ZenNotes v1.0.1

ZenNotes v1.0.1 is the first follow-up release after the public v1 launch. It focuses on first-run polish, updater clarity, and metadata cleanup so the packaged app behaves the way the product intends out of the box.

What changed

Better first-run defaults

New installs now open with the intended baseline experience:

• default theme is Gruvbox Dark Hard
• tabs are enabled by default
• font slots stay on the built-in Default path instead of forcing SF Mono

That means the app should look correct on first launch without requiring manual theme or typography cleanup.

Updater UX is clearer

The in-app update flow was tightened in two places:

• manual Check for Updates inside Settings now gives an explicit result instead of feeling like a no-op
• the native macOS Check for Updates… menu item now shows real feedback and actions instead of silently running in the background

Release notes render correctly in-app

GitHub-backed release notes are now formatted for display in the app instead of showing raw HTML tags like <p> in the About screen.

About metadata cleanup

Packaged app metadata now uses the correct author name:

• Adib Hanna

What ZenNotes includes

ZenNotes is a keyboard-first local Markdown notes app with:

• Vim-motions-first editing and navigation
• plain-file vaults with Inbox, Quick Notes, Archive, and Trash
• edit, split, and preview workflows
• tabs, pane splits, pinned references, and floating note windows
• KaTeX, Mermaid, TikZ, JSXGraph, and function-plot rendering
• tags, backlinks, tasks, and vault-wide search
• MCP integration for Claude Code, Claude Desktop, and Codex

Downloads

Choose the asset that matches your platform:

• macOS: .dmg or .zip
• Windows: .exe installer or .zip
• Linux: .AppImage or .deb

ZenNotes v1.0.0

ZenNotes v1.0.0 is the first public release of ZenNotes: a keyboard-first desktop notes app built around local Markdown files, real Vim motions, and a bundled MCP server.

What ZenNotes is

ZenNotes is designed for people who want plain-file notes without giving up speed, structure, or modern workflows. Notes stay in normal folders on disk, while the app adds fast navigation, editing, preview, search, tags, tasks, diagrams, and MCP-powered tool integration on top.

Highlights in v1

• Plain local Markdown vaults with Inbox, Quick Notes, Archive, and Trash flows
• Vim-motions-first editing and navigation, plus command palette, leader flows, and remappable shortcuts
• Edit, split, and preview modes built for reading and writing without losing context
• Tabs, pane splits, pinned reference panes, and floating note windows
• Markdown rendering with KaTeX, Mermaid, TikZ, JSXGraph, and function-plot
• Wiki links, backlinks, tags, and markdown-native task extraction
• Vault-wide note search and full-text search with built-in, ripgrep, or fzf backends
• MCP integration for Claude Code, Claude Desktop, and Codex so agents can work directly against the same vault
• In-app update plumbing for packaged builds, backed by GitHub releases

Platform downloads

Choose the installer or bundle that matches your system:

• macOS: .dmg for normal install, .zip for direct app bundle download
• Windows: .exe installer, plus .zip
• Linux: .AppImage and .deb

Notes

• ZenNotes stores notes as ordinary Markdown files in your vault
• The first launch creates the expected vault structure if needed
• MCP configuration is available from Settings inside the app
• Signed macOS builds are included in this release

Feedback

If you hit an issue, have a workflow request, or want to improve the product, open an issue in the repository or join the ZenNotes community links in the org profile.