Your notes, built to last
Local-first notes, built to last.
Cairnote is a cross-platform, local-first note-taking app: every note an ordinary Markdown file you can open anywhere — with truly conflict-free, real-time collaboration that doesn't depend on the cloud.
Everything you need, nothing you don’t
Local-first & plain text
Every note is an ordinary Markdown file with a stable ID in its frontmatter — readable, portable, and yours, in Cairnote or any other editor.
Write anywhere
A fast CLI (cn), a browser interface (cn --gui), native desktop apps for Mac and Windows, and the web — all working on the very same files.
Conflict-free collaboration
A built-in CRDT engine lets people and devices edit the same note at once and merge without conflicts — online or off, no server required.
Rich rendering
Markdown and AsciiDoc with diagrams, charts, callouts, embeds, wikilinks, and transclusion — your notes render the way you think.
Structured data
Built-in databases with a query language and full-text search sit right alongside your prose, so notes become data you can ask questions of.
Make it yours
Version history, daily notes, tasks, tags, an outline and graph view, custom themes, and a plugin system — shaped to your workflow.
Plain Markdown files, built to last
Notes live in cairns — notebooks of ordinary Markdown files, each with a stable ID in its frontmatter. Your knowledge stays readable, portable, and future-proof, whether you open it in Cairnote, another editor, or ten years from now.
Real-time collaboration without the cloud
A built-in CRDT engine lets multiple people — or your own devices — edit the same note simultaneously and merge without conflicts, online or off. Edits made elsewhere while you were away are reconciled automatically, and changes sync across peers on your own network.
Questions, answered
Notes you control, built to last
Cairnote is coming soon. Request early access and we'll invite you when it opens.