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)
• 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 - Use your local Claude Code 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 for your notes
• 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+P	Command palette
Cmd+K	Add/edit link
Cmd+F	Find in note
Cmd+Shift+C	Copy as...
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
↑/↓	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

License

MIT