znote

The desktop application crate for znote, a locally-hosted open-source notes app built with Tauri 2 and Svelte 5.

This crate is the Tauri application shell. It bundles the Svelte 5 frontend, bridges it to native OS capabilities, and manages the lifecycle of the embedded znote-server process. All persistent state lives on the local filesystem; nothing is sent to external services.

What this crate does

Tauri command layer

Tauri commands are the bridge between the Svelte 5 frontend and the host OS. This crate implements handlers for:

• Reading and writing note files and attachments via the local filesystem
• Managing user settings and workspace configuration
• Triggering HTML and PDF exports through znote-server
• Controlling the embedded server process (start, stop, port negotiation)

Native OS integration

• Window management: multi-window support so you can open several notebooks side by side
• System tray: quick-access menu for opening notes and toggling the local server
• Drag and drop: accepting files and images dragged from the OS file manager into the canvas or editor
• OS file associations: opening .znote files from the system file picker or Finder/Explorer

Frontend host

The Svelte 5 app is compiled and bundled into this crate at build time. Tauri serves it as the WebView content. The same frontend bundle is also used by znote-server for headless browser access, so behaviour is consistent between the desktop and browser clients.

Drawing and canvas

The drawing layer is implemented entirely in the Svelte 5 frontend (SVG and Canvas APIs), but this crate exposes the Tauri commands that:

• Persist canvas state (vector objects, freehand strokes, shapes) to disk
• Load and restore canvas snapshots when a note is opened
• Handle high-DPI and pressure data from connected stylus devices via OS input APIs

Writing modes

The editor supports three writing modes per block, routed through Tauri file commands:

• Markdown (CommonMark + GFM): stored as plain .md files
• Typst: stored as .typ files, compiled server-side by znote-server
• HTML: stored as .html blocks, rendered directly in the WebView

Building

cargo build -p znote

For a full Tauri development build with the Svelte frontend:

cargo tauri dev

Related

• znote-server: the Axum server that powers local hosting, PDF/HTML exports, and the REST API
• Root workspace README: full feature overview and architecture

License

Apache 2.0, see LICENSE.