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ZenNotes

ZenNotes/zennotes

Keyboard-first local Markdown notes app with Vim motions, diagrams, and MCP integration, storing notes as plain files on disk.

Open-source alternative to:EvernoteMicrosoft OneNote

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What is it?

ZenNotes is a Markdown notes app that keeps every note as an ordinary .md file inside a vault folder on your disk, with no hidden database. It ships as an Electron desktop app for macOS, Windows, and Linux, and as a self-hosted web app backed by a Go server.

Editing is built around the keyboard, with Vim mode, leader-key flows, a command palette, and edit, split, and preview modes. Preview renders GitHub-flavored Markdown, KaTeX math, Mermaid, and TikZ diagrams. Tasks, tags, search, archive, trash, daily and weekly notes, and CSV databases with table and board views are built in.

A first-party MCP server lets Claude Code, Claude Desktop, and Codex work on the same vault, and a `zen` CLI supports scripting and Raycast workflows on macOS.

Key features

  • 01Stores notes as plain Markdown files with no proprietary database.
  • 02Vim mode, leader-key flows, and a command palette for keyboard-driven editing.
  • 03Edit, split, and preview modes with math, Mermaid, and TikZ rendering.
  • 04Built-in tasks, tags, full-text search, archive, and trash views.
  • 05MCP server and CLI for connecting AI tools and scripts to the vault.

Use cases

  • Keyboard-focused writers who want Markdown notes with Vim editing.
  • Migrating or continuing an existing Obsidian-style folder of Markdown files.
  • Giving AI coding assistants access to a personal notes vault through MCP.
  • Running a self-hosted notes app on a home server or LAN.

Quick start

  1. 1

    Install on macOS with Homebrew

    brew install --cask zennotes/tap/zennotes
  2. 2

    Install on Arch Linux from the AUR

    yay -S zennotes-bin
  3. 3

    Download the installer for your platform from the GitHub Releases page

Things to know

  • Self-hosted web mode needs a separate Go server repository, znserver, for the backend.
  • Development setup requires Node.js 22+ and Go 1.22+ for the server build path.

In collections

MCP serversPrivacy & local-first tools

Topics

#markdown#notes#vim#local-first#mcp#electron#note-taking

FAQ

What is zennotes?
Keyboard-first local Markdown notes app with Vim motions, diagrams, and MCP integration, storing notes as plain files on disk. ZenNotes is a Markdown notes app that keeps every note as an ordinary .md file inside a vault folder on your disk, with no hidden database. It ships as an Electron desktop app for macOS, Windows, and Linux, and as a self-hosted web app backed by a Go server.
Is zennotes free to use? What license does it have?
zennotes is open source under the MIT license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
Is zennotes still maintained?
Actively maintained. The last commit to zennotes was on Oct 23, 2026.
What can I use zennotes for?
Keyboard-focused writers who want Markdown notes with Vim editing. Migrating or continuing an existing Obsidian-style folder of Markdown files. Giving AI coding assistants access to a personal notes vault through MCP. Running a self-hosted notes app on a home server or LAN.
How do I install zennotes?
Install on macOS with Homebrew: brew install --cask zennotes/tap/zennotes Install on Arch Linux from the AUR: yay -S zennotes-bin Download the installer for your platform from the GitHub Releases page
Where can I get zennotes?
The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/ZenNotes/zennotes

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