Scratch

A minimalist, offline-first markdown note-taking app for macOS, Windows, and Linux.

Features

Offline-first - No cloud, no account, no internet required
Markdown-based - Notes stored as plain .md files you own
WYSIWYG editing - Rich text editing that saves as markdown
Preview mode - Open any .md file via drag-and-drop or "Open With" without a notes folder
Markdown source mode - Toggle to view and edit raw markdown (Cmd+Shift+M)
Wikilinks - Type [[ to link between notes with autocomplete
Slash commands - Type / to quickly insert headings, lists, code blocks, and more
Focus mode - Distraction-free writing with animated sidebar/toolbar fade (Cmd+Shift+Enter)
Edit with Claude Code or OpenAI Codex - Use your local Claude Code CLI or Codex CLI to edit notes
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

Screenshot

Installation

macOS

Homebrew (Recommended)

brew tap erictli/tap
brew install --cask erictli/tap/scratch

Manual Download

Download the latest .dmg from Releases
Open the DMG and drag Scratch to Applications
Open Scratch from Applications

Windows

Download the latest .exe installer from Releases and run it. WebView2 will be downloaded automatically if needed.

Linux

Download the latest .AppImage or .deb from Releases.

From Source

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 build

Keyboard Shortcuts

Scratch 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.

Built With

Tauri · React · TipTap · Tailwind CSS · Tantivy

Contributing

Contributions and suggestions are welcome.

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.

License

MIT

DevDengChao/scratch

README