Jotts

demo of jotts

A simple, self-hosted markdown note app built in Go.

Single Go binary with embedded assets
Password authentication with session cookies
Create, edit, and delete markdown notes
Markdown rendering with strikethrough, tables, and task lists
Interactive TUI with authenticated access for note management
Dark themed UI with Commit Mono font
SQLite for persistent storage

Install

Jotts can be installed several ways:

Homebrew

brew install stevedylandev/tap/jotts

Releases

Visit the releases page for binaries and install scripts.

Configure

Environment Variables

Variable	Description	Default
`JOTTS_PASSWORD`	Password for web login authentication	`changeme`
`JOTTS_API_KEY`	API key for protecting `/api/*` endpoints	—
`JOTTS_DB_PATH`	SQLite database file path	`jotts.sqlite`
`HOST`	Server bind address	`127.0.0.1`
`PORT`	Server port	`3000`
`COOKIE_SECURE`	Enable HTTPS-only cookies	`false`

If JOTTS_API_KEY is not set, /api/* routes return 403.

Deploy

Railway

The easiest way to deploy Jotts is with the one-click Railway template. See the Deploying with Railway guide for a walkthrough of the process. Jotts requires JOTTS_PASSWORD to be set during the configure step. Set JOTTS_API_KEY too if you want to use the TUI against your remote instance.

Docker

cd apps/jotts
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your password
docker compose up -d

This will start Jotts on port 3000 with a persistent volume for the SQLite database.

Binary

cd apps/jotts && go build .

The resulting binary is self-contained with all assets embedded. Copy it to your server with a configured .env file and run it directly.

Use

CLI

jotts [OPTIONS] [FILE] [COMMAND]

Commands

Command	Description
`server`	Start the web server
`tui`	Launch the interactive TUI
`auth`	Save remote URL and API key to config file

Arguments

Argument	Description
`[FILE]`	File path to create a note from

Options

Option	Description
`-r, --remote <URL>`	Remote server URL (env: `JOTTS_REMOTE_URL`)
`-k, --api-key <KEY>`	API key for authenticated operations (env: `JOTTS_API_KEY`)

Server

Start the web server with:

jotts server --port 3000 --host localhost

Log in at /login with your configured password. From there you can create, edit, and delete markdown notes. Notes support GitHub-flavored markdown including strikethrough, tables, and task lists.

API Endpoints

Method	Endpoint	Description
`GET`	`/api/notes`	List all notes
`POST`	`/api/notes`	Create a note (`{"title": "...", "content": "..."}`)
`GET`	`/api/notes/{short_id}`	Get a note by ID
`PUT`	`/api/notes/{short_id}`	Update a note
`DELETE`	`/api/notes/{short_id}`	Delete a note by ID

All /api/* endpoints require an x-api-key header matching JOTTS_API_KEY.

TUI

The Jotts TUI makes it easy to create, edit, and manage your notes either locally or remotely.

# Launch TUI (default behavior when no file argument is given)
jotts
 
# Or explicitly
jotts tui
 
# With remote options
jotts -r https://your-jotts-instance.com -k your-api-key

Local Access

If you are running jotts in the same directory as the jotts.sqlite file created by the server instance, the TUI will automatically access the database locally.

Remote Access

To access a remote instance:

Set JOTTS_API_KEY on your server instance
Run jotts auth to enter your server URL and API key, stored under $HOME/.config/jotts

Keybindings

Key	Action
`j`/`Down`	Move down / Scroll down
`k`/`Up`	Move up / Scroll up
`Enter`	Focus content pane
`Esc`	Back / Quit
`y`	Copy note content
`Y`	Copy note link
`o`	Open in browser
`e`	Edit note
`E`	Edit in `$EDITOR`
`d`	Delete note
`c`	Create note
`/`	Search notes
`^W`	Toggle word wrap (edit)
`r`	Refresh notes (remote only)
`q`	Quit
`?`	Toggle help