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✨ Welcome to Znote

Getting started: How to start with Znote

✨ Welcome to Znote

Think with AI. Keep the result in Markdown.

Znote turns ideas and AI conversations into structured documents—directly in local .md files.

Connect your AI provider 🔑

AI features run on your own API key. Open the AI provider selector in the bottom bar and add a key from OpenAI, OpenRouter, or point Znote at Ollama running on your machine.

It takes a minute, and it's the cheapest way to work: you pay your provider directly for what you use, with nothing added by us. With Ollama, it costs nothing at all and no request ever leaves your computer.

Create your first document 💬

  1. Replace the sample idea below with your own, or use it as written:

Plan a neighborhood event that helps residents meet, share skills, and build stronger local connections.

  1. Select the text above to give the idea as context
  2. Press Ctrl+H to open the AI input.
  3. Run /brainstorm.
  4. Answer three focused questions.
  5. Review and approve the structured Markdown summary before it is inserted.

Znote uses the active note or selected text as context, challenges and refines your idea, and asks for approval before adding anything to the document.

Keep developing your ideas ✨

Once the summary is inserted, continue working with AI directly in the document:

  • Select text to shorten, rewrite, correct, or summarize it.
  • Use /clarify to help answer questions and develop your thinking.
  • Use /rewrite to intelligently reintegrate your answers and reflections into the document.
  • Type @ in the chat to add another note as context.
  • Copy a file directly into the input to link it.
  • Ask AI to visit a URL and gather external information.
  • Edit everything normally as standard Markdown.

Your files stay yours 🔒

  • Your documents are real, local .md files.
  • Only the active note and notes you explicitly add are sent to your selected AI provider.
  • There is no proprietary file format and no account is required.
  • Znote supports OpenAI, OpenRouter, and Ollama.
  • API keys are stored on your device.
  • Token usage is optimized to keep your provider bill low.

Working as a team?

If your company wants to give AI to everyone without handing out API keys, Znote can manage it centrally—seats, allowed email domains, models, and usage reporting. See znote.io/company.

Go further 🚀

Znote can also run code blocks to call APIs, analyze data, query databases, and generate charts.

To explore an executable template, use:

Ctrl+NNew from Template


Ready?

Press Ctrl+H, run /brainstorm, and turn your idea into your first structured document.

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