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.

Shell Alias

If you'd like a shorter command, add an alias to your shell configuration:

Bash (~/.bashrc):

alias s='scriv'

Zsh (~/.zshrc):

alias s='scriv'

Fish (~/.config/fish/config.fish):

alias s 'scriv'

PowerShell ($PROFILE):

Set-Alias -Name s -Value scriv

Reload your shell (or source the file) and use s in place of scriv:

s add "remember to hydrate"
s list
s done 1

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