Noted - Your Personal Knowledge Base in VS Code

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One notes folder. Every workspace. Always accessible.

A comprehensive note-taking and knowledge management system inspired by Foam and Obsidian, built right into A Visual Studio Code extension. Connect your thoughts with wiki-style links, visualize your knowledge graph, and organize with powerful search and tagging—no matter which codebase you're working in.

Unlike workspace-bound solutions, Noted gives you a persistent home for all your notes that follows you across every project. Your knowledge base travels with you.

Noted is free, open source, and keeps your data in plain markdown files you own.

🌟 Your Notes, Everywhere

The problem: You work across multiple projects, but your notes are scattered—some in project folders, some in random locations, lost in different workspaces.

The Noted solution: Configure your notes folder once (like ~/Documents/Notes or ~/Dropbox/Notes), and access it from any VS Code workspace with a single click. Your knowledge base travels with you.

Whether you're working on a client project, personal code, or company repository, your notes are always one click away in the sidebar. Take meeting notes, document discoveries, and link ideas without switching contexts or losing track of where you put things.

Why This Matters

• ✅ Persistent knowledge base - Your notes aren't tied to any single project
• ✅ Cross-project insights - Link notes from different work contexts together
• ✅ One source of truth - All your professional knowledge in one searchable location
• ✅ Zero setup per project - Open any workspace, your notes are already there
• ✅ Cloud-sync ready - Put your notes folder in Dropbox/iCloud/OneDrive, sync everywhere

Core Features

Connect your notes with [[wikilinks]]

Create connections between notes using [[wikilinks]]. Noted provides autocomplete as you type, instant navigation with click-through links, and automatic link updates when you rename or move files. Use [[note|display text]] for readable link labels, or [[folder/note]] to disambiguate notes with the same name.

Visualize your knowledge network

See your entire note network at a glance with the interactive graph visualization. Click nodes to navigate between notes, drag to explore relationships, and use filters to focus on specific time periods or connection patterns. The graph adapts to your note density with smart physics and hover-to-reveal labels that keep the view clean.

See all connections in real-time

The Connections panel shows all notes linking to and from your current note, with context snippets showing exactly where connections appear. Click any backlink to jump to the source note at the exact line where the link lives. The panel updates in real-time as you work, keeping you aware of your note relationships without breaking your flow.

Embed notes, images, and diagrams inline

Include content from other notes using ![[note-name]] or embed specific sections with ![[note-name#Section]]. Display images inline with ![[image.png]] and embed diagrams with ![[diagram.drawio]]. Build comprehensive documents from reusable pieces, with live updates as source content changes.

Create and manage diagrams seamlessly

Centralized diagram management with Draw.io and Excalidraw support. Create diagrams from the Diagrams panel, automatically copy embed syntax to your clipboard, and paste ![[diagram.drawio]] into any note. All diagrams are stored in a single folder for easy organization, with automatic discovery from nested note locations.

Organize with flexible tags

Tag notes inline with #hashtags or in YAML frontmatter (tags: [work, backend, bug]). Get autocomplete suggestions as you type #, filter notes by single or multiple tags, and see usage counts at a glance in the Tags panel. Sort alphabetically or by frequency to find your most-used organizational categories.

Find anything with powerful filters

Combine regex patterns, tag filters, and date ranges to find exactly what you need. Use advanced syntax like regex: tag:backend from:2025-01-01 auth.*error to search across thousands of notes instantly. Results show match counts, tags, modification dates, and rich context previews.

Navigate daily notes visually

Visual monthly calendar for daily notes with highlighted indicators showing days with existing content. Click any date to see all notes created that day, create new dated notes, or jump between months with Previous/Today/Next navigation. Perfect for journaling and daily standup workflows.

Keep your knowledge base healthy

Identify orphaned notes (no incoming or outgoing links) and placeholder links (references to notes that don't exist yet). The Orphans panel shows three categories: isolated notes, notes with no backlinks, and notes with no outgoing links. The Placeholders panel groups broken links by target, showing all source locations with context snippets and line numbers.

