inkwell/README.md

<p align="center">
  <img src="frontend/public/icon.svg" width="96" alt="Inkwell logo">
</p>

<h1 align="center">Inkwell</h1>

<p align="center">Capture a thought in under a second, and find it again later.</p>

Inkwell is a self-hosted notes app built around a Keep-style board of cards. Type
and it's saved; tag with `#words`, tick checklists, set reminders, attach files,
and search or browse by date when you need something back. It runs in the browser,
as a desktop app for Linux and Windows that works offline, and as an Android app,
all syncing with your own server.

## Quick start

Save this as `docker-compose.yml`, replace both `CHANGE_ME`s with the same password,
and run `docker compose up -d`:

```yaml
services:
  db:
    image: postgres:16-alpine
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      POSTGRES_USER: inkwell
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: CHANGE_ME
      POSTGRES_DB: inkwell
    volumes:
      - inkwell-db:/var/lib/postgresql/data

  app:
    image: git.fabledsword.com/bvandeusen/inkwell:latest
    restart: unless-stopped
    depends_on:
      - db
    environment:
      INKWELL_DATABASE_URL: postgresql+asyncpg://inkwell:CHANGE_ME@db:5432/inkwell
    volumes:
      - inkwell-data:/var/inkwell
    ports:
      - "5000:5000"

volumes:
  inkwell-db:
  inkwell-data:
```

Open `http://<host>:5000` and register. **The first account becomes the admin.**

The repository's own [docker-compose.yml](docker-compose.yml) is the same stack read
from a `.env` file; copy [.env.example](.env.example) to `.env` to use it.

## Configuration

| Variable | Required | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| `INKWELL_DATABASE_URL` | yes | The Postgres connection URL. |
| `INKWELL_SECRET_KEY` | no | Signs sessions. Unset, one is generated and kept in the database. |
| `INKWELL_LOG_LEVEL` | no | `INFO` by default. Sign-ins and other credential events log at INFO. |

Everything else — site name, sign-ups, email, attachment limits, trash retention,
link previews, backups, proxy hops — is set by the admin in **Settings**.

## Before you put it on the internet

Close registration, terminate TLS and forward `X-Forwarded-Proto`, stop publishing
the app port directly, and back up the attachment volume as well as the database.
[docs/public-hosting.md](docs/public-hosting.md) walks through each one, and lists
what the app already hardens on its own.

The browser only offers to install Inkwell as an app (PWA) over HTTPS or `localhost`.

## Updating and backups

- **Update:** `docker compose pull && docker compose up -d`. Migrations run on start.
- **Roll back:** pin `image: …/inkwell:<commit-sha>`. Every build on `main` publishes one.
- **Back up:** turn on scheduled backups in **Settings → Backups** (a folder, an
  S3-compatible bucket, or Fabled Archives). See [docs/backups.md](docs/backups.md).
  Otherwise back up both volumes: `inkwell-db` and `inkwell-data`.

## Features

**Capturing**
- A masonry board of cards. Start typing anywhere on it to write a new note.
- Notes save as you type; there is no save button.
- Checklists inside a note, ticked straight from the card.
- Images and files attached to a note, shown on its card; click an image to see it
  full size or copy it back out.
- Paste a link and it gets a preview card.
- On the desktop, a global hotkey opens a small capture window over whatever you're doing.
- On Android, share text or images into Inkwell from any app.

**Organising**
- `#tags` written in the text become tags; a line of tags on its own is tidied away.
- Each tag gets a colour, and tags can be renamed, recoloured, merged and deleted.
- Pin, archive, drag to reorder.
- Trash with undo, emptied after a retention period the admin sets.

**Finding**
- Full-text search, combined with filters for tags, attachments and notes shared with you.
- A timeline that groups notes by when you wrote them.
- A command palette that jumps to any note by name.
- Version history: every editing session keeps the note as it was before.

**Remembering**
- Reminders, one-off or repeating, with Done and snooze from the card or the
  notification.
- The desktop and Android apps notify you when the app isn't in front.

**Sharing and accounts**
- Share a note with a person or a group, to view or to edit.
- Invites, groups, per-account storage limits and an activity log for the admin.
- Password reset by email, or by a link the admin makes.
- Export everything as a zip, and import an Inkwell export or a Google Keep Takeout.

**Every device**
- Web app, installable as a PWA.
- Desktop app for Linux (`.deb`, Arch package, AppImage) and Windows. It keeps its
  own local store, works with no server at all, and syncs once you link one. Install
  it from your server's Account page, or with `curl -fsSL https://<your-server>/install.sh | sh`.
- Android app, downloaded from your server and updated by it.

## Troubleshooting

| What you see | Why | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| The app container restarts with a database error at startup | Postgres isn't up yet, or the two passwords differ | Wait a minute; check both `CHANGE_ME`s match |
| No "Install app" option in the browser | The page isn't on HTTPS | Serve it over HTTPS, or open it on `localhost` |
| The desktop or Android app can't reach a plain-HTTP server | A bare hostname is read as `https://` | Type the address with `http://` |
| A deployment upgraded from ThoughtSync shows no notes | It's pointed at new, empty volumes | Set `INKWELL_DB_VOLUME` and `INKWELL_DATA_VOLUME`; see [.env.example](.env.example) |

## Development

Backend (needs Postgres at `INKWELL_DATABASE_URL`):

```sh
pip install -e ".[dev]"
alembic upgrade head
hypercorn 'inkwell.app:create_app()' --bind 0.0.0.0:5000
```

Frontend, proxying `/api` to `:5000`: `cd frontend && npm install && npm run dev`
(http://localhost:5173). Or run everything with hot reload:
`docker compose -f docker-compose.dev.yml up`.

| Path | What's there |
|---|---|
| `src/inkwell/` | The Quart server |
| `alembic/` | Database migrations |
| `frontend/` | The Vue web app, also the desktop app's UI |
| `core/` | The Rust store and sync engine the desktop and Android apps share |
| `desktop/` | The Tauri desktop app and its packaging |
| `android/` | The Kotlin/Compose Android app |

How devices sync is in [docs/sync.md](docs/sync.md); how the Android app reaches a
server is in [docs/android-distribution.md](docs/android-distribution.md). Work
happens on `dev`; `main` is the stable line.

## Licence

Inkwell is free software under the [GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 only](LICENSE)
(`AGPL-3.0-only`). If you run a modified version for other people over a network, the
licence requires you to offer them its source.