Locus
Open source · MIT

Your notes, as plain files.

Locus is a local-first Markdown workspace with a native desktop interface. Read and organize notes in Locus, edit them in your favorite editor, and let Agents discover the same files.

Download LocusView on GitHub

Apple Silicon and Intel macOS · Windows x64 and ARM64 · Linux x64 and ARM64

Built around your files

Plain Markdown
Each note is a directory with index.md, attachments, and child notes. Nothing is locked in a database.
Canvases
Notes can own HTML canvases that render inside the workspace through a read-only resource protocol.
Agent discovery
Optional read-only MCP lets Agents search and locate notes, while edits stay in their own tools.
Built-in terminal
Open your shell or Agent CLI in a titlebar popover, only when you ask for it.

Get started

  1. 1
    Choose a library
    Launch Locus and select the folder for your notes. Initialize it as a Git repository so every change has history.
  2. 2
    Set up your tools
    In Settings, choose your shell and Agent, and install the skills that teach Agents to work with Locus.
  3. 3
    Connect MCP
    Enable MCP and add its address to your Agent, or send the address to your Agent and ask it to configure itself.
  4. 4
    Start writing
    Ask your Agent, or use any editor, to create notes. Locus follows file changes automatically.

Tips

  • Have your Agent write a note with your library's conventions, then link it from the library's AGENTS.md so Agents follow it.
  • A canvas's HTML can serve as a template that other notes call with their own data. With the skills installed, your Agent knows how to use it.
  • In Markdown, an attachments code block lists a note's files, and a gallery code block shows its images as thumbnails.

Roadmap

  • Configure Agent skills and MCP automatically.
  • Ship built-in canvas templates.
  • Refine parts of the interface.
  • Reorder notes in the sidebar.