AI-powered features with GitHub Copilot

Generate intelligent summaries, extract action items, and more using GitHub Copilot. New in v2.0: Select any text and right-click for instant AI analysis:

• Summarize Selection: Get a concise summary inserted right below your selected text
• Create Action Items: Extract tasks as checkboxes (- [ ]) or bullets (-) from any text
• Summarize Notes: Batch process multiple notes by time period (week, month, custom range)
• Custom Prompts: Use templates for different contexts (meetings, technical reviews, brainstorms)
• Smart Caching: Instant retrieval for previously generated summaries
• Version History: Track and compare different versions of summaries over time
• Auto-Tagging: Generate tags based on AI-extracted keywords

Browse templates visually

Visual template browser with grid/list views, real-time search, and category filtering. See all your built-in and custom templates in one place with quick actions to create, edit, duplicate, export, or delete. Search by name, description, or tags to find the perfect template instantly. Track usage statistics and organize templates by category for efficient note creation.

Create multi-note workflows with bundles

Need to create multiple related notes at once? Bundles let you scaffold entire workflows in seconds. Use built-in bundles for common patterns (video tutorials, project planning, research papers) or create your own. Fill in a few variables like project name and date, and watch as Noted creates multiple notes with automatic wiki-links connecting them. Perfect for recurring workflows that would otherwise require manual setup every time.

📖 Read the Bundles Guide for examples and step-by-step instructions.

Quick Commands

• Cmd+Shift+N (Mac) / Ctrl+Shift+N (Windows/Linux) - Open today's note instantly
• Cmd+Shift+T / Ctrl+Shift+T - Insert timestamp at cursor
• Type [[ - Autocomplete available notes with intelligent suggestions
• Type # - Autocomplete existing tags with usage counts
• Type ![[ - Embed notes, images, or diagrams inline

Installation

1. Install the Extension

Open VS Code Extensions (Cmd+Shift+X / Ctrl+Shift+X) → Search for "Noted" → Click Install

2. Configure Your Notes Home (First Time Only)

When you first use Noted, you'll be prompted to choose where to store your notes.

Recommended locations:

# macOS/Linux
~/Documents/Notes          # Local, backed up by Time Machine/system backups
~/Dropbox/Notes           # Cloud-synced across devices
~/Library/Mobile Documents/com~apple~CloudDocs/Notes  # iCloud Drive

# Windows
C:\Users\YourName\Documents\Notes     # Local
C:\Users\YourName\Dropbox\Notes       # Cloud-synced

Important: Choose a location outside any specific project folder. This ensures your notes are accessible from every workspace.

3. Start Taking Notes

Press Cmd+Shift+N (Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+N (Windows/Linux) to open today's note.

Your notes are now accessible from any VS Code workspace! 🎉

Getting Started

First-Time Setup (Do Once)

1. Install Noted from VS Code Marketplace
2. Choose your notes home - Pick a location outside your project folders:
   • Recommended: ~/Documents/Notes or ~/Dropbox/Notes
   • Avoid: Inside any specific project/workspace folder
3. Start taking notes - Press Cmd+Shift+N to create today's note

That's it! Your notes are now accessible from every VS Code workspace you open.

Daily Workflow

Noted works best when you:

1. Keep one unified notes folder - Don't create separate notes per project
2. Link liberally - Use [[wikilinks]] to connect related thoughts
3. Tag for organization - Use #tags to categorize and filter notes
4. Review connections - Use the graph view and connections panel to discover relationships
5. Open today's note each morning - Cmd+Shift+N becomes your daily ritual
6. Build atomic notes - One topic per note keeps things focused and linkable

The Power of Persistent Notes

Unlike workspace-specific notes, Noted's approach means:

• Meeting notes from last week's client call? Still there when you switch projects.
• Research on that authentication pattern? Available in your new side project.
• Bug investigation from six months ago? Searchable and linkable, no matter where you are.

Your knowledge compounds over time, not trapped in project folders.

Why Choose Noted Over Other Solutions?

With Noted, your notes folder is like your home—you can visit from anywhere, and everything you need is always in the same place.

