Zenvoy

Zenvoy is a keyboard-first Markdown notes app with multiple runtimes:

• a desktop app built with Tauri
• a self-hosted web app backed by a Rust (Axum) server
• a zen CLI for terminal workflows
• a first-party MCP server for AI tool integration

Zenvoy keeps your notes as ordinary Markdown files on disk. It adds Vim-friendly editing, split and preview workflows, tasks, tags, archive/trash, diagrams, search, daily notes, CSV databases (Notion-style Table + Board views over plain .csv files), and MCP integration on top of the files you already own.

Website:

Install

Download the latest release from the Releases page.

macOS

After installing, macOS may show "Zenvoy is damaged and can't be opened" because the app is not notarized with Apple. To fix this, run:

xattr -cr /Applications/Zenvoy.app

Or right-click the app → Open → Open to bypass Gatekeeper on first launch.

Desktop (Build from source)

npm ci
npx tauri build

The built app is in src-tauri/target/release/bundle/.

zen CLI

Build the CLI:

cd src-tauri && cargo build --bin zen --release

The binary is at src-tauri/target/release/zen. Copy it to your PATH.

Commands include: list, read, search, capture, edit, archive/trash notes, tasks, folders, and MCP.

Self-hosted web app

Run the standalone Axum server:

cd src-tauri && cargo run --bin zenvoy-server --release

Then open http://localhost:7878.

Or use Docker:

docker compose up -d

What Zenvoy is for

• writing and organizing plain-file Markdown notes without a database
• moving quickly with keyboard-first navigation and Vim motions
• working across edit, split, and preview modes without losing context
• keeping tasks, tags, search, archive, trash, and quick capture inside the same vault
• rendering math and diagrams directly from Markdown
• exposing the vault to MCP-capable tools through a first-party server
• searching and opening notes from terminal scripts
• self-hosting the app on your own machine or home server

Product modes

• desktop: Tauri shell with native menus, updater, floating windows
• self-hosted: browser frontend plus Rust server, suitable for home servers and LAN use
• cli: terminal-based note management via the zen binary

Core ideas

Plain files first

Every note is a normal .md file inside a chosen vault. Zenvoy does not store note content in a hidden database.

Keyboard-first by default

Zenvoy assumes you want to move fast:

• first-class Vim mode
• leader-key flows
• command palette
• pane and tab motion
• local ex commands
• built-in help

Preview is part of the workflow

Zenvoy supports:

• edit mode
• preview mode
• split mode
• pinned reference panes
• detached note windows on desktop

Shared vault, shared tooling

Zenvoy includes a first-party MCP server so tools can work on the same vault you do.

Feature overview

Notes, folders, and lifecycle

Zenvoy can:

• create, rename, duplicate, move, archive, unarchive, trash, restore, and reveal notes and folders
• watch the vault for external changes
• reopen your workspace layout with tabs and panes

System folders:

• quick, archive, and trash are built-in lifecycle areas
• the main notes area can be either inbox/ or the vault root directly (Obsidian-style flat vaults)
• built-in folder labels are customizable in the UI

Daily notes

Daily notes are optional and can be enabled from Settings.

• when enabled, Zenvoy can open or create today's note automatically
• the title is a simple ISO date like 2026-04-21
• daily notes live in a dedicated directory under your primary notes area

Editor and preview

The editor stack is CodeMirror 6 with a Markdown-oriented workflow:

• live preview behavior in the editor
• heading folding
• outline extraction and jumps
• configurable line numbers and line-height (position: next to text or editor edge)
• syntax highlighting for fenced code blocks
• wiki links, callouts, tables, footnotes, and local embeds
• ==highlight== syntax with multi-color highlighter (8 colors, right-click menu)
• Vim block cursor and keyboard navigation
• per-note undo history (Cmd+Z never crosses note boundaries)
• /slash-command autocomplete in the editor and quick capture
• WYSIWYG table navigation keys are remappable

Preview and split mode support:

• GitHub-flavored Markdown
• KaTeX math
• Mermaid
• TikZ
• JSXGraph
• function-plot
• callouts, footnotes, wiki links, and backlinks

Search, tasks, tags, and built-in views

• note search by title and path
• vault-wide text search
• tags view (combine with AND/OR, match all/any toggle)
• tasks view (customizable label, reorder via Shift+J/K or drag, @waiting tasks show on calendar)
• archive view
• trash view
• quick notes view
• home view (landing page with greeting, quick-create, recent notes, and today's tasks)
• built-in help/manual

