Jylos

Desktop notes app for Markdown, wiki-links, Canvas, Kanban and graph views.

Open source, local-first, and built for Windows, macOS and Linux. Works with SQLite or plain Markdown vaults.

Download View on GitHub
MIT License Java 21 JavaFX 23 Local-first SQLite or Markdown vault Windows · macOS · Linux
Jylos editor and preview
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Get Jylos

Packages for the current release, plus a JBang launcher if you prefer to run it without installing manually.

Windows
Windows 10/11 · x64
.exe installer .msi installer Portable ZIP
macOS
Apple Silicon
.dmg disk image
Linux Linux
Linux
x64 · deb · rpm
.deb (Debian / Ubuntu) .rpm (Fedora / RHEL / openSUSE)
Run instantly with JBang
jbang jylos@RGiskard7/jylos
JBang downloads Java 21 and JavaFX automatically if needed. No build required.
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Features

Built for knowledge work

The main workflows available in the app today.

Markdown Editor

Live syntax highlighting, side-by-side preview, GFM tables and KaTeX math.

Wiki-links

Wiki-link autocomplete, backlinks panel and click-to-open navigation between notes.

Knowledge Graph

Interactive force-directed graph. Zoom, pan, drag nodes, local neighbourhood views.

Canvas & Kanban

Obsidian-compatible Canvas boards and Kanban workflows for projects, planning and spatial thinking.

Git Sync

Stage, commit, push and pull from a unified panel. Full Git integration.

AES-256 Encryption

Encrypt note bodies with AES-256-GCM behind a master password.

Storage Freedom

SQLite database or plain Markdown vault. Switch anytime, your choice.

Plugins & Themes

Plugin JARs, Mermaid diagrams, CSS themes, snippets and a plugin manager.

Advanced Search

Operators, date shorthands, command palette and quick switcher.

Workspaces

Save and restore open tabs, view state and layout per context.

Built-in plugins

Three plugins that go further than a toggle

Bundled with Jylos, on by default, doing real work rather than just adding a menu item. See docs/PLUGINS.md for the full built-in list.

Dataview

Query your notes' metadata like a database. A ```dataview block is replaced, live in the preview, by the result of running the query.

  • TABLE / LIST / TASK queries, with FROM, WHERE, SORT, GROUP BY, FLATTEN and LIMIT
  • Reads frontmatter, inline key:: value fields, tags and the implicit file.* attributes
  • Inline `= expression` results anywhere in a note's text

MCP Server

Exposes your vault to Claude Desktop, Claude Code and any Streamable HTTP MCP client over a local server, while Jylos is running.

  • Search notes, read full content, create notes and replace a note's body
  • Runs entirely on your machine — no cloud round-trip, no vault upload
  • Read-mostly by design: no delete or trash exposed to clients

Publish

Exports the whole vault to a self-contained static site — ready to push to GitHub Pages, Vercel or any static host as-is.

  • Wiki-links become real relative links; an interactive graph, full and per-note
  • Folder tree, live search and a picker to choose exactly what gets included
  • Publish just one changed note to update an already-live site, no full re-export
Screenshots

Interface overview

Click any image to expand it.

Mermaid diagrams
Write notes in Markdown and visualize Mermaid diagrams in real time
Knowledge graph
Interactive knowledge graph with customizable visualization settings
Knowledge graph 2
Navigate thousands of connected notes through a scalable graph view
Workspace layout
Customizable workspace with notes, navigation and live preview
Kanban board
Organize tasks and projects with built-in Kanban boards
Canvas editor
Organize your notes visually with the canvas editor
Plugins
Create and install plugins for whatever you want.
Dataview plugin
Organize your notes with the Dataview plugin: generate dynamic views and tables in seconds
Design choices

Practical decisions

The app is built around local storage, open formats and a desktop workflow.

Local-first

Your notes live on your disk. SQLite or plain Markdown files — always yours.

Open Source (MIT)

Free forever. Audit the code, modify it, contribute back.

Markdown-native

Plain text Markdown with YAML frontmatter. No proprietary format lock-in.

No Account Required

No sign-up, no login, no user database. Just open the app and write.

No Telemetry

Zero usage tracking. No analytics, no data collection of any kind.

Plugin System

Extend Jylos with external JARs, built-in helpers and custom UI theming.

Knowledge Graph

Visualize connections between notes. Interactive, zoomable, local and global views.

Cross-platform

Windows, macOS and Linux. Native installers built with jpackage.

Privacy by Design

Local by default

No account system, no hosted backend and no telemetry.

Stored Locally

Everything lives on your device in SQLite or plain Markdown files.

No Accounts

No sign-up, no login, no user database.

No Cloud Backend

There is no server to call, ever.

No Telemetry

Zero usage tracking or analytics.

Project

Open source and actively maintained

Jylos is released under MIT and built with Java 21 and JavaFX 23. Issues, feedback and pull requests are welcome.

Contribute on GitHub