scriv

Fast, local CLI note manager. Notes are stored as local NDJSON (or encrypted with a password). No daemon, no sync, no accounts.

Install

Prerequisite: install Rust via rustup.

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh

Install from crates.io:

cargo install scriv

Install from this repository (no local clone required):

cargo install --git https://github.com/mooship/scriv

Or clone and install locally:

git clone https://github.com/mooship/scriv

cd scriv

cargo install --path .

cargo install places scriv in Cargo's bin directory ($HOME/.cargo/bin on Unix, %USERPROFILE%\.cargo\bin on Windows). Make sure that path is on your PATH.

crates.io

Crate page: https://crates.io/crates/scriv

Build from source

cargo build --release

Usage

# Add a note

scriv add "fix the auth bug"

# Added [1] fix the auth bug


# Pipe text in from stdin

echo "buy oat milk" | scriv add


# List all notes (shows age)

scriv list

# [1] (2d) fix the auth bug

# [2] (1h) write tests

# [3] (<1h) update README

# 3 notes.


# Limit to the 5 most recent

scriv list --limit=5


# Filter by tag (case-insensitive)

scriv list --tag=work


# Sort by last-updated

scriv list --sort=updated


# Show full text without truncation

scriv list --full


# Edit a note

scriv edit 1 "fix the auth bug (critical)"

# Updated [1] fix the auth bug (critical)


# Edit via stdin

echo "fix the auth bug (done)" | scriv edit 1


# Append to a note

scriv append 1 "— assigned to alice"

# Updated [1] fix the auth bug (critical) — assigned to alice


# Mark one or more notes done (removes them)

scriv done 2

# Removed [2] write tests


scriv done 1 3

# Removed [1] fix the auth bug (critical) — assigned to alice

# Removed [3] update README


# Skip missing IDs instead of erroring (useful in scripts)

scriv done --force 1 99


# Search notes (text and tags); matches are highlighted in the terminal

scriv search auth

# [1] fix the auth bug

# 1 matches.


# View full details of a note

scriv view 1

# [1] fix the auth bug

#     Created: 2026-03-12

#     Updated: 2026-03-14

#     Tags: #work #critical


# Tag a note

scriv tag 1 work critical

# Tagged [1] fix the auth bug: #work #critical


# Remove a tag

scriv untag 1 critical

# Removed tag #critical from [1] fix the auth bug


# List all tags with note counts

scriv tags

# critical             1

# work                 3


# Clear all notes (prompts for confirmation)

scriv clear

# Remove all 2 notes? [y/N] y

# Cleared.


# Clear without prompt

scriv clear --force


# Export all notes as NDJSON

scriv export > backup.ndjson


# Import notes from NDJSON (IDs are reassigned to avoid conflicts)

scriv import < backup.ndjson

# Imported 3 notes.

Storage

Notes are saved to a local NDJSON file (or encrypted bytes when locked) - nothing leaves your machine.

The file is created automatically on first use.

License

GNU General Public License v3.0