⚖️ License Change Notice

As of 02/04/2026(BST), this project has transitioned from the MIT License to the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 (AGPL-3.0).

Why the change?

To protect the hard work put into jot and ensure that it remains open and beneficial to the community. The AGPL-3.0 prevents companies from using this software to power commercial cloud services without contributing their improvements back to the open-source ecosystem.

• Future Versions: All new features, bug fixes, and releases are licensed under AGPL-3.0.
• Past Versions: Versions released prior to this change remain available under the terms of the MIT License.

See the LICENSE file for the full text.

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jot

Open with Jot. View and Print: .json, .md, .xml and .pdf files locally using jot.

jot is a terminal-first notebook and local document viewer.

Use it to capture raw thoughts fast, then use the same jot open flow to preview local PDFs, Markdown, JSON, and XML in a clean local viewer window.

No apps. No dashboards. Just one command for capture, and one command for opening the files you already have.

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quick start

curl -fsSL https://github.com/Intina47/jot/releases/latest/download/install.sh | sh
 or
brew install intina47/jot/jot-cli
or
npm install -g @intina47/jot
or (Windows)
choco install jot

On macOS, Linux, and Git Bash on Windows, the curl installer uses /usr/local/bin when it can write there and falls back to a user bin directory otherwise. In Windows PowerShell, use choco install jot or npm install -g @intina47/jot instead of piping into sh. For Homebrew, use the fully qualified tap formula so Homebrew does not resolve to homebrew-core/jot. For a machine-wide install, run:

curl -fsSL https://github.com/Intina47/jot/releases/latest/download/install.sh | sudo sh -s -- -b /usr/local/bin

Then, the moment a thought appears:

jot

Type. Press enter. Return to your work.

That’s the whole loop for capture.

And when you need to read something local:

jot open

Pick a file and jot opens it in the local viewer if it is a supported document type.

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jot assistant

jot assistant extends Jot into a local terminal assistant that can actually do work for you.

Current assistant capabilities:

• Gmail search, thread reading, attachment reading, drafting, and sending
• Google Calendar free/busy, event lookup, create, update, and cancel
• Browser-computer form handling for direct links and email-linked forms
• Journal backup export, including emailing the backup to yourself
• Guided onboarding for provider setup, Gmail auth, browser auth, and optional channels

Start with:

jot assistant --onboarding

Or open the assistant directly:

jot assistant

Examples:

jot assistant "summarize unread emails from today"
jot assistant "am i free thursday at 3pm?"
jot assistant "help me fill this form https://docs.google.com/forms/..."
jot assistant "export my jot journal and email it to me"

The assistant is currently aimed at local/private use. Gmail and Calendar use your own local OAuth setup, and the browser computer runs on your machine with your approval.

For full assistant setup and capability notes, see ASSISTANT.md.

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what is jot?

jot is two things that fit together:

1. A fast local notebook for half-formed thoughts.
2. A lightweight local document preview tool for files you want to inspect without jumping through heavy apps.

Not ideas. Not tasks. Not notes.

Nonsense.

The half-formed sentence. The thing you thought at 01:43. The idea you don’t respect yet.

Most tools ask you to be clear. jot lets you be early.

Most file viewers ask you to open a full application. jot lets you just open the document.

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why jot exists

Developers don’t lack tools. They lack a place where nothing has to make sense and a fast way to inspect local documents without wrestling with file associations.

You open Notion when things are polished. You open a doc when things are explainable. You open Slack when things are urgent.

But where do you put the thought that feels stupid until it isn’t?

That’s what jot is for.

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the rule

There is only one rule:

Everything goes in the same notebook.

No folders. No tags. No categories.

Time will do the sorting.

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usage

capture a thought

jot
 or
jot init

You’ll see:

jot › what’s on your mind?

Type one line. Press enter. Exit silently.

No confirmation. No formatting. No dopamine tricks.

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capture with metadata

jot capture "note" --title "t" --tag foo --project "alpha"

If you omit the content, jot opens your editor and saves the result on exit:

jot capture --title "t"

reading back and opening local docs

jot list

You’ll see a simple timeline:

[2026-01-04 22:31] notion but in the terminal
[2026-01-06 09:12] onboarding tools assume users read
[2026-01-09 01:03] loneliness isn’t social, it’s unseen

This is not a feed. It’s a mirror.

Template notes created in the current directory (like meeting, standup, or RFC notes) are included in the list output too.

