notes

A command-line application for organizing and managing personal notes and tasks. Notes and tasks are stored as plain text files in the filesystem, each with a unique ID, name, created timestamp, and last edited timestamp. Tasks also include status tracking (open, completed, abandoned).

The same binary serves both functions - invoked as note for notes and task for tasks (via symlink).

Features

• Simple file-based storage: Platform-appropriate storage (Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%, Unix: ~/.local/share/)
• Unique identification: Each note/task has a unique sequential numeric ID
• Timestamp tracking: Track when notes/tasks were created and last edited
• Text search: Search across note/task names and content
• Editor integration: Uses your $EDITOR with platform-specific defaults
• Task status management: Change task status between open, completed, and abandoned
• Status filtering: List tasks by status
• Cross-platform support: Works on Windows, Linux, and macOS with appropriate defaults
• Shell completion: Auto-complete support for bash, zsh, fish, and powershell

Installation

From source

git clone https://github.com/wltechblog/notes.git
cd notes
go build -o note
sudo cp note /usr/local/bin/  # or copy to ~/.local/bin/
sudo ln -s /usr/local/bin/note /usr/local/bin/task

Using Makefile

make build    # Build binary
make install  # Install to ~/.local/bin/ (also creates 'task' symlink)

The installation creates a single binary named note with a symlink named task. Both commands access the same binary but show different available commands.

Task Commands

Create a new task

task new "Buy groceries"    # Create task with name
task new                   # Create task with timestamp as name

Tasks start with open status by default.

List all tasks

task list    # List all tasks

Outputs tasks in format: ID | Name | [status] | Created: date | Updated: date

List tasks by status

task list --status open        # List only open tasks
task list --status completed   # List only completed tasks
task list --status abandoned  # List only abandoned tasks
task list -s completed       # Short form

Change task status

task status <id> <status>    # Change task status
task status 1 completed      # Example: mark task 1 as completed
task status 2 abandoned      # Example: mark task 2 as abandoned

Valid statuses: open, completed, abandoned (run task status --help for details)

Search tasks

task search "keyword"    # Search by keyword
task search "meeting"    # Example: find all meeting tasks

Performs case-insensitive search across task names and content.

Delete a task

task delete <id>         # Delete a task by ID
task delete 1            # Example: delete task 1

Deleting a task removes the task file.

Edit a task

task edit <id>          # Edit the content of a task
task edit 1            # Example: edit task 1

Opens $EDITOR with the task content. Updates the task's content and last edited timestamp.

Cross-Platform Support

The application is designed to work on both Windows and Unix-like systems:

• Data storage locations:
  • Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\notes\ and %LOCALAPPDATA%\tasks\
  • Linux/macOS: ~/.local/share/notes/ and ~/.local/share/tasks/
• Editor detection:
  • Windows: Defaults to notepad if $EDITOR not set
  • Unix: Defaults to vi if $EDITOR not set
• GUI editor support:
  • VS Code, Notepad++, Sublime Text are detected and launched with --wait flag on Windows
• File permissions:
  • Platform-appropriate permissions are set for directories and files

Note Commands

Create a new note

note new "my note"     # Create note with custom name
note new               # Create note with timestamp as name

Opens $EDITOR (defaults to vi if not set) with an empty buffer. If you save with content, the note is created. If you exit with an empty buffer, no note is saved.

List all notes

note list

Outputs notes in format: ID | Name | Created: date | Updated: date

Search notes

note search "keyword"    # Search by keyword
note search "meeting"    # Example: find all meeting notes

Performs case-insensitive search across note names and content.

Edit a note

note edit <id>          # Opens $EDITOR with note content
note edit a1b2c3d4      # Example: edit specific note

Updates the note's content and last edited timestamp when saved.

Delete a note

note delete <id>         # Delete a note by ID
note delete a1b2c3d4    # Example: delete specific note

Shell Completion

Enable command-line completion for your shell. The task command completion works the same way as note:

Bash

Add to your ~/.bashrc or ~/.bash_profile:

# For auto-completion
source <(note completion bash)
source <(task completion bash)

Or for persistent completion:

note completion bash > ~/.local/share/bash-completion/completions/note
task completion bash > ~/.local/share/bash-completion/completions/task

Zsh

Add to your ~/.zshrc:

# For auto-completion
source <(note completion zsh)
source <(task completion zsh)

# Or add to your completion functions directory
note completion zsh > ~/.zsh/completion/_note
task completion zsh > ~/.zsh/completion/_task

Fish

Add to your ~/.config/fish/completions/ directory:

note completion fish > ~/.config/fish/completions/note.fish
task completion fish > ~/.config/fish/completions/task.fish

PowerShell

Add to your PowerShell profile:

note completion powershell | Out-String | Invoke-Expression
task completion powershell | Out-String | Invoke-Expression

Or save and source from your profile:

note completion powershell > note.ps1
task completion powershell > task.ps1

Storage

Note Storage

Notes are stored as plain text files in ~/.local/share/notes/:

~/.local/share/notes/
├── 1.txt
├── 2.txt
├── 3.txt
├── .counter    # Tracks next ID
└── ...

Each note file contains:

Created: 2026-01-15T10:49:30-07:00
Updated: 2026-01-15T10:49:56-07:00
Name: my note
This is note content...

Task Storage

Tasks are stored as plain text files in ~/.local/share/tasks/:

~/.local/share/tasks/
├── 1.txt
├── 2.txt
├── 3.txt
├── .counter    # Tracks next ID
└── ...

Each task file contains:

Created: 2026-01-15T10:49:30-07:00
Updated: 2026-01-15T10:49:56-07:00
Status: open
NoteID: 
Name: Buy groceries
This is task content...

The NoteID field is reserved for future note integration and is currently empty.

License

This software is licensed under the GNU GPL 2.0.