FocusNotes

FocusNotes is a local-first writing and reading workspace for turning messy information into focused notes. Notes are stored in the browser with IndexedDB, and the app can be installed as a Progressive Web App for offline use.

Goals

• Keep note-taking fast, focused, and distraction-free.
• Support practical Markdown editing, search, focus mode, and downloads.
• Preserve user data locally and keep the application useful offline.
• Collaborate in small, reviewable branches with clear Conventional Commits.

Project Structure

FocusNotes is a pnpm monorepo. The application currently contains one web workspace and shared documentation:

focusnotes/
├── apps/
│   └── web/                 React, TypeScript, Vite, and PWA application
│       ├── public/          Static icons and public assets
│       └── src/             Application source code
│           ├── app/         Application layout
│           ├── components/  Shared interface components
│           ├── db/          IndexedDB persistence
│           ├── features/    Notes, Markdown, search, theme, zoom, and PWA logic
│           └── lib/         Reusable utilities
├── docs/                    Development, architecture, and design notes
├── packages/                Reserved for future shared packages
├── .env.example             Local environment variable template
├── package.json             Workspace scripts and package manager metadata
├── pnpm-workspace.yaml      Workspace package definitions

├── LICENSE                  MIT license
└── README.md                Project documentation

Project Details

• Frontend: React, TypeScript, Vite, and Tailwind CSS
• Editor: Milkdown with Markdown support and syntax highlighting
• Storage: Browser IndexedDB through idb
• Application features: Notes, tabs, search, focus mode, themes, page zoom, downloads, and media previews
• Offline support: Installable PWA with a generated service worker
• Data model: Local browser data; no backend or required external services

Requirements

• Node.js 22 or newer
• pnpm 10.33.0 or compatible

Getting Started

Install dependencies and start the development server:

pnpm install
pnpm dev

The development server is available at http://localhost:5173.

FocusNotes currently has no required environment variables. Copy .env.example to .env only when adding local configuration. Never commit .env or real secrets.

Validation

Run the project checks before opening a pull request:

pnpm lint
pnpm build

The production build is written to apps/web/dist.

Collaboration

Start work from an up-to-date main branch and use a short-lived branch for each change:

git switch main
git pull origin main
git switch -c feature/your-change

Use feature/*, fix/*, or chore/* branch names. Run lint and the production build before opening a pull request. Use Conventional Commits, for example:

feat(notes): improve note search
fix(editor): preserve markdown formatting
chore: update project documentation

Pull requests target main and should be reviewed before merging. For questions, improvements, or collaboration, open an issue or start a discussion in the repository.

License

FocusNotes is available under the MIT License.

Author

Rajesh