Real-World Workflows

Scenario 1: Freelance Developer

The Setup: Notes folder at ~/Dropbox/Notes

The Workflow:

• Monday morning: Open Client A's project → Cmd+Shift+N → Daily standup notes
• Monday afternoon: Switch to Client B's project → Same notes appear in sidebar
• Tuesday: Link yesterday's Client A solution to today's Client B problem
• Friday: Search "authentication bug" → Find notes from both clients, compare approaches

The Win: Knowledge from one client helps another. Your notes bridge all your work.

Scenario 2: Startup Team Member

The Setup: Notes folder at ~/Documents/Work-Notes

The Workflow:

• AM: Work on frontend repo → Take architecture notes with [[wiki-links]]
• PM: Switch to backend repo → Reference morning's frontend notes via graph view
• Next week: Switch to mobile repo → Search across all previous notes
• Next month: New project → All context from previous work still accessible

The Win: Company knowledge stays connected even as you move between codebases.

Scenario 3: Open Source Contributor + Day Job

The Setup: Notes folder at ~/Notes

The Workflow:

• 9-5: Work on proprietary company code → Take meeting notes, tag with #work
• Evening: Contribute to OSS project → Link work learnings to OSS ideas
• Weekend: Personal learning project → Search across work + OSS notes
• Graph view reveals patterns across all contexts

The Win: Your entire professional knowledge base is unified and searchable.

Configuration

Access settings via VS Code Settings (search for "Noted"):

• noted.notesFolder: Where notes are stored (default: "Notes")
• noted.diagramsFolder: Where diagrams are stored (default: "Diagrams")
• noted.fileFormat: File format - "txt" or "md" (default: "md")
• noted.tagAutoComplete: Tag suggestions when typing # (default: true)
• noted.autoBacklinks: Auto-append backlinks sections (default: true)

AI Summarization Settings

• noted.ai.enabled: Enable AI-powered features (default: true)
• noted.ai.summaryLength: Summary length - "short", "medium", or "long" (default: "medium")
• noted.ai.summaryFormat: Format - "paragraph", "bullets", or "structured" (default: "structured")
• noted.ai.includeActionItems: Extract action items in summaries (default: true)
• noted.ai.includeKeywords: Generate keywords/tags from content (default: false)
• noted.ai.cacheEnabled: Cache summaries for performance (default: true)

Requirements: GitHub Copilot extension with active subscription

Graph View Settings

• noted.graph.style.fontSize: Font size for node labels in pixels (default: 11)
• noted.graph.titleMaxLength: Maximum label length before truncation (default: 24)
• noted.graph.physics.chargeStrength: Node repulsion strength (default: -120)
• noted.graph.physics.linkDistance: Target distance between connected nodes (default: 50)

Development

Setup

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/jsonify/noted.git
cd noted

# Install dependencies
pnpm install

# Compile TypeScript
pnpm run compile

# Run tests
pnpm run test:unit

Testing

# Unit tests (325 passing)
pnpm run test:unit

# Integration tests
pnpm run test

# Package extension
pnpm dlx @vscode/vsce package

Test Coverage:

• 325 unit tests covering all functionality
• Cross-platform CI/CD (Ubuntu, macOS, Windows)
• Multiple Node versions (18.x, 20.x)

Documentation

📖 Full Documentation

Topics:

• Getting Started Guide
• Daily Notes Workflow
• Wiki-Style Links & Connections
• Diagrams Panel & Management
• Note, Image & Diagram Embeds
• Graph View Tutorial
• Tags System
• Advanced Search
• Calendar View
• AI Summarization (GitHub Copilot)
• Multi-Note Workflow Bundles ⭐ NEW
• Bulk Operations & Undo/Redo
• Templates Guide
• Pinned Notes & Archive

Contributing

Contributions welcome! Please:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Add tests for new features
4. Follow existing code style
5. Submit a Pull Request

See CONTRIBUTING.md for detailed guidelines.

Support

• Issues: GitHub Issues
• Discussions: GitHub Discussions
• Documentation: Website

License

MIT License - see LICENSE

Acknowledgments

Built with ❤️ for the VS Code community

Inspired by:

• Foam - Personal knowledge management for VS Code
• Obsidian - Powerful knowledge base on local markdown files

Technologies:

• TypeScript
• VS Code Extension API
• Vis.js (graph visualization)
• Mocha & Chai (testing)

Your knowledge, unified. Your notes, everywhere.