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wtf is bullet-journal?

offici7/bullet-journal — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-05-18

1JavaScriptAudience · generalComplexity · 1/5Setup · easy

TL;DR

A local-first digital bullet journal that runs in your browser, combining markdown daily logs with an Excalidraw drawing canvas, syncing files to your own disk and Obsidian.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((Bullet Journal))
    What it does
      Digital bullet journal
      Markdown daily logs
      Excalidraw drawing canvas
    Tech stack
      JavaScript
      Node.js local server
      File System Access API
    Use cases
      Keep local daily and monthly logs
      Sketch ideas on a canvas
      Sync notes with Obsidian vault
    Audience
      Vibe coders and hobbyists
      Obsidian users
      Privacy focused note takers

Code map

Detail Auto

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filefunction / class

Why would anyone build with this?

REASON 1

Keep daily, monthly, and future bullet-journal logs stored as plain Markdown files on your own disk.

REASON 2

Sketch diagrams or plans on a built-in whiteboard alongside your written journal entries.

REASON 3

Sync your journal folder so it opens directly inside Obsidian using standard Markdown and Excalidraw files.

REASON 4

Run a personal journal app locally with no cloud account, tracking, or external database.

What's in the stack?

JavaScriptNode.jsExcalidrawHTML/CSS

How it stacks up

offici7/bullet-journal0xmukesh/docusaurus-tutorial1tsmejp/palworld-docker-wine
Stars111
LanguageJavaScriptJavaScriptJavaScript
Last pushed2021-12-27
MaintenanceDormant
Setup difficultyeasyeasymoderate
Complexity1/52/54/5
Audiencegeneraldeveloperops devops

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you spin it up?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

Requires Node.js installed, the desktop-app launch script is Windows-only, other systems run node server.js from a terminal.

No license is stated in the README, so usage rights are unclear.

Wtf does this do

This project is a digital bullet journal app that runs in your web browser and keeps all your data on your own computer instead of a company's server. A bullet journal is a note-taking system where you keep daily, monthly, and future logs, marking each entry as a task, a completed item, a note, or an event using small symbols, and this app is built around that system while adding a modern interface. Alongside the regular text logs, it includes a full drawing canvas called Excalidraw, so you can sketch out ideas, diagrams, or plans visually rather than only writing them as text, and the drawing area automatically matches whichever light, dark, or OLED theme you have chosen for the journal. The app also has small built-in extras, like a live clock and a mini calendar in the sidebar that shows which days have entries, letting you click through to jump straight to that day's log. A key part of the design is that it connects directly to a folder on your own computer using your browser's file access permissions, and everything you write is saved as plain Markdown files and Excalidraw drawing files, in a format meant to be compatible with the popular note-taking app Obsidian. It automatically keeps an index file updated as you add new logs and projects, so your notes stay organized inside a normal folder on your disk rather than being locked inside the app itself. To run it, you need Node.js installed on your computer. On Windows, you can simply double-click a launch file, which starts a small local server and opens the journal in its own app-like window in Chrome or Edge. On any other operating system, you start the same local server from a terminal and then open the address it gives you in a browser. According to the README, no data is sent to any external server or tracker, and everything stays either in the browser's local storage or in the folder you connect on your own disk. The README does not mention a license.

Yoink these prompts

Prompt 1
Walk me through installing Node.js and running server.js to start this bullet journal app locally.
Prompt 2
Explain how to connect a local folder as my vault so my logs sync as Markdown files for Obsidian.
Prompt 3
Show me how the rapid-log symbols like task, completed, and migrated work in this journal app.
Prompt 4
Help me set up the launch.bat file so this journal opens as a standalone desktop-style window on Windows.

Frequently asked questions

wtf is bullet-journal?

A local-first digital bullet journal that runs in your browser, combining markdown daily logs with an Excalidraw drawing canvas, syncing files to your own disk and Obsidian.

What language is bullet-journal written in?

Mainly JavaScript. The stack also includes JavaScript, Node.js, Excalidraw.

What license does bullet-journal use?

No license is stated in the README, so usage rights are unclear.

How hard is bullet-journal to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is bullet-journal for?

Mainly general.

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