Driftleaf by AetherAssembly

A private, local-first notes app for your desktop. Driftleaf combines encrypted Markdown notes with backlinks, a graph and canvas, flexible databases, and extensions. There are no accounts or cloud vaults; vault contents stay on your device.

Download Driftleaf GitHub

Why Driftleaf?

• Private by default: notes are encrypted on disk, and Driftleaf developers never see your data.
• Your vault, your files: a vault is stored on your computer with no account or cloud lock-in. Notes, metadata, databases, canvas layouts, and extension data are encrypted.
• Markdown writing: write in Markdown with a live preview.
• Connected notes: use wiki links, backlinks, unlinked mentions, and an interactive graph.
• Flexible workspaces: arrange notes and database views on a canvas, and use database table, board, and calendar views.
• Extensions and templates: use isolated local extensions or browse optional community releases from inside the app.
• Keyboard first: search, navigation, and quick capture are available from the keyboard.
• Accessible: screen reader support, visible focus indicators, and clear keyboard navigation.

What's new in 0.6.0

This release adds encrypted vault metadata and opaque note filenames, graph and canvas workspaces, richer database views and formulas, a community extension and template gallery, and platform-aware update notices. Windows installer builds can download updates with user approval; Linux and unsigned macOS builds direct users to manual installation.

See the full 0.6.0 changelog for details.

Getting started

1. Create a vault. Choose a strong passphrase you will remember; there is no password reset.
2. Create folders. Organize notes with the folder structure that works for you.
3. Start writing. Create Markdown notes and use the live preview as you write.
4. Search. Press Ctrl+K on Linux and Windows, or Cmd+K on macOS, to search quickly.

Keyboard shortcuts

Protecting your notes

Driftleaf encrypts note content and vault metadata with a key derived from your passphrase. A forgotten passphrase cannot be reset, so write it down somewhere safe when you create the vault.

To back up your notes, copy the entire vault folder, including the hidden .driftleaf/ directory, to an external drive or another computer. Restoring means copying that folder back.

For more detail, see Branch Recovery, Architecture, Branch Integrity, and Search.

Learn about databases and formulas, Canvas, extensions, and software updates.

Driftleaf makes optional requests to GitHub for update metadata and, when you open the community gallery, public extension and template releases. These requests do not include vault contents or your passphrase. See the Privacy Policy.

For developers

Driftleaf is an Electron, React 19, Vite, and TypeScript desktop app. It stores encrypted Markdown files in folder-based vaults using scrypt and AES-256-GCM, with a SQLite FTS5 search index rebuilt on unlock.

npm install
npm run dev        # launch in development
npm run build      # typecheck and build
npm run lint       # run ESLint
npm run typecheck  # run TypeScript

The @aetherAssembly/ui package is published to GitHub Packages and requires a GitHub personal access token for installation. See the Driftleaf README for packaging commands and the full developer setup.