this post was submitted on 15 Feb 2026
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Selfhosted

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I built a note-taking app because the one I wanted didn't exist. Clean UI, local .md files, no cloud, no account.

Built with Rust + Tauri 2.0 + SvelteKit. Full-text search powered by Tantivy. Graph view, AI writing tools (bring your own key), Obsidian import, version history.

Available for Linux (AppImage, APT, AUR), Windows, and macOS. Source: https://codeberg.org/ArkHost/HelixNotes

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[–] captcha_incorrect@lemmy.world 2 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Is it possible to view files in the root of the vault?
Also, is it possible to show non .md files?

My use case for the second question is that I have .pdf and .xml that acompanies my notes. Having HelixEditor showing them as well (or opening them in system default editor) would be nice.

[–] IllNess@infosec.pub 1 points 8 months ago

Not ideal since you can't easily sort by folder hierarchy but you can see your root files in All Notes.

[–] IllNess@infosec.pub 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Mac user her. I've been using Markflowy after MacDown stopped development. I will give this a shot.

Thank you for your work.

[–] IllNess@infosec.pub 1 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Hi OP. I am really enjoying using HelixNotes.

I love the way it looks and all the features. I was able to use the same folder I use MarkFlowy and Marknote.

My only critique is the Ctrl key in Windows and Linux menu shortcuts is usually changed to Cmd for Mac. It really isn't a big deal but I think a lot of Mac users will notice this instantly. I tried creating an note with Cmd + N since is the default for all other Mac apps. I saw the Shortcuts in the Info section and I was hoping you could customize the Keyboard Shortcuts, but you can't.

It isn't a big deal with me. So far I am enjoying this more than MarkFlowy and Marknote. If you don't change for whatever reason, I understand and I will continue to use your HelixNotes.

Again thank you for your work.

[–] IllNess@infosec.pub 1 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (5 children)

Me again. Last time tonight, I promise.

My favorite features so far, making the edit toolbar disappear in source mode and Focus mode. Quick access is also really useful.

One more thing I don't like, it was adding a header to my edited notes.

Example:

***
id: "9242199e-992b-4c58-9b4f-85a6949d424d"
title: "Books"
tags: []
pinned: false
created: 2026-02-15T04:32:13.600656+00:00
modified: 2026-02-15T04:32:17.240423+00:00
***

This doesn't look great in MacOS preview. This might be one of those things that it was simplest to just add this directly to the file rather than creating some kind of database or a bunch of dot files. Again, not a deal breaker for me. Would adding it to the bottom be possible instead?

Thank you.

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[–] chicuongle@lemmy.world 1 points 8 months ago

What is about obsidian?

[–] KaKi87@jlai.lu 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Is the Markdown editor WYSIWYG, like Typora ?

[–] ArkHost@lemmy.world 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

You have both - the WYSIWYG editor and a way to switch to the Markdown editor.

[–] KaKi87@jlai.lu 0 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I specifically asked whether the Markdown editor is WYSIWYG, like Typora, which isn't the same thing as MS Word WYSIWYG.

[–] ArkHost@lemmy.world 1 points 8 months ago

Not like Typora, no. HelixNotes has a WYSIWYG editor and a source mode toggle, two separate views. Not inline markdown rendering.

[–] amateurcrastinator@lemmy.world 1 points 8 months ago (2 children)

All I know is tauri is the name given to Earth by the goa'uld. When did this came up? Everytime I blink another language appears

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[–] brbposting@sh.itjust.works 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Very nice. The screenshots look promising!

MacDown is pretty solid, but I've been looking at alternatives. Unfortunately, while MarkText may be feature-rich, latency is untenable. I think that one's an Electron app.

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[–] Prodigal1506@aussie.zone 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Does this have multi vault support?

[–] ArkHost@lemmy.world 1 points 8 months ago

Not yet, but it's a straightforward feature to add. Open an issue on Codeberg and I'll get it on the roadmap.

[–] Calfpupa@lemmy.ml 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)
[–] ArkHost@lemmy.world 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Not at this stage. It's something I'm considering but the priority is getting the core experience right first.

[–] Calfpupa@lemmy.ml 1 points 8 months ago

Totally understandable at this stage. As soon as it appears on the roadmap I'm in. Need my templater :)

[–] jjlinux@lemmy.zip 1 points 8 months ago

Isn't this basically just an Obsidian replacement then? I haven't tried it, but reading the info in Codeberg does point to that.

[–] zr0@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 8 months ago

I need my notes with me. I use SiYuan and I’m more than happy

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