This directory documents ZenNotes as it exists today: one shared product core, an Electron desktop app, and a self-hosted web app backed by a Go server.
The docs are organized using the Diataxis model:
tutorials/: guided walkthroughs for first-time usershow-to/: task-focused guides for common workflowsreference/: factual descriptions of settings, vault layout, and runtime boundariesexplanation/: design and architecture documents that explain why ZenNotes works the way it does
If you are new to ZenNotes, read these first:
- Get Started on Desktop
- Use ZenNotes with Raycast on macOS
- Self-Host with Docker
- Connect Desktop to a Remote ZenNotes Server
- Open Markdown Files with ZenNotes
- Self-Host with Docker
- Use ZenNotes with Raycast on macOS
- Connect Desktop to a Remote ZenNotes Server
- Secure Self-Hosting
- At-Rest Encryption
- Settings Reference
- Tasks Reference
- Vault and Folder Model
- Runtime and Package Map
- Security Reference
- How ZenNotes Works
- Security Model
- Team Collaboration Plan (proposed — not yet implemented)
- Monorepo Architecture
- Web Architecture
Read a tutorial if you want a guided first success.
Read a how-to guide if you already know what you want to do and need the shortest path to doing it.
Read a reference doc if you want an exact description of a setting, runtime, or vault rule.
Read an explanation doc if you want to understand the architecture, design tradeoffs, or why the app behaves the way it does.