# ZenNotes: Keyboard-First Markdown Notes with Vim, Diagrams, and MCP Integration This repository profile is provided by osrepos.com, an open source repository discovery platform. Source: osrepos.com Repository profile: https://osrepos.com/repo/zennotes-zennotes Generated for open source discovery and AI-assisted research. ZenNotes is a versatile, keyboard-first Markdown notes app designed for speed and flexibility. It stores notes as plain Markdown files, offering Vim-friendly editing, diagram support, and integration with MCP tools. Available as a desktop app (Electron) and a self-hosted web app, ZenNotes provides a powerful solution for organizing your thoughts. GitHub: https://github.com/ZenNotes/zennotes OSRepos URL: https://osrepos.com/repo/zennotes-zennotes ## Summary ZenNotes is a versatile, keyboard-first Markdown notes app designed for speed and flexibility. It stores notes as plain Markdown files, offering Vim-friendly editing, diagram support, and integration with MCP tools. Available as a desktop app (Electron) and a self-hosted web app, ZenNotes provides a powerful solution for organizing your thoughts. ## Topics - electron - local-first - markdown - mcp - notes - vim - TypeScript - productivity ## Repository Information Last analyzed by OSRepos: Thu Oct 01 2026 12:21:28 GMT+0100 (Western European Summer Time) Detail views: 1 GitHub clicks: 1 ## Safety Notice OSRepos shares public repositories for knowledge and discovery only. Review source code, dependencies, licenses, and security implications before running or installing anything. ## Content ## Introduction ZenNotes is a powerful, keyboard-first Markdown notes application designed for efficiency and flexibility. It allows users to manage their notes as ordinary Markdown files directly on disk, providing a local-first approach without relying on hidden databases. Built with a shared product core, ZenNotes offers multiple runtimes, including a robust desktop app powered by Electron and a self-hosted web app backed by a Go server. This versatile tool integrates Vim-friendly editing, split and preview workflows, task management, tags, archiving, search capabilities, daily notes, and even CSV databases. It also supports rendering various diagrams and offers integration with MCP (Multi-Client Protocol) tools, making it a comprehensive solution for personal knowledge management. ## Why Use ZenNotes and Key Benefits ZenNotes stands out with its commitment to core principles that enhance productivity and data ownership: * **Plain Files First:** Your notes are standard `.md` files, ensuring complete ownership and easy portability. ZenNotes does not store content in a proprietary database. * **Keyboard-First Design:** Optimized for speed, it features a first-class Vim mode, leader-key flows, a command palette, pane and tab motion, and local ex commands, allowing for rapid navigation and editing. * **Integrated Workflow:** Seamlessly switch between edit, preview, and split modes. It supports pinned reference panes and detached note windows on desktop, ensuring you never lose context. * **Rich Content Support:** Render math with KaTeX, and create diagrams using Mermaid, TikZ, JSXGraph, and function-plot directly within your Markdown notes. * **Comprehensive Management:** Keep tasks, tags, search, archive, trash, and quick capture functionalities within the same vault. * **MCP Integration:** Expose your vault to MCP-capable tools through a first-party server, enabling advanced integrations and workflows. * **Cross-Platform Availability:** Enjoy a consistent experience across macOS, Windows, and Linux with the desktop application, or deploy it as a self-hosted web app for browser access. * **Obsidian-Friendly Vaults:** ZenNotes works harmoniously with existing Obsidian-style vaults, supporting top-level notes, folders, and embedded files more naturally. ## Installation ZenNotes is available across various platforms. You can grab the latest builds from the official GitHub Releases. The desktop app supports auto-updates, so you typically only need to download it once. ### macOS * **Homebrew (recommended):** sh brew install --cask zennotes/tap/zennotes * Alternatively, download the `.dmg` for your chip (Apple Silicon or Intel), open it, and drag **ZenNotes** to your Applications folder. ### Windows * Download and run the `ZenNotes--win-x64.exe` installer. ### Linux * **Arch / CachyOS / Manjaro (AUR recommended):** sh yay -S zennotes-bin # or: paru -S zennotes-bin * **Arch (native package):** sh sudo pacman -U ZenNotes--linux-x86_64.pacman * **Debian / Ubuntu:** sh sudo apt install ./ZenNotes--linux-amd64.deb * **Any distro (AppImage):** sh chmod +x ZenNotes--linux-x86_64.AppImage ./ZenNotes--linux-x86_64.AppImage (Note: AppImages may require FUSE 2. Refer to the README for details.) ### `zen` CLI The desktop app can install a `zen` command-line companion from **Settings ? CLI**, enabling workflows for listing, reading, searching, capturing, editing, archiving, trashing notes, and managing tasks, folders, and MCP. ### Self-hosted Web App ZenNotes can also run as a self-hosted web app with a Go server. Refer to the "Local development" section in the official repository's README for detailed setup instructions. ## Examples ZenNotes offers a rich set of features to enhance your note-taking experience: * **Daily and Weekly Notes:** Enable and customize daily and weekly notes with flexible date patterns (e.g., `yyyy/MM-MMM`, `yyyy-'W'ww`) and dedicated directories, making it easy to track your progress over time. * **Advanced Editor and Preview:** The editor, built on CodeMirror 6, provides live preview, heading folding, outline extraction, syntax highlighting for code blocks, and Vim block cursor navigation. The preview supports GitHub-flavored Markdown, KaTeX math, and various diagramming tools. * **Powerful Search and Views:** Utilize note search by title and path, or perform vault-wide text searches with configurable backends like `ripgrep` or `fzf`. Dedicated views for tags, tasks, archive, trash, and quick notes help you organize and retrieve information efficiently. On macOS, the `zen` CLI integrates with Raycast for quick access. * **Obsidian-Friendly Vault Support:** ZenNotes is designed to work seamlessly with existing Obsidian vaults. It allows primary notes to reside at the vault root, correctly resolves embedded files like `![[image.png]]`, and surfaces loose files as assets, ensuring a smooth transition or co-existence. * **Files and Local Assets:** Manage local images, SVGs, videos, audio, and PDFs directly within ZenNotes tabs or reference panes. The sidebar supports multi-select for efficient organization and actions. ## Links * **GitHub Repository:** ZenNotes/zennotes * **Official Website:** zennotes.org * **Latest Releases:** GitHub Releases * **Support Development:** GitHub Sponsors