Pluteus

A fast, single-binary knowledge base. Your docs, notes, snippets, and links: organized by project, cross-referenced, tagged, and instantly searchable.

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What is Pluteus

A pluteus was the Roman reading desk: a plain, sturdy surface that held your work where you could see it and reach it. Pluteus is that idea in software, a focused, fast knowledge base you run and own.

It ships as a single binary with a single data file. It starts instantly, has no accounts and no cloud, and stays out of your way. Your knowledge lives in one SQLite file you can copy to back up or move, and nothing leaves your machine unless you decide it should.

Everything you create lives inside a Project. Anything that doesn't belong to a specific project lives in Global, the project that's always there.

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Features

• Four content types, one home - Markdown docs, plain-text notes, language-tagged code snippets, and saved links, all grouped by project.
• Cross-references and embeds - link to or pull in any content from inside a doc with [[type:id]] syntax, complete with hover-card previews.
• Backlinks - every page shows what references it; the graph builds itself as you write.
• Full-text search - SQLite FTS5 across every content type, with ranked, highlighted results.
• Tags - one tagging system across all content, with autocomplete and tag browsing.
• Task boards - a per-project kanban with drag-and-drop, no page reloads.
• Images - upload once, embed anywhere in a doc with a single tag.
• Dark and light themes - switch from the nav bar.
• App-like launch - opens your browser on start, refuses to run twice, and on Windows runs windowless with a system-tray icon (Open / Exit) instead of a console window.
• Yours to run - local-first, no telemetry, no subscription. One file is your whole knowledge base.

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Setup

1. Download pluteus.exe from the latest release.
2. Put it anywhere and run it:

   pluteus.exe
   

3. Open http://localhost:8080 in your browser.
4. Create your admin account on the first-run setup screen. Tick Generate test data if you just want to explore a populated instance.

A pluteus.db and its support files are created next to the executable on first run. That database is your knowledge base: copy it to back up or move everything.

By default Pluteus opens your browser on launch and won't start a second instance. The Windows release runs windowless: no console window appears, and a system-tray icon (Open / Exit) is your handle on the app - quit from the tray. Launching from a terminal still prints output there, and every run also logs to pluteus.log beside the executable.

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Configuration

A pluteus.json file sits next to the executable. Defaults are written on first run. Environment variables override the file when set.

{
  "port": "8080",
  "db_path": "./pluteus.db",
  "uploads_path": "./uploads",
  "open_browser": true,
  "tray": true
}

File key	Env override	Default
port	PLUTEUS_PORT	8080
db_path	PLUTEUS_DB_PATH	./pluteus.db
uploads_path	PLUTEUS_UPLOADS_PATH	./uploads
open_browser	PLUTEUS_OPEN_BROWSER	true
tray	PLUTEUS_TRAY	true

Relative db_path / uploads_path values resolve against the executable's directory, so a double-clicked binary always keeps its data beside itself.

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Using Pluteus

Start with a project

Projects are the containers that give your content a home. Create one with a name, an optional description, a status, and an optional GitHub URL. Anything you don't file under a project lands in Global.

A project page gathers everything: stat cards for each content type, a task-board preview, and a recent-activity feed.

Write docs

Docs are the backbone. They're Markdown pages organized in a tree with breadcrumb navigation, and they're the connective tissue of Pluteus: docs are the only place cross-references and embeds originate. The editor renders a live preview beside your Markdown as you type.

Link and embed with cross-references

Inside any doc, point at or pull in other content:

Syntax	Does
[[doc:slug]] [[note:id]] [[snippet:id]] [[link:id]] [[project:slug]]	Inline link with a hover-card preview
![[note:id]] ![[snippet:id]] ![[img:filename]]	Embed the content inline
[[glyph:name]]	Inline icon. Size it up with [[glyph:name-2x]] or [[glyph:name-4x]]

Hover any cross-reference link to preview the target without leaving the page.

Notes, snippets, and links

• Notes are short plain-text captures, quick to write and pinnable.
• Snippets are language-tagged code blocks with syntax highlighting and one-click copy.
• Links are saved URLs with a title, description, category, and tags.

Images

Upload an image once, then embed it in any doc with ![[img:filename]]. Images are supporting media for your docs, managed from the image library.

Find anything: search and tags

Full-text search covers every content type and highlights matches; filter results by type with the tabs. Tags work across all content, with autocomplete on entry and a browse page to pivot by tag.

Track work on the task board

Every project has a kanban board with TODO / In Progress / Done columns and drag-and-drop between them. Moves update in place, with no page reload.

Tips

• Glyphs are inline icons via [[glyph:name]]. Browse and copy them from the in-app Help → Glyphs page.
• Themes switch instantly from the nav bar; your choice is remembered.
• Pin important notes to float them to the top of the list.
• Global is the always-present project for anything that doesn't belong elsewhere; reach it from the top nav.
• The in-app Help section has a full Markdown reference and a glyph browser - the authoritative cheat sheet lives there, not in this README.

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Roadmap

• Linux and macOS builds

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Built with

• Go
• HTMX
• SQLite via modernc.org/sqlite (pure Go, no CGO)
• Goldmark for Markdown rendering
• highlight.js for syntax highlighting

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License

GNU General Public License v3.0. See LICENSE.