jot

Capture thoughts before they escape.

The keyboard-first task manager for people who think in keystrokes.

Download for macOS · Build from source · Report a bug

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Opt+Space → type a thought → Enter → done.

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Your brain sends tasks faster than your mouse can keep up

jot lives in your menu bar and shows up when you need it — even over fullscreen apps. No windows to find, no buttons to click. Just type.

Follow up with Sarah about the API migration friday #work !high

That's it. Tag, priority, and due date — parsed from a single line. No forms, no modals, no context switch.

Built for flow state

You're in a meeting. Someone mentions a deadline. Opt+Space, type it, back to the conversation. Two seconds.

You're deep in code and remember a bug. Opt+Space, capture it, back to the editor. Your flow never breaks.

You're in fullscreen mode. Doesn't matter — jot renders as a native overlay on top of everything.

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What it does

One-line task capture with live parsing

Type naturally. jot understands:

You type	What happens
#work	Tagged as work
!high	High priority
tomorrow, friday, next week	Due date set
@zettel	Linked note created in your vault

Syntax highlights appear as you type — you see exactly what jot understood before you press Enter.

A real editor, not a toy

Press e on any task and get a full editor pane:

• Rich-text descriptions — Bold, italic, strikethrough, links, lists, code blocks, checkboxes. With keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl+B, Ctrl+I, Ctrl+K)
• Checklists — Nested items you can add, toggle, and reorder
• Status, priority, due date — Inline selectors, auto-save on every change
• Tags — Type to add, backspace to remove
• Color labels — Visual coding for quick scanning
• Subtasks, assignees, chat, time tracking — Full project management when connected to Yougile

Every field is keyboard-navigable. j/k between fields, Enter to activate, i to edit. Your hands never leave the keyboard.

Three ways to see your work

Cmd+Shift+Space opens the dashboard:

• List view — Dense, scannable rows. The default for a reason.
• Kanban board — Drag-and-drop columns. Add, rename, reorder.
• Calendar view — See what's due when.

A sidebar gives you instant filters: inbox, today, by tag, by status. Press Tab to switch between local tasks and your Yougile boards.

Vim everywhere

jot was designed for people who live in the terminal. Three modes, one philosophy: your keyboard does everything.

Key	What it does
j / k	Move up and down
x	Toggle done
e	Edit
d	Delete (press twice to confirm)
s	Cycle status
m	Move to next column
:	Command mode
Esc	Always goes back

The mode indicator tells you where you are. Escape always gets you out. It's predictable and it's fast.

Connects to your tools

Obsidian — Add @zettel to any task and jot creates a timestamped markdown note in your vault with YAML frontmatter and a back-link. Click the note icon to open it.

Yougile — Full two-way sync with your Yougile workspace. Multiple accounts, project/board navigation, real-time polling, file uploads, task chat. Manage team tasks without leaving jot.

Task templates

Create reusable templates with pre-filled title, description, status, priority, and tags. Select one from the capture bar to pre-fill a new task. Build your own workflow.

Respects your system

Dark mode with a brutalist zinc palette and cyan accents. Light mode with clean contrast and proper visibility everywhere. jot follows your system setting — no toggles needed.

Your data, your machine

Local SQLite database. No account required. No cloud. No network latency. Yougile sync is optional and additive — your local tasks are always yours.

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Install

macOS (Homebrew)

brew tap acidsugarx/tap
brew install --cask jot

macOS / Linux (Download)

Grab the latest release from github.com/acidsugarx/jot/releases:

• macOS — .dmg (Apple Silicon)
• Linux — .AppImage

Build from source

git clone https://github.com/acidsugarx/jot.git
cd jot
npm install
npm run tauri build

Requires Node.js 20+, Rust 1.77.2+, and Tauri prerequisites.

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Keyboard shortcuts

Global

Shortcut	Action
Opt+Space	Open capture bar
Cmd+Shift+Space	Open dashboard

Capture bar

Key	Action
Enter	Create task
Esc	Dismiss
j / k	Navigate
e	Edit task
x	Toggle done
d	Delete
s	Cycle status
m	Move column
:	Command mode

Dashboard

Key	Action
j / k	Navigate tasks
h / l	Switch panes
e	Edit
x	Toggle done
Tab	Switch source
/	Search
Esc	Close editor

Rich-text editor

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+B	Bold
Ctrl+I	Italic
Ctrl+K	Insert link
Ctrl+Shift+S	Strikethrough
Ctrl+Shift+C	Checkbox

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Contributing

Bug reports and pull requests are welcome at acidsugarx/jot.

Run make ci before submitting — it checks formatting, types, lint, and tests across both Rust and TypeScript.

License

MIT License © 2026 Ilya Gilev