonomous agent access to local files protects their data.

Get started today: practical next steps

Install LibreOffice and convert one current assignment to .fodt.
Install Syncthing on two devices and sync a test folder—disable discovery and verify LAN-only operation.
Spin up a Gitea instance on a spare Raspberry Pi or local server and create a test repo.
Configure a nightly Borg or Restic backup to an external disk and test your restore process.

Call to action

Ready to make your classroom resilient and private? Start with a single assignment—convert it to Flat ODF, sync it via Syncthing, and back it up with Borg. If you'd like starter templates, a sample Gitea repo structure, and a one‑page print server cheat sheet, download the free checklist and 3 sample templates from our resources page and try the workflow this week. Protect learning from outages, privacy risks, and autonomous AI surprises—build an offline workflow you and your students can trust.

Unknown

Contributor

Senior editor and content strategist. Writing about technology, design, and the future of digital media. Follow along for deep dives into the industry's moving parts.