Plain .md files
A vault is just a folder. Sync it with Git, iCloud, Dropbox — or don't. No hidden database, nothing to migrate out of.
Vim-first · Local Markdown · Self-hostable
A home
for your thoughts.
Plain .md files in a folder you own. Real Vim
motions if you want them. Live preview that handles math,
diagrams, and Mermaid without leaving the file. Runs native
on Mac, Windows, and Linux, or in any browser if you'd
rather self-host.
- hjkl
- diw
- ci"
- gg
- G
- ⎵n
- ⌃wv
- :
Vim-native
If you know Vim,
If you know Vim,
you already know it.
Motions, operators, registers, marks, macros, folds, the ex prompt. All of it works the way your muscle memory expects, because it's real Vim underneath — not a sprinkle of shortcuts dressed up as one.
diw
Delete inner word
ci"
Change in quotes
yap
Yank a paragraph
⌃wv
Vertical split
qa … @a
Record & replay macro
⎵n
New note
Markdown, fully lived-in
Write rich notes
Write rich notes
in plain files.
Math with KaTeX. Diagrams with Mermaid, TikZ, JSXGraph, and function-plot — all of it rendered from ordinary fenced code blocks. The files stay plain text under the hood, so there's nothing to migrate out of later if you change your mind.
Read the docs →# Gradient descent
Minimise $f(\theta)$ by stepping
against its gradient:
```math
\theta_{t+1} = \theta_t - \eta\nabla f(\theta_t)
```
```mermaid
flowchart LR
start --> step --> check
check --> step
check --> done
```Gradient descent
Minimise f(θ) by stepping against its gradient:
θt+1 = θt − η ∇f(θt)
MCP
Your vault,
Your vault,
open to assistants.
There's an MCP server in the box, with one-click setup for Claude Code, Claude Desktop, and Codex. Your assistant edits the same Markdown files you do, straight on disk — no second copy, no sync layer to babysit.
> Summarize my notes tagged #graphics
tool zennotes.search_by_tag "graphics"
→ 4 notes found
Across four notes you’re circling one idea: SDFs give cheap implicit geometry, and anti-aliased coverage falls out almost for free…
> ▍
Terminal
Drive your vault
Drive your vault
from the command line.
zen ships with the desktop app. Read and
write notes, search, tag, toggle tasks, capture
straight from a pipe, run the MCP server. Pass
--json on anything and the output drops
cleanly into jq or wherever your shell
wants to send it. Install from Settings → CLI
in one click.
$ zen capture "Meeting takeaways" --tag work
→ inbox/2026-04-29-meeting-takeaways.md
$ pbpaste | zen append inbox/Daily.md --body -
$ zen search "deadline" --json | jq '.[].path'
"inbox/Q2-Plan.md"
"projects/Launch.md"
$ zen task list --unchecked --tag work
$ ▍
The bits you'll actually
reach for.
Plain
Split, preview, reference
Split a tab side-by-side. Pin a reference next to whatever you're writing. Pop a note out into its own floating window when you need a second screen.
Math & diagrams
KaTeX math inline and in blocks. Mermaid, TikZ (on-device), JSXGraph, and function-plot render straight from fenced code.
Tasks, tags, backlinks
Write #tag anywhere. Check - [ ] tasks across the whole vault. Follow [[wikilinks]] and chase unresolved ones.
Vault-wide search
Full-text search across every note. Uses ripgrep or fzf if you have them. If you don't, the built-in engine handles it.
Daily notes
One keystroke opens today's note. ZenNotes can auto-create ISO-dated dailies in a folder you choose, then get out of your way.
Slash & @ shortcuts
Type / for a menu of headings, callouts, code blocks, tables, and links. Type @ for dates.
Obsidian-friendly vaults
Point ZenNotes at a vault you already have — flat, or with an inbox/. Loose files show up in the tree, ![[image.png]] embeds resolve, and the layout is read from disk so new notes land where you'd expect them.
Inline note comments
Highlight a passage, drop a comment in the side panel. The marker stays anchored to the text even as you edit around it.
Bundled zen CLI
Capture from a pipe, search, tag, toggle tasks — from any terminal. --json on anything, so the output drops cleanly into jq or a shell script. Install from Settings → CLI.
Desktop or self-hosted
Native on Mac, Windows, and Linux. Or self-host the web app from the published adibhanna/zennotes Docker image and open it from any browser on your network.
Zen mode
One keystroke strips every sidebar, tab, and status bar. Only the editor, preview, or split stays on screen.
Themes & type
Light and dark theme families. Pick separate fonts for UI, prose, and code. Sizing you can actually live with for a long writing session.
Capture. Write. Find.
Without lifting your hands.
-
01
Capture
A Quick Note, a daily note, or a fresh inbox buffer — one keystroke from anywhere in the app.
⎵q -
02
Write
Stay in normal mode and edit with motions. Live preview renders math, diagrams, and plots as you go.
i -
03
Navigate
Fuzzy note finder, outline jumps, buffer switching, which-key overlays — every surface keyboard-first.
⎵f -
04
Organize
Move between inbox, archive, and trash from the ex line. Tasks, tags, and backlinks stay in sync without a thought.
:mv
Make it
yours.
Free, open source, and yours. Pick your platform to start the download.
Self-hosting? Run the published adibhanna/zennotes Docker image
or grab the source
on GitHub.