Noteflow - Synced Markdown Notes

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Keep a folder of Markdown notes in the side bar of VS Code, and have it follow you to every machine where you sign in to Settings Sync.

What it is

Noteflow adds a My Notes tree, backed by any folder on disk, plus an optional Project Notes tree for notes that live inside the current workspace (.notes by default). Create, rename, move, delete and search notes without leaving the side bar.

Why

How sync works

  Machine A                      Machine B
┌───────────┐                  ┌───────────┐
│ My Notes  │                  │ My Notes  │
│  (disk)   │                  │  (disk)   │
└─────┬─────┘                  └─────┬─────┘
      │                              │
      └───▶ Settings Sync ◀──────────┘
               (noteflow.syncedNotes)

Noteflow doesn't talk to any server of its own. It stores the content of every note in a bit of globalState (noteflow.syncedNotes) that is marked with setKeysForSync, so VS Code's own Settings Sync carries it to every machine signed in to the same account, the same mechanism that syncs your settings and keybindings.

What a sync does, step by step:

1. Read every note currently on disk in the My Notes folder (skipping hidden files/folders, anything outside noteflow.fileTypes, and anything over 256 KB or binary).
2. Compare that to the synced copy (syncedNotes) and to a local "base" snapshot of hashes saved after the previous sync on this machine.
3. For each note, work out what changed since that base, on this machine and/or on another one:
   • Only here changed → push this machine's content (or push a delete) to the synced copy.
   • Only elsewhere changed → write that content to disk here (or delete the local file).
   • Unchanged everywhere → nothing to do.
   • Changed on both sides → the newest edit (by modified time) keeps the file name; the older one is written next to it as name (conflict YYYY-MM-DD).md and pushed too, so nothing is silently lost.
   • A brand-new machine (empty local base) never deletes anything; it just merges both sides.
4. Deletes are remembered as a "tombstone" for 30 days (long enough for every machine to come online and see it), then forgotten.
5. Save the new base snapshot for next time.

When a sync happens:

• ~2 seconds after the extension activates.
• Right after you save a note that lives inside My Notes.
• After every create, rename, move or delete you make through Noteflow.
• When noteflow.folder or noteflow.sync changes.
• Whenever the window regains focus (this is also when Settings Sync tends to have just delivered changes from another machine in the background).
• Every 30 seconds in the background while the window is focused, as a safety net.
• On demand via Sync Now.

Multiple triggers in a row are coalesced: a sync request is debounced ~1.5 seconds, and only one sync runs at a time (a request made while one is running queues a single follow-up run).

Only the folder configured in noteflow.folder (My Notes) is ever synced. Project Notes live inside the workspace and never leave it.

Set up on your first computer

1. Install Noteflow.
2. Turn on Settings Sync with Extensions checked.
3. Choose a notes folder for My Notes.

Set up on another computer

1. Turn on Settings Sync, signed in to the same account, with the same Noteflow version installed.
2. Open VS Code: once your synced notes arrive, Noteflow offers to use ~/Noteflow or to choose a folder.

What is and isn't synced

• Only My Notes, not Project Notes.
• Text files up to 256 KB.
• Hidden files (starting with .) and binary files never sync, and stay local only.

Features

• Two side bar views: My Notes and Project Notes.
• Create, rename, move (drag and drop or Move To...), and delete notes and folders.
• Quick Open across both views, most recently opened first.
• Search scoped to your notes.
• Sort by name, modified or created date.
• Markdown preview, reveal in file explorer.
• Automatic refresh when files change outside VS Code.

Shortcuts

Settings

FAQ / troubleshooting

My notes from another machine never showed up. Make sure Settings Sync is on with Extensions included, and that both machines are signed in to the same account with the same Noteflow version.

A note is missing after syncing. Check it wasn't larger than 256 KB, binary, or inside a hidden folder; those never sync.

I see a (conflict ...) file. The note was edited on two machines before they synced; the newest version kept its name, the other was kept as a copy so nothing is lost.

License

MIT