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  Plain Note

Open-source, cross-platform note manager with end-to-end encrypted synchronization through a zero-knowledge relay.

What it is

  • Notes in Markdown, with images/attachments stored as separate files.
  • Three clients: a Linux CLI (pn), a Linux GUI (GTK4), and an Android app.
  • Notes sync across devices in real time. The relay can never read your notes — everything is encrypted client-side before it leaves the device.
  • Anyone can self-host a relay; the operator still can't exploit stored data.

See docs/design/overview.md for the full design and docs/sync-protocol.md for the wire protocol.

Architecture

Component Technology
core/ Rust — crypto, Automerge CRDT, sync protocol (shared by all clients)
protocol/ Rust — wire types shared by client and relay
cli/ Rust — command-line client (binary: pn)
relay/ Rust — zero-knowledge relay server (binary: pn-relay, Axum + WebSocket)
gui/ Rust — GTK4 + libadwaita desktop client (binary: plain-note-gui)
mobile/ Rust — UniFFI facade exposing the core to Kotlin (plain-note-mobile)
android/ Kotlin/Jetpack Compose app over the mobile facade (see docs/android/)

Build

cargo build
cargo test --workspace

CLI usage

pn manages a local Automerge store (default $XDG_DATA_HOME/plain-note, override with $PN_STORE). Note and folder ids accept any unique prefix; common commands have short aliases.

pn new --title "Meeting" [--folder <id>] --edit  # alias: pn n — opens $EDITOR
pn list [--folder <id>] [--tag urgent]           # alias: pn ls — newest first
pn show <id>                                      # print Markdown body
pn edit <id>                                      # alias: pn e — edit in $EDITOR
pn set-title <id> <title>
pn mv <id> [--to <folder-id>]                     # move note (omit --to for root)
pn tag <id> <tag> | pn untag <id> <tag>
pn search <query>                                 # aliases: pn s / pn find
pn rm <id>

Attachments are encrypted client-side and stored on the relay (needs sync set up):

pn attach <note-id> <file>                        # encrypt + upload, link to the note
pn attachments <note-id>                          # list "id  filename"
pn fetch <note-id> <att-id> [--out <path>]        # download + decrypt
pn detach <note-id> <att-id>                       # drop the reference

Folders form a real tree (create / rename / move / delete):

pn folder new work                               # -> prints folder id
pn folder new projects --parent <work-id>
pn folder ls                                      # tree, one "id  path" per line
pn folder rename <id> <name>
pn folder mv <id> [--to <parent-id>]             # omit --to to move to the top level
pn folder rm <id>                                 # its notes/subfolders move to its parent

Sync

Run a relay (pn-relay), configured via environment:

PN_RELAY_BIND=127.0.0.1:8787 \
PN_RELAY_ADMIN_TOKEN=<token> \
PN_RELAY_DB=/var/lib/plain-note/relay.db \
pn-relay

PN_RELAY_DB selects durable SQLite storage; unset falls back to in-memory (data lost on restart).

Then, on the first device, create a group and enroll; this prints a pairing blob (the QR payload stand-in) carrying the shared E2E key:

pn remote init --relay http://<host>:8787 --admin <token>
pn sync

On another device, join with the blob and sync:

pn remote pair <blob>
pn sync

For continuous background sync, run the daemon (re-syncs on local edits and polls for remote changes):

pn sync --watch

Enable it as a per-user service with the unit in packaging/systemd/.

Sync config lives at $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/plain-note/config.json (override with $PN_CONFIG); it holds this device's credentials and the E2E key.

GUI

A GTK4 + libadwaita desktop client shares the same store as pn:

cargo run -p plain-note-gui

A unified sidebar tree of folders and notes (notes without a folder sit at the root, and the expand/collapse state is remembered across restarts) with search, a tabbed Markdown editor (open several notes at once) with tags and auto-save, and live auto-sync (background, when the device is enrolled). Each note has a ⋯ menu to pin it (pinned notes surface first), move it to another folder, or send it to the trash; notes can also be dragged onto a folder (or onto empty space to reach the root) to move them; a Corbeille entry at the bottom of the sidebar toggles a view of trashed notes where they can be restored, purged, or emptied in bulk. Folders have their own ⋯ menu to rename, move, or delete them. An Aperçu toggle renders the note's Markdown in place. A formatting toolbar wraps the selection in Markdown (bold, italic, strikethrough, code, headings, lists, quote, code block, link) — Ctrl+B/Ctrl+I/Ctrl+E/Ctrl+K too. A footer shows the live word and character count. When the device is enrolled, files can be attached, downloaded, and removed straight from the editor. Keyboard shortcuts: Ctrl+N new note, Ctrl+W close tab, Ctrl+F search, Ctrl+PageUp/Ctrl+PageDown switch tabs. Needs GTK 4 (≥ 4.10) and libadwaita installed.

Roadmap

  1. Core + CLI + relay — encrypted sync validated end to end. ✔
  2. Linux GUI (GTK4 + libadwaita) — notes, folders, tags, search, auto-sync. ✔
  3. Android (Kotlin/Compose via UniFFI).

License

Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0.