Obsidian-friendly vault support

• primary notes can live at the vault root instead of requiring inbox/
• loose files anywhere in the vault are surfaced as files/assets
• embedded files like ![[image.png]] resolve like Obsidian
• CSV databases are linkable via [[wikilinks]]
• Obsidian Excalidraw drawings can be imported to native .excalidraw format
• legacy attachements/ and _assets/ folders are recognized

Files and local assets

• local images and files appear in the vault tree
• images, SVGs, videos, audio, PDFs open inside Zenvoy tabs
• watcher updates include non-Markdown file changes
• sidebar multi-select with Cmd/Ctrl-click and Shift-click
• virtualized note list for large vaults (5000+ notes)
• manual drag-to-reorder note ordering
• vault-root notice dismissable per vault

Themes, fonts, and customization

• theme families and light/dark/auto modes (includes Kanagawa Wave/Dragon/Lotus)
• interface, text, and monospace font selection
• editor font size and line-height controls
• preview and editor width controls
• keymap overrides
• Vim toggles and leader hint behavior
• search backend selection
• vault layout and daily notes settings
• system-folder display labels
• portable config file (config.toml) — sync prefs across machines with git/stow/chezmoi
• grouped settings rail with sub-tabbed pages

Architecture

src/                    Frontend (React + TypeScript + Vite)
  app/                  App components, store, lib
  bridge/              Bridge adapters (Tauri IPC + HTTP)
  shared/              Domain types
src-tauri/
  src/
    main.rs            Tauri desktop entry point
    commands.rs        68 Tauri commands
    vault/             Vault operations (CRUD, trash, archive, search, etc.)
    config/            Configuration management
    watcher/           File system watcher (notify crate)
    server/            Axum HTTP server (routes, auth, middleware, WebSocket)
    cli/               zen CLI (clap)
    mcp/               MCP JSON-RPC server (26 tools)
    bin/
      server.rs        Standalone Axum server binary
      cli.rs           zen CLI binary

Development

Requirements

• Node.js 22+
• Rust (stable)
• npm

Install dependencies

npm ci

Run the desktop app

npx tauri dev

Run the standalone server

cd src-tauri && cargo run --bin zenvoy-server

Environment variables:

• ZENVOY_VAULT_PATH: path to the vault directory (default: ~/ZenvoyVault)
• ZENVOY_BIND: server bind address (default: 127.0.0.1:7878)
• ZENVOY_AUTH_TOKEN: bearer token for non-loopback access

Run the CLI

cd src-tauri && cargo run --bin zen -- --help

Run tests

cd src-tauri && cargo test --lib

Build for production

npx tauri build

Self-hosting with Docker

Start the self-hosted app

docker compose up -d

Then open http://localhost:7878.

Default Docker mounts

• host ./vault → container vault directory
• host ./data → container /data

Security defaults

• published port binds to 127.0.0.1 unless overridden
• auth token generated on first run and stored in ./data/auth-token
• browser signs in with token once, then uses an HttpOnly session cookie
• container runs as local UID/GID with read-only root filesystem

Choosing a different vault folder

CONTENT_ROOT="$HOME/Documents/MyVault" docker compose up -d

Environment variables

• ZENVOY_BIND: server bind address
• ZENVOY_VAULT_PATH: hard-lock to a specific vault path
• ZENVOY_AUTH_TOKEN: set a specific auth token
• ZENVOY_BROWSE_ROOTS: limit what the web picker can browse
• ZENVOY_ALLOWED_ORIGINS: restrict which browser origins can connect
• ALLOW_INSECURE_NOAUTH=1: disable auth (loopback only recommended)

MCP integration

Zenvoy ships a dedicated MCP server exposing 26 vault tools:

• reading, creating, moving, appending to notes
• listing notes, folders, and assets
• searching vault text
• toggling tasks
• managing templates and comments

Run the MCP server:

cd src-tauri && cargo run --bin zen -- mcp

Web vault picker

The self-hosted web build includes a server-backed vault chooser:

• browses folders on the server, not the browser machine
• only browses configured allowed roots by default
• supports common shortcuts (iCloud Drive, home, documents)

Current status

Zenvoy is actively evolving. The desktop app and self-hosted server share the same Rust backend. The zen CLI provides terminal access to all vault operations.

Acknowledgments

This project is a complete rewrite of the original ZenNotes Electron + Go codebase in Rust (Tauri + Axum). Thanks to all the contributors of the original project whose work made this possible.

License

MIT