jot

Open with Jot. View and Print: .json, .md, .xml and .pdf files locally using jot.

jot is a terminal-first notebook and local document viewer.

Use it to capture raw thoughts fast, then use the same jot open flow to preview local PDFs, Markdown, JSON, and XML in a clean local viewer window.

No apps. No dashboards. Just one command for capture, and one command for opening the files you already have.

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quick start

curl -fsSL https://github.com/Intina47/jot/releases/latest/download/install.sh | sh
# or
brew install intina47/jot/jot-cli
# or
npm install -g @intina47/jot
# or (Windows)
choco install jot

On macOS, Linux, and Git Bash on Windows, the curl installer uses /usr/local/bin when it can write there and falls back to a user bin directory otherwise. In Windows PowerShell, use choco install jot or npm install -g @intina47/jot instead of piping into sh. For Homebrew, use the fully qualified tap formula so Homebrew does not resolve to homebrew-core/jot. For a machine-wide install, run:

curl -fsSL https://github.com/Intina47/jot/releases/latest/download/install.sh | sudo sh -s -- -b /usr/local/bin

Then, the moment a thought appears:

jot

Type. Press enter. Return to your work.

That’s the whole loop for capture.

And when you need to read something local:

jot open

Pick a file and jot opens it in the local viewer if it is a supported document type.

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what is jot?

jot is two things that fit together:

1. A fast local notebook for half-formed thoughts.
2. A lightweight local document preview tool for files you want to inspect without jumping through heavy apps.

Not ideas. Not tasks. Not notes.

Nonsense.

The half-formed sentence. The thing you thought at 01:43. The idea you don’t respect yet.

Most tools ask you to be clear. jot lets you be early.

Most file viewers ask you to open a full application. jot lets you just open the document.

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why jot exists

Developers don’t lack tools. They lack a place where nothing has to make sense and a fast way to inspect local documents without wrestling with file associations.

You open Notion when things are polished. You open a doc when things are explainable. You open Slack when things are urgent.

But where do you put the thought that feels stupid until it isn’t?

That’s what jot is for.

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the rule

There is only one rule:

Everything goes in the same notebook.

No folders. No tags. No categories.

Time will do the sorting.

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usage

capture a thought

jot
# or
jot init

You’ll see:

jot › what’s on your mind?

Type one line. Press enter. Exit silently.

No confirmation. No formatting. No dopamine tricks.

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capture with metadata

jot capture "note" --title "t" --tag foo --project "alpha"

If you omit the content, jot opens your editor and saves the result on exit:

jot capture --title "t"

reading back and opening local docs

jot list

You’ll see a simple timeline:

[2026-01-04 22:31] notion but in the terminal
[2026-01-06 09:12] onboarding tools assume users read
[2026-01-09 01:03] loneliness isn’t social, it’s unseen

This is not a feed. It’s a mirror.

Template notes created in the current directory (like meeting, standup, or RFC notes) are included in the list output too.

Open one specific jot entry by id:

jot open dg0ftbuoqqdc-62

Open the native file picker:

jot open

Or open an existing local PDF in the jot viewer:

jot open "C:\Users\mamba\Downloads\paper.pdf"

Or open Markdown, JSON, or XML in the same jot viewer:

jot open ".\docs\plan.md"
jot open ".\data\sample.json"
jot open ".\feeds\config.xml"

Or browse the current folder in the jot viewer and switch between supported files:

jot open .

Or open any other existing local file with the system default app:

jot open ".\notes\todo.txt"

If the argument does not match a jot id and points to a local .pdf, .md, .markdown, .json, or .xml, jot starts a lightweight local viewer session and opens the file through jot's own viewer page. On machines with Edge, Chrome, Brave, or Chromium available, jot opens that viewer in a dedicated app-style window instead of a normal browser tab. Other files go through the normal system opener.

If the argument points to a directory such as ., jot opens a local folder browser that lists supported Markdown, JSON, XML, and PDF files in the current directory and previews them in place.

That means jot now works well as:

• a note capture tool
• a lightweight local PDF reader
• a Markdown previewer
• a JSON and XML inspection tool

On Windows, you can also add an Explorer context-menu entry:

jot integrate windows

That installs Open with jot for files under the current user. Remove it with:

jot integrate windows --remove

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patterns

Eventually, curiosity wins.

jot patterns

For now, jot simply says:

patterns are coming. keep noticing.

Later, it will reflect what you keep returning to — nothing more.

You may not like the answer. That’s the point.

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what should I write?

If you’re unsure, start here:

• “this feels important but I don’t know why”
• “why does this annoy me every time?”
• “I keep circling this idea but avoiding it”
• “note to self: don’t forget how this felt”
• “this is probably nonsense”

Especially the last one.

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what jot is not

• ❌ a second brain
• ❌ a productivity system
• ❌ a knowledge base
• ❌ a markdown playground

Those come later — if they come at all.

jot lives before structure.

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philosophy

• Capture over clarity
• Friction is the enemy
• Chronology beats organization
• Patterns emerge, they are not forced

If it feels boring, it’s working. If it feels quiet, you’re close.

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templates

Create structured notes quickly with templates.

jot new --template daily

Add a name to create multiple notes from the same template in a day:

jot new --template meeting -n "Team Sync-Up"

Built-in templates:

jot templates
# or
jot list templates

Templates render a few variables:

• {{date}} → YYYY-MM-DD
• {{time}} → HH:MM
• {{datetime}} → YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM
• {{repo}} → current git repo name (empty if not in a repo)

custom templates

Create a file in your config templates directory and use its filename (without extension) as the template name.

~/.config/jot/templates/standup.md

On Windows, this lives under %AppData%\\jot\\templates. If the config dir is not available, jot falls back to ~/.jot/templates.

Then run:

jot new --template standup

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data & privacy

Your thoughts are yours.

• Stored locally by default
• Plain text (~/.jot/journal.txt)
• No lock-in
• Sync is optional, never assumed

If jot ever feels like a platform, uninstall it.

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who this is for

• developers who think in fragments
• founders with too many almost-ideas
• people who trust time more than tools

If you want to optimize your thinking, this isn’t for you. If you want to notice it, welcome.

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uninstallation

Remove the binary however you installed it. If you used the curl installer, remove jot from the install directory it chose, usually ~/.local/bin/jot or /usr/local/bin/jot.

Your notebook stays. Even if jot doesn’t.

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final note

Most ideas don’t fail because they’re bad. They fail because they were embarrassed too early.

jot is where embarrassment goes to wait.

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