ZenNotes is a keyboard-first Markdown notes app with Vim motions, diagrams, and MCP integration. It runs as a desktop Electron app or self-hosted web app backed by a Go server, and stores notes as Markdown files on disk.
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What it is
ZenNotes is a keyboard-first Markdown notes app with Vim motions, diagrams, and MCP integration. It provides a desktop Electron app and a self-hosted web app backed by a Go server, storing notes as ordinary Markdown files on disk.
How it works
Notes live as Markdown files in a vault. It offers Vim-like editing, multiple edit modes (edit, preview, split), task and tag support, diagrams (Mermaid, TikZ, JSXGraph), and a built-in MCP server for tooling integration. Desktop features include native menus, updater, and a CLI bridge; web/self-hosted mode uses a Go backend with a browser frontend. The monorepo contains apps/desktop, apps/web, and server, with shared core in app-core.
Core workflows include:
- Keyboard-first navigation with Vim toggles and leader hints
- Live preview integrated in editor
- Tasks, tags, archive/trash, and quick capture within a single vault
- Daily/Weekly notes and date pattern tokens
- Local assets and files support, with reveal-in-file-manager actions
- Obsidian-style vault compatibility improvements
Getting started
Install instructions are provided per platform and via releases. Desktop installers are attached to GitHub Releases; Homebrew is listed for macOS. The repository notes a self-hosted web app option backed by Go server. Quick start steps include node/npm prerequisites and local development commands:
- macOS:
brew install --cask zennotes/tap/zennotes(as part of install section) - Desktop dev:
npm run dev:desktopormake desktop - Web dev:
npm run dev:webormake web-dev - Go server dev:
npm run dev:serverormake server-dev - Web + server:
npm run dev:web-stackormake web-stack
The README also provides package scripts and Makefile targets for building, testing, and distributing the app.
Recent releases
- v2.22.0 (2026-08-04): ZenNotes 2.22.0: the board remembers your order — Kanban cards stay where you put them, archived notes retire their tasks from the boards, a narrow sidebar keeps its footer readable,
Cmd+Lturns an - v2.21.0 (2026-08-03): ZenNotes 2.21.0: tasks that say how far along they are — a task can be in progress, a parent shows how far its subtasks are, every task surface has a right-click menu, Mermaid draws while you write
- v2.20.2 (2026-08-01): ZenNotes 2.20.2: databases work again on a self-hosted server — a fix release for vault/databases on self-hosted server
- v2.20.1 (2026-07-31): ZenNotes 2.20.1: 2.20.0 could not start, this fixes it — installer fixes for macOS/Windows
- v2.20.0 (2026-07-31): 2.20.0 does not launch. Please install 2.20.1 instead. On every platform this build stops with a JavaScript error
Traction
- Stars: 2236; Forks: 121; Open issues: 127
Behind the repo
- The project is organized as a monorepo with apps/desktop, apps/web, server/ Go backend, and shared core in packages/app-core.
Caveats
- License: MIT
- Created: 2026-04-11; Last push: 2026-08-04
- Requires Node.js 22+, npm, Go 1.22+ for server path; Docker optional for self-hosting
- Desktop app distribution via GitHub Releases; install commands and AppImage/packaging details provided in docs