nexus – Org-mode Task Manager in Zig

A lightweight, high-performance terminal-based task manager inspired by Emacs Org-mode, written in Zig.

Features (MVP)

• 📋 Parse .org files (headlines, TODO/DONE states, timestamps)
• 🎮 Terminal UI with Vim-like keybindings
• 📁 Tree navigation with collapse/expand
• ✅ Toggle TODO ↔ DONE states
• 🔍 Live search and agenda view
• 💾 RocksDB-backed state persistence
• 📤 Export to ICS calendar format

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Zig 0.13.0+ (install)
• Linux (developed on Guarda Linux)
• RocksDB development headers (usually: apt install librocksdb-dev)

Build

git clone <nexus-repo>
cd nexus
make build

Run

make dev
# or:
./build/nexus examples/test.org

Install

make install
# Then:
nexus my-tasks.org

Keybindings

Key	Action
j/k	Move cursor up/down
h/l	Collapse/expand node
space	Toggle TODO ↔ DONE
t	Toggle TODO ↔ DONE
Enter	Edit title
x/d	Delete node
n	New node
Tab/S-Tab	Promote/Demote (indent)
Alt+Arrows	Rearrange / Nest
/	Enter search mode
a	Agenda view (by date)
f	File browser (select/create files)
n	Create new file (in browser)
q	Quit

Architecture

• src/org.zig – Org file parser (headlines, states, scheduling)
• src/store.zig – RocksDB key-value store wrapper
• src/ui_state.zig – UI state with disk persistence
• src/ui/painter.zig – Component-based terminal rendering
• src/terminal.zig – Raw terminal control (60 FPS)

Database

State is persisted to ~/.nexus/db/ using RocksDB:

• ui:expanded:{node_id} → "true" | "false"
• ui:metadata → cursor, scroll, mode, search query
• node:{uuid} → JSON blob (full node data)
• task:deadline:{date} → [uuid1, uuid2, ...]
• tag:{name} → [uuid1, uuid2, ...]

Testing

make test           # Unit tests
make test-ui        # UI component rendering

Roadmap

Phase 2 (August 2026)

• Custom field support (properties drawer)
• Task priorities (A/B/C)
• Recurring task templates
• Multi-file support
• Sync to calendar (CalDAV)

Phase 3 (Q4 2026)

• Collaborative editing
• REST API for external integration
• Mobile companion app

License

MIT

Built with ❤️ in Zig