design

nowen-note: Self-hosted Note-taking

Name: nowen-note: Self-hosted Note-taking
Author: cropflre

Get a private knowledge base with nowen-note.

440 stars70 forksTypeScriptGuide quality 8/10Updated 8/14/2026100% free · open source

What it does

Nowen-note helps founders manage notes and knowledge securely with features like Markdown support, AI writing, and full-text search in a self-hosted environment.

When to use it

•When you need a secure, private note management system for sensitive business information
•When you want to organize knowledge and notes in a structured, easily searchable way
•When you require a self-hosted solution to maintain control over your data

Ready-to-paste prompt

Create a new note with AI assistance by typing '介绍一下现在的天气' in the note editor and clicking the 'AI 写作' button

Heads up: Ensure you have Docker installed and running on your system before attempting to deploy nowen-note, as it relies on Docker for its one-key deployment feature

Saves to your device

Use with Claude

New

Skip the builder — one click puts this in Claude, Cursor, Antigravity and more.

🔑 Needs an API key

Works after you add credentials — the setup agent will ask you for them.

Try it instantly — no install

Claude Code

mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills/nowen-note && curl -fsSL https://workflowstacks.com/api/skills/nowen-note/claude-skill -o ~/.claude/skills/nowen-note/SKILL.md

Open in another AI app

Opens the app with this repo with the prompt ready to go — no copy-paste needed.

Connect the whole catalog (MCP)

claude mcp add --transport http workflowstacks https://workflowstacks.com/api/mcp

Adds a WorkflowStacks connector to Claude Code: search and load any skill here by chatting.

How nowen-note: Self-hosted Note-taking works

Codeflow

Free to inspect

Nowen-note: Self-hosted Note-taking is a very large TypeScript project (~315k lines across 1122 code files, plus 670 test files). Setup is light: installs like a normal app — add your API keys. Reading the code is optional. Last commit this month, GPL-3.0 license, has a test suite.

Size

Very large codebase

~315k lines · 1122 code files · days to read — use, don't read

Setup

One-command install

Installs like a normal app — add your API keys. Reading the code is optional.

Runs on

Node.js · Docker

Needs API keys (.env)

TypeScript 92%JavaScript 5%Shell 1%CSS 1%

Where to start reading

1
README.md
Start here — what it does and how to install it
2
AGENTS.md
The instructions the AI actually follows
3
electron/main.js
Where the program starts running
4
package.json
Dependencies and the commands it exposes
5
.env.example
The API keys and settings you must provide

What's in each folder

frontend/Frontend / UI1196 files

backend/Backend / API578 files

packages/Sub-packages / plugins79 files

docs/Documentation150 files

scripts/Helper scripts87 files

electron/Folder37 files

nowen-harmony/Folder30 files

.github/CI / automation (GitHub Actions)78 files

READMEHas testsDocumentedCI checksDocker readyGPL-3.0 licenseUpdated this month

Use with Claude

New

Skip the builder — one click puts this in Claude, Cursor, Antigravity and more.

🔑 Needs an API key

Works after you add credentials — the setup agent will ask you for them.

Try it instantly — no install

Claude Code

mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills/nowen-note && curl -fsSL https://workflowstacks.com/api/skills/nowen-note/claude-skill -o ~/.claude/skills/nowen-note/SKILL.md

Open in another AI app

Opens the app with this repo with the prompt ready to go — no copy-paste needed.

Connect the whole catalog (MCP)

claude mcp add --transport http workflowstacks https://workflowstacks.com/api/mcp

Adds a WorkflowStacks connector to Claude Code: search and load any skill here by chatting.

Quick Actions

Details

Creator

cropflre

Language

TypeScript