A minimalist, offline-first markdown note-taking app for macOS, Windows, and Linux.
- Offline-first - No cloud, no account, no internet required
- Markdown-based - Notes stored as plain
.mdfiles you own - WYSIWYG editing - Rich text editing that saves as markdown
- Preview mode - Open any
.mdfile via drag-and-drop or "Open With" without a notes folder - Markdown source mode - Toggle to view and edit raw markdown (
Cmd+Shift+M) - Syntax highlighting - 20 languages with GitHub-inspired color scheme
- Mermaid diagrams - Render flowcharts, sequence diagrams, and more in fenced code blocks
- KaTeX math - Render block
$$...$$math equations - Wikilinks - Type
[[to link between notes with autocomplete - Slash commands - Type
/to quickly insert headings, lists, code blocks, diagrams, and more - Focus mode - Distraction-free writing with animated sidebar/toolbar fade (
Cmd+Shift+Enter) - Edit with Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, or Ollama - Use your local CLI to edit notes with AI (including fully offline via Ollama)
- Works with other AI agents - Detects external file changes
- Keyboard optimized - Lots of shortcuts and a command palette
- Customizable - Theme, typography, page width, and RTL text direction
- Git integration - Optional version control with push/pull for multi-device sync
- Lightweight - 5-10x smaller than Obsidian or Notion
Homebrew (Recommended)
brew tap erictli/tap
brew install --cask erictli/tap/scratchManual Download
- Download the latest
.dmgfrom Releases - Open the DMG and drag Scratch to Applications
- Open Scratch from Applications
Download the latest .exe installer from Releases and run it. WebView2 will be downloaded automatically if needed.
Download the latest .AppImage or .deb from Releases.
Prerequisites: Node.js 18+, Rust 1.70+
macOS: Xcode Command Line Tools · Windows: WebView2 Runtime (pre-installed on Windows 11)
git clone https://github.com/erictli/scratch.git
cd scratch
npm install
npm run tauri dev # Development
npm run tauri build # Production buildScratch is designed to be usable without a mouse. Here are the essentials to get started:
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Cmd+N |
New note |
Cmd+P |
Command palette |
Cmd+K |
Add/edit link |
Cmd+F |
Find in note |
Cmd+Shift+C |
Copy & Export menu |
Cmd+Shift+M |
Toggle Markdown source |
Cmd+Shift+Enter |
Toggle Focus mode |
Cmd+Shift+F |
Search notes |
Cmd+R |
Reload current note |
Cmd+, |
Open settings |
Cmd+\ |
Toggle sidebar |
Cmd+B/I |
Bold/Italic |
Cmd+=/-/0 |
Zoom in/out/reset |
↑/↓ |
Navigate notes |
Note: On Windows, use Ctrl instead of Cmd for all shortcuts.
Many more shortcuts and features are available in the app—explore via the command palette (Cmd+P / Ctrl+P) or view the full reference in Settings → Shortcuts.
Tauri · React · TipTap · Tailwind CSS · Tantivy
Contributions and suggestions are welcome. Scratch is actively maintained but the release cycle is at the whim of my schedule – sometimes I'll review and merge same-day, sometimes it may take several weeks.
What makes Scratch special is its minimal feature set and focus on user experience. We're not trying to build Obsidian or Notion, so not every feature will be a fit.
Small fixes and improvements: go ahead and open a PR, we'll try to merge these in regularly.
Bigger changes: if you're not sure whether a feature fits, open an issue first and ask.
Review process: I generally won't go back and forth with review comments. Try to address any CodeRabbit comments on your PR. From there, I'll make any additional changes directly.
MIT