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:

Shortcut	Action
Cmd+N	New note
Cmd+D	Duplicate note
Delete	Delete note
Cmd+Backspace	Delete 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. 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.

License

MIT