Open one specific jot entry by id:

jot open dg0ftbuoqqdc-62

Open the native file picker:

jot open

Or open an existing local PDF in the jot viewer:

jot open "C:\Users\mamba\Downloads\paper.pdf"

Or open Markdown, JSON, or XML in the same jot viewer:

jot open ".\docs\plan.md"
jot open ".\data\sample.json"
jot open ".\feeds\config.xml"

Or browse the current folder in the jot viewer and switch between supported files:

jot open .

Or open any other existing local file with the system default app:

jot open ".\notes\todo.txt"

If the argument does not match a jot id and points to a local .pdf, .md, .markdown, .json, or .xml, jot starts a lightweight local viewer session and opens the file through jot's own viewer page. On machines with Edge, Chrome, Brave, or Chromium available, jot opens that viewer in a dedicated app-style window instead of a normal browser tab. Other files go through the normal system opener.

If the argument points to a directory such as ., jot opens a local folder browser that lists supported Markdown, JSON, XML, and PDF files in the current directory and previews them in place.

That means jot now works well as:

• a note capture tool
• a lightweight local PDF reader
• a Markdown previewer
• a JSON and XML inspection tool

On Windows, you can also add an Explorer context-menu entry:

jot integrate windows

That installs Open with jot for files under the current user. Remove it with:

jot integrate windows --remove

tasks and image conversion

jot can now run lightweight terminal tasks without leaving the current folder.

If you already know what you want, use the direct command:

jot convert logo.png ico
jot convert logo.png svg
jot convert screenshot.png jpg

That writes the converted file next to the source image by default.

If you want the guided flow instead:

jot task

Pick convert image, choose the source file, then choose the target format.

Current image conversion support:

• inputs: .png, .jpg, .jpeg, .gif
• outputs: .png, .jpg, .gif, .ico, .svg

Notes:

• .png output preserves raster detail and alpha
• .jpg output is optimized for photos and screenshots and flattens transparency onto white
• .gif output is single-frame and palette-limited
• .ico output builds a multi-size favicon-style icon automatically
• .svg output wraps the source raster inside a standalone SVG file; it is not traced vector output

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patterns

Eventually, curiosity wins.

jot patterns

For now, jot simply says:

patterns are coming. keep noticing.

Later, it will reflect what you keep returning to — nothing more.

You may not like the answer. That’s the point.

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what should I write?

If you’re unsure, start here:

• “this feels important but I don’t know why”
• “why does this annoy me every time?”
• “I keep circling this idea but avoiding it”
• “note to self: don’t forget how this felt”
• “this is probably nonsense”

Especially the last one.

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what jot is not

• ❌ a second brain
• ❌ a productivity system
• ❌ a knowledge base
• ❌ a markdown playground

Those come later — if they come at all.

jot lives before structure.

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philosophy

• Capture over clarity
• Friction is the enemy
• Chronology beats organization
• Patterns emerge, they are not forced

If it feels boring, it’s working. If it feels quiet, you’re close.

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templates

Create structured notes quickly with templates.

jot new --template daily

Add a name to create multiple notes from the same template in a day:

jot new --template meeting -n "Team Sync-Up"

Built-in templates:

jot templates
 or
jot list templates

Templates render a few variables:

• {{date}} → YYYY-MM-DD
• {{time}} → HH:MM
• {{datetime}} → YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM
• {{repo}} → current git repo name (empty if not in a repo)

custom templates

Create a file in your config templates directory and use its filename (without extension) as the template name.

~/.config/jot/templates/standup.md

On Windows, this lives under %AppData%\\jot\\templates. If the config dir is not available, jot falls back to ~/.jot/templates.

Then run:

jot new --template standup

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data & privacy

Your thoughts are yours.

• Stored locally by default
• Plain text (~/.jot/journal.txt)
• No lock-in
• Sync is optional, never assumed

If jot ever feels like a platform, uninstall it.

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who this is for

• developers who think in fragments
• founders with too many almost-ideas
• people who trust time more than tools

If you want to optimize your thinking, this isn’t for you. If you want to notice it, welcome.

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uninstallation

Remove the binary however you installed it. If you used the curl installer, remove jot from the install directory it chose, usually ~/.local/bin/jot or /usr/local/bin/jot.

Your notebook stays. Even if jot doesn’t.

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final note

Most ideas don’t fail because they’re bad. They fail because they were embarrassed too early.

jot is where embarrassment goes to wait.

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