Keyboard-first local Markdown notes with Vim motions, diagrams, daily notes, and first-party MCP integration.
Plain files. Fast editing. One shared core across desktop, self-hosted web, and a planned hosted mode.
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ZenNotes keeps your notes as ordinary local Markdown files and layers on real Vim motions, preview and split workflows,
math and diagram rendering, tasks, tags, daily notes, search, backlinks, and a bundled MCP server for Claude Code, Claude Desktop, and Codex.
- Plain-file vaults — notes are normal
.mdfiles on disk, no hidden database - Flexible vault layout — Obsidian-style flat vaults or
inbox/plusquick,archive, andtrashlifecycle areas - Keyboard-first editing with first-class Vim mode, leader flows, command palette, and pane/tab motion
- CodeMirror 6 editor with live preview behavior, heading folding, outline jumps, wiki links, callouts, tables, and footnotes
- Preview and split modes rendering KaTeX, Mermaid, TikZ, JSXGraph, function-plot, GFM, callouts, footnotes, wiki links, and backlinks
- Tasks, tags, vault-wide text search (built-in,
ripgrep, orfzf), daily notes, archive, trash, and quick capture - Local files and assets in the vault tree, with reveal-in-Finder / file manager on desktop
- Themes, fonts, typography, keymap overrides, and customizable system-folder labels
- First-party MCP server with desktop install flows for Claude Code, Claude Desktop, and Codex
- Self-hosted Docker deployment with secure-by-default auth, server-backed vault picker, and LAN/home-server access
ZenNotes ships from one monorepo with one shared app core:
- Desktop — Electron shell with native menus, app updater, floating note windows, and signed macOS / Windows / Linux builds
- Self-hosted — Vite web client plus a Go server, deployable via Docker on your own machine or home server
- Hosted — planned, built on the same web/server stack