Scratch

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

Website · Releases

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)
• 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, OpenCode, 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
• Folders - Opt-in collapsible folder tree with drag-and-drop to organize notes
• 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

1. Download the latest .dmg from Releases
2. Open the DMG and drag Scratch to Applications
3. 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:

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

Scratch is mostly stable and intentionally minimal, so I'm no longer monitoring issues and PRs regularly. You're welcome to open them, but I can't guarantee I'll get to everything, and it may take a while when I do.

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. If you want to make major changes or take Scratch in a new direction, you should fork it – it's MIT licensed.

If you open a PR: keep it small and focused, and try to address any CodeRabbit comments. I generally won't go back and forth with review comments – if I merge, I'll make any additional changes directly.

License

MIT