bytepad is a keyboard-first, privacy-first productivity app built for people who think better in plain text.
It brings together notes, tasks, habits, and lightweight planning in a single, calm workspace—without forcing you into rigid systems or complex knowledge graphs. The goal isn’t to manage your life, but to reduce friction between thinking and doing.
Inspired by the clean, distraction-free aesthetics of code editors, bytepad favors:
- fast startup and instant interaction
- minimal UI, maximal focus
Your data stays local and under your control. No accounts, no tracking, no dark patterns. Sync and structure exist to support you, not to lock you in.
Bytepad is designed around a simple belief:
Productivity tools should feel more like a text editor than a dashboard.
Open it, type, think, close it.
bytepad exists because I think modern productivity tools often confuse structure with clarity.
Over time, notes turn into databases, simple tasks become workflows, and thinking gets replaced by organizing. I found myself spending more time maintaining the system than actually using it.
The principles behind bytepad are intentionally simple:
- Plain text over abstraction – if I can type it, I can use it
- Keyboard-first by default – thinking is faster than clicking
- Local-first, privacy-first – my data should stay mine
- Low cognitive load – the tool should disappear while I work
bytepad is built for people who enjoy the calm of a code editor, the flexibility of markdown, and the feeling of opening an app that never asks, “How would you like to organize this?”
bytepad doesn’t ask you to build a knowledge graph. It lets one emerge naturally.
Notes, tasks, habits, journal entries, and bookmarks are all treated as first-class entities. Anything can link to anything else using simple, readable connections. Over time, these links form a personal knowledge graph that reflects how you actually think—not how a tool expects you to organize information.
- Notes - Markdown editor with wikilinks (
[[Note]]), backlinks, and tag organization - Daily Notes - Quick daily entries with templates
- Tasks - Priority-based task management with subtasks and due dates
- Habits - Daily habit tracking with streaks and statistics
- Journal - Daily journaling with mood and energy tracking
- Bookmarks - Save and organize web links with tags
- Calendar - Visual calendar view for tasks and journal entries
- Knowledge Graph - Interactive visualization of connections between all your content
- Analysis - Weekly productivity statistics and AI-generated insights
- Focus Mode - Pomodoro timer with customizable work/break intervals
- Gamification - XP, levels, and achievements to stay motivated
- Localization - English and Turkish language support
- GitHub Gist Sync - Optional cloud backup to private Gist
- MCP Server - Model Context Protocol integration for AI assistants (Claude Desktop, Cursor, etc.)
Built-in AI assistant for productivity coaching and insights.
- Context-aware responses based on your data
- Natural language task and habit creation
- Personalized productivity tips and recommendations
- ADHD-friendly insights in productivity reports
| Provider | Models |
|---|---|
| OpenAI | GPT-4, GPT-3.5 |
| Anthropic | Claude 3 |
| Google AI | Gemini Pro |
| Groq | Llama, Mixtral |
| Ollama | Local models (self-hosted) |
bytepad includes a built-in Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants to interact with your data.
MCP is an open protocol that enables AI tools to securely access local data sources. With bytepad's MCP server, you can use AI assistants like Claude Desktop, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible client to:
- Query and search your notes, tasks, habits, and journal entries
- Create new items through natural language
- Get context-aware assistance based on your actual data
Add to your claude_desktop_config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"bytepad": {
"command": "curl",
"args": ["-N", "http://localhost:3847/mcp"]
}
}
}Add to MCP settings:
{
"bytepad": {
"url": "http://localhost:3847/mcp"
}
}Run the MCP server standalone with Docker:
docker run -d -p 3847:3847 -v bytepad-data:/app/data bytepad/mcp-server:latestOr use docker-compose:
services:
bytepad-mcp:
image: bytepad/mcp-server:0.24.3
ports:
- "3847:3847"
volumes:
- bytepad-data:/app/data| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
list_notes |
Get all notes with optional search |
create_note |
Create a new note |
list_tasks |
Get tasks (filter by status) |
create_task |
Create a new task |
list_habits |
Get all habits with streaks |
complete_habit |
Mark habit as done for today |
get_journal |
Get journal entry for a date |
create_journal |
Create/update journal entry |
search |
Full-text search across all data |
get_today_summary |
Get today's productivity summary |
Download the latest release from the Releases page.
| Platform | File |
|---|---|
| Windows | bytepad-x.x.x-win-x64.exe |
| macOS (Intel) | bytepad-x.x.x-mac-x64.dmg |
| macOS (Apple Silicon) | bytepad-x.x.x-mac-arm64.dmg |
| Linux | bytepad-x.x.x-linux-x86_64.AppImage |
Windows: If you see a SmartScreen warning, click "More info" then "Run anyway".
macOS: Right-click and select "Open" if prompted about unidentified developer.
Linux: Run chmod +x bytepad-*.AppImage before executing.
bytepad is designed for keyboard-first navigation. Press Ctrl+? anytime to see all shortcuts.
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Ctrl+K |
Command Palette |
Alt+U |
Global Search |
Ctrl+/ |
FlowBot AI Chat |
Ctrl+Shift+O |
Focus Mode |
Ctrl+N |
New Note |
Ctrl+1 to Ctrl+9 |
Switch Modules |
[[ |
Wikilink Autocomplete |
- All data stored locally on your device
- No external servers (except optional Gist sync)
- AI features only send necessary context to your chosen provider
- API keys stored locally, never transmitted
- MCP server runs locally - your data never leaves your machine
See CONTRIBUTING.md for development setup, code style, and contribution guidelines.
Personal Use License - This software is licensed for personal, non-commercial use only.
See LICENSE for full details.
Sami Tugal - @samitugal
bytepad - Your personal productivity companion