Ghosttype

Distraction-free writing. Zero clutter. All keyboard.

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Ghosttype is a full-stack, single-user writing web app built for people who just want to write. No toolbar clutter, no feature bloat — just a cursor, keyboard shortcuts, and an editor that gets out of your way.

Features

Editor

• Full-screen minimal canvas with instant cursor on load
• Rich text via keyboard shortcuts: bold, italic, H1–H3, blockquote, code block, bullet/numbered lists
• Floating toolbar on text selection (bold, italic, link, highlight)
• Word count, character count, reading time in the status bar
• Typewriter mode — keeps the active line vertically centered
• Focus mode — dims everything except the current paragraph
• Auto-save every 10s with a subtle "Saved" indicator
• Inline editable document title

Document management

• Collapsible sidebar with documents sorted by last modified
• Create, rename, duplicate, delete documents
• Folder and tag organization
• Full-text search with highlighted matches
• Export as Markdown, plain text, or styled HTML

AI Review (optional — requires OpenAI API key)

• Trigger review via Cmd+Shift+R or the AI panel button
• GPT-4o analyzes your document for Clarity, Structure, Tone, and Grammar
• Each category scored 1–10 with inline sentence-level suggestions
• Click a suggestion to highlight the sentence in the editor
• "Fix All Grammar" applies grammar corrections automatically
• Streaming response via SSE

Backend

• Node.js + Express REST API
• SQLite via better-sqlite3 (WAL mode, FTS5 full-text search)
• OpenAI proxied through backend — no key exposure to the client
• SSE endpoint for streaming AI feedback
• Simple PIN-lock auth (4-digit code, bcrypt hash)
• Rate-limited auth endpoints, Helmet security headers, CORS

Quick start

git clone <repo-url>
cd ghosttype
npm install
npm start

Open http://localhost:3001. First visit will prompt you to set a 4-digit PIN — that's your only credential.

Optional: AI review

echo "OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-..." >> .env

Without it, everything works except the AI Review panel.

Keyboard shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Cmd+B	Bold
Cmd+I	Italic
Cmd+Opt+1	Heading 1
Cmd+Opt+2	Heading 2
Cmd+Opt+3	Heading 3
Cmd+Shift+B	Blockquote
Cmd+Opt+C	Code block
Cmd+Shift+7	Bullet list
Cmd+Shift+8	Numbered list
Cmd+N	New document
Cmd+\	Toggle sidebar
Cmd+Shift+R	Toggle AI review panel
Cmd+Shift+F	Focus mode
Cmd+Shift+T	Typewriter mode
Cmd+P	Search documents
Cmd+S	Save immediately
Cmd+?	Keyboard shortcuts cheatsheet

Tech stack

Layer	Choice
Frontend	Vanilla JS (no framework), contenteditable editor
Backend	Node.js, Express
Database	SQLite via better-sqlite3, FTS5 full-text search
AI	OpenAI API (GPT-4o), proxied through backend with SSE streaming
Auth	bcrypt-hashed 4-digit PIN, in-memory session token
Design	Inter + JetBrains Mono, dark/light themes, teal accent (#0D9488)

Project structure

ghosttype/
├── server/
│   ├── index.js           Express entry, middleware, static serving
│   ├── config.js          Env-var config with fail-fast validation
│   ├── db.js              SQLite setup, WAL mode, FTS5 triggers
│   ├── middleware/
│   │   └── auth.js        PIN auth, session token management
│   └── routes/
│       ├── auth.js        PIN setup, unlock, status
│       ├── documents.js   CRUD, search, export, folders/tags
│       └── ai.js          OpenAI proxy, SSE streaming endpoint
├── public/
│   ├── index.html         SPA shell
│   ├── css/app.css        Full design system (dark + light)
│   └── js/
│       ├── api.js         HTTP client + SSE polyfill
│       ├── editor.js      Contenteditable editor logic
│       ├── sidebar.js     Document list, search, CRUD
│       ├── ai-panel.js    AI review panel with streaming
│       └── app.js         Auth, shortcuts, toolbar, export
├── package.json
└── .env.example

License

MIT