Brain Pad

A local-first markdown note-taking desktop app. Your notes are stored as plain .md files on your filesystem — no cloud, no database, fully offline.

Features

• Local-first storage — Notes are plain .md files you own and control
• Live markdown preview — See your formatted text as you type
• Auto-save — Changes are automatically saved after 500ms of inactivity
• Keyboard shortcuts — Cmd/Ctrl + N for new note, Cmd/Ctrl + S for manual save
• Dark theme — Easy on the eyes
• Code syntax highlighting — Language picker for code blocks with 20+ languages
• Context menu — Right-click notes to rename or delete
• Folder selection — Choose any folder on your system to store notes
• Cross-platform — Works on macOS, Windows, and Linux

Planned Features

• AI integration — Chat with your files and folders using AI
• Inline markdown preview — Better editing experience with live inline formatting
• Mobile app — Native iOS and Android versions

Installation

Option 1: Download Pre-built App (Easiest)

Platform	Download
macOS (Apple Silicon)	Brain Pad_0.1.1_aarch64.dmg
macOS (Intel)	Brain Pad_0.1.1_x64.dmg
Windows	Coming soon
Linux	Coming soon

Or browse all releases: Releases Page

macOS Installation

1. Download the .dmg file from the link above
2. Double-click the .dmg file to open it
3. Drag the Brain Pad app to your Applications folder
4. Important: First launch security step
   • Don't double-click the app directly (macOS will block it)
   • Instead, right-click (or Control+click) on Brain Pad and select "Open"
   • Click "Open" in the security dialog that appears
   • You only need to do this once — future launches will work normally

Why this happens: The app isn't signed with an Apple Developer certificate yet. The app is safe — you can review the source code in this repo.

Windows Installation

1. Download the .msi installer from the releases page
2. Double-click the installer and follow the prompts
3. Launch Brain Pad from the Start menu

Linux Installation

1. Download the .AppImage or .deb file from the releases page
2. For AppImage: Make it executable (chmod +x) and run it
3. For .deb: Install with sudo dpkg -i Brain_Pad_x.x.x_amd64.deb

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Option 2: Build from Source

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v18 or later)
• Rust (latest stable)
• Tauri CLI prerequisites for your platform

Steps

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/dennisivy/BrainPad.git
   cd Brain-Pad

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Run in development mode (for testing):

   npm run tauri dev

4. Build the production app:

   npm run tauri build

5. Find your built app:

   • macOS: src-tauri/target/release/bundle/dmg/Brain Pad_0.1.1_aarch64.dmg
   • Windows: src-tauri/target/release/bundle/msi/
   • Linux: src-tauri/target/release/bundle/appimage/ or deb/

Usage

1. First launch: Select a folder where you want to store your notes
2. Create a note: Click the + button or press Cmd/Ctrl + N
3. Edit: Type in the left panel, see the preview on the right
4. Save: Notes auto-save, or press Cmd/Ctrl + S to save immediately
5. Manage notes: Right-click any note in the sidebar to rename or delete

Tech Stack

• Frontend: React 19, TypeScript, Vite
• Desktop Shell: Tauri 2
• Markdown Rendering: react-markdown

Project Structure

brain-pad/
├── src/                    # React frontend
│   ├── components/         # UI components
│   ├── hooks/              # Custom React hooks
│   ├── utils/              # Tauri API utilities
│   └── App.tsx             # Main app component
├── src-tauri/              # Tauri backend
│   ├── src/                # Rust source
│   ├── capabilities/       # Permission configuration
│   └── tauri.conf.json     # Tauri configuration
└── package.json

License

MIT