Private, encrypted notes
End-to-end encryption runs in your browser. We store only ciphertext. Your passphrase is never sent to us—if you forget it, we can’t unlock your notes.
Quick start
- Type your notes.
- Save & Lock — encrypts and saves.
- Unlock to edit (you’ll enter your passphrase).
- (Optional) Turn Sync on to keep an encrypted copy on the server.
Sync states
- Synced Encrypted copy on server (still private).
- Local Only On this device until you Save & Lock with Sync on.
- Locked Read-only until you enter your passphrase.
- Unlocked Editable; remember to Save & Lock when done.
Passphrase tips
- Use a short phrase you’ll remember (about 4–5 words).
- We never store your passphrase. If you forget it, we can’t unlock your notes.
Restore & on-open detection
- When we detect synced notes for this page, you’ll see: “We found synced notes for this page… enter passphrase to sync & retrieve.”
- After refresh, if sync data exists, the overlay reopens in synced + locked state.
- Draft safety: if an unsaved draft exists, you’ll be prompted to restore it.
Export
- Export as Markdown / Plain TXT (when unlocked).
- Save as PDF… uses your browser’s print dialog.
- Need help finding files? See Where exports go ↗.
Troubleshooting
- Refresh shows empty: If Sync was on and storage was cleared, you’ll see the on-open message—enter your passphrase.
- Accidental overwrite prevention: Guard rails block saving an empty note over an existing one.
- Prefer remote load: When Sync is ON, we load the synced copy first (if it exists).
Privacy & security
- Encryption happens locally in your browser; only encrypted data is sent/stored.
- Your passphrase never leaves your device.
Quick reference
- Type → Save & Lock → Safe.
- Unlock to edit; re-lock when done.
- Sync on keeps a private encrypted copy on the server.
On why this work exists →
Shibumi, at least for me: doing what I want when I want without those burdensome tension thoughts pulling me down. Just hanging in that sweet spot of precarious balance between too much and too little—an intersection of blissful fluctuation while sitting with cards, coins, and coffee.
On Shibumi →
The term shibumi is Japanese and is explored at length in the novel Shibumi by Trevanian. You can read more about the book here: ABOUT Shibumi (Wikipedia)
The short reflection above is my own adaptation, inspired by Trevanian’s use of the word and the sensibility he describes. What follows is an excerpt from the novel, quoted here to preserve the original context and language:
“He sounds as though I shall like him, sir.”
“I am sure you will. He is a man who has all my respect. He possesses a quality of . . . how to express it? . . . of shibumi.”
“Shibumi, sir?” Nicholai knew the word, but only as it applied to gardens or architecture, where it connoted an understated beauty. “How are you using the term, sir?”
“Oh, vaguely. And incorrectly, I suspect. A blundering attempt to describe an ineffable quality. As you know, shibumi has to do with great refinement underlying commonplace appearances. It is a statement so correct that it does not have to be bold, so poignant it does not have to be pretty, so true it does not have to be real. Shibumi is understanding, rather than knowledge. Eloquent silence. In demeanor, it is modesty without pudency. In art, where the spirit of shibumi takes the form of sabi, it is elegant simplicity, articulate brevity. In philosophy, where shibumi emerges as wabi, it is spiritual tranquility that is not passive; it is being without the angst of becoming. And in the personality of a man, it is . . . how does one say it? Authority without domination? Something like that.”
Nicholai’s imagination was galvanized by the concept of shibumi. No other ideal had ever touched him so.
“How does one achieve this shibumi, sir?”
“One does not achieve it, one . . . discovers it. And only a few men of infinite refinement ever do that. Men like my friend Otake-san.”
“Meaning that one must learn a great deal to arrive at shibumi?”
“Meaning, rather, that one must pass through knowledge and arrive at simplicity.”