note-gen README

The project's README from github.com/codexu/note-gen. As one markdown file: README.md.

NoteGen

Capture first. Organize later.

A local-first Markdown app that helps you collect scattered information and organize it into clear notes with AI.

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NoteGen on desktop and mobile

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Capture without interrupting your thoughts

An idea may begin as a sentence, a voice recording, a screenshot, or a link you do not have time to read yet. You should not have to choose a title, folder, and structure before saving it.

NoteGen separates capturing from organizing.

Save information as it appears. Later, select the records that belong together and organize them into a structured Markdown note. You can then review the result, add your own thinking, and continue writing.

The goal is not to let AI write everything for you. It is to make sure useful fragments do not disappear before you have time to turn them into something complete.

How it works

  1. Capture what happened

    Save a thought, voice recording, screenshot, image, link, file, or todo while it is still fresh.

  2. Choose the material

    Filter records by tag, time, or type, then select the items that belong together.

  3. Organize the records

    Choose a template or describe what you want to write. NoteGen can organize the selected material into a summary, report, article, or another Markdown structure.

  4. Keep writing

    Review the draft in the editor, change the structure, add details, and continue writing in your own words.

What this looks like in practice

Built around Markdown files

Your written notes remain ordinary Markdown files in the workspace you choose.

You can edit them with NoteGen, open them with another Markdown editor, keep them in Git, or move them without exporting from a proprietary format. NoteGen adds recording, AI, search, and organization around those files instead of replacing them.

The editor supports:

AI when it is useful

NoteGen connects to the AI providers and models you configure. You can use different models for chat, writing, embeddings, image recognition, OCR, and audio.

AI can help you:

AI is part of the workflow, but the result remains editable. You decide what to keep.

Search and reuse your own material

A note should remain useful after you finish writing it.

NoteGen can build a searchable knowledge base from your files and combine semantic retrieval with local text search. You can use a note, a group of records, or the knowledge base as context in a conversation instead of copying everything into a new prompt.

For advanced workflows, NoteGen also supports:

More than a document editor

NoteGen includes a canvas workspace for material that is easier to understand visually.

You can create and edit:

Canvas elements remain editable after they are created, including content suggested by AI.

Sync on your terms

Notes are stored locally first. When you need them on another device, you can sync through services you already use.

Supported options include:

You can also keep local backups without enabling cloud sync.

Download

Platform Status Download
Windows Beta Download for Windows
macOS Beta Download for Apple Silicon or Intel
Linux Beta AppImage, DEB, or RPM
Android Alpha · ARM64 Download APK
iOS Alpha Join TestFlight

GitHub Releases are also available as a fallback mirror:

View the latest GitHub Release

Get started

  1. Download NoteGen for your platform.
  2. Choose a workspace for your Markdown files.
  3. Add your first record or create a note directly.
  4. Configure an AI provider when you want to use AI features.
  5. Read the documentation for sync, knowledge base, MCP, Skills, and advanced settings.

You do not need to configure every feature before writing your first note.

Repository Purpose
note-gen-docs Official website, bilingual documentation, and download pages.
note-gen-server Sync service and account management, with support for self-hosting.
note-gen-clipper Browser extension for saving selected text, images, and page links to NoteGen.
note-gen-plugin-sdk TypeScript API, project scaffolding, CLI, and test tools for developing NoteGen plugins.
note-gen-plugins Official plugin source code and plugin marketplace publishing tools.

Contributing

NoteGen is open source and contributions are welcome.

Before opening a pull request, read the contribution guide.

You can also:

Contributors

NoteGen contributors

Thanks to everyone who has reported a problem, proposed an idea, improved a translation, written documentation, or contributed code.

Recognition

NoteGen on Trendshift Featured by HelloGitHub NoteGen on Product Hunt

Acknowledgements

NoteGen is tested with BrowserStack.

SiliconFlow provides model service support for the project.

We also appreciate the service support provided by:

License

NoteGen is released under the GNU General Public License v3.0.

note-gen (codexu/note-gen)

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12.9K ·GitHub
Note-gen
What is this?NoteGen is a local-first Markdown note app that lets you quickly capture scattered fragments like text, voice recordings, screenshots, links, or files, then use AI later to organize them into structured notes.
Is this a standalone app or a plugin for another editor?It is a standalone cross-platform app built with Tauri (desktop) plus native mobile builds, not a plugin or library. Your notes stay as ordinary Markdown files you can also open in any other editor or keep in Git.
How do I get it running?Download the build for your platform (Windows, macOS Apple Silicon/Intel, Linux AppImage/DEB/RPM, Android APK, or join the iOS TestFlight), then pick a workspace folder where your Markdown files will live.
Do I need to configure an AI provider before I can use it?No, you can capture and write notes without any AI setup. AI features like organizing records, chat, embeddings, OCR, or audio require configuring your own AI provider and models.
Are all the platform builds ready for daily use?Windows, macOS, and Linux builds are marked Beta, while Android is Alpha (ARM64 only) and iOS is Alpha via TestFlight only, so mobile support is still early.
Where does my data actually live?Notes are plain Markdown files stored locally on your chosen workspace first. Cloud sync (GitHub, GitLab, Gitee, Gitea, S3-compatible storage, or WebDAV) is optional, and you can keep purely local backups instead.
What makes the Canvas workspace different from the Markdown editor?Canvas is a separate visual workspace for flowcharts, mind maps, timelines, freehand drawings, and data charts, including diagrams generated from note content; elements stay editable after creation, even AI-suggested ones.
What is the knowledge base feature for?NoteGen can build a searchable knowledge base from your files combining semantic (vector) retrieval with local text search, so you can use a note, group of records, or the whole knowledge base as chat context instead of copy-pasting everything into a prompt.
How does syncing across multiple devices work?Since notes are local-first, syncing is optional: you connect NoteGen to a service you already use (GitHub, GitLab, Gitee, Gitea, S3-compatible storage, or WebDAV) to keep the same Markdown files in sync across devices.
What is MCP and Skills support used for here?NoteGen can connect to MCP servers and install Skills, giving its Agent mode extra tools to work through longer note-organizing tasks beyond simple chat.
What are similar projects?solomd, siyuan, tolaria, open-knowledge, logseq, EnvoyMesh, atlas, edgeever
Which topics is it in?personal-knowledge-management, webdav, markdown-editor, vector-search, canvas, knowledge-management, note-taking, tauri, embeddings, plugin-system, knowledge-base, nextjs
Creator
codexu
Size
20.3 MB
Stars
12.9K
Updated
CommitOct 11Releasenote-gen-v0.38.2Oct 09
Age
2y
Commits · 90 Days