Minimal journaling CLI for developers. Just type journal in your terminal and start writing.

journalot is a CLI tool for maintaining a daily markdown journal with Git-based version control. It's designed to be lightweight and easy to use, promoting mindfulness and reflection.

You can also search past entries by keyword or date using command-line tools like grep or fzf. For example, grep "confidence" or "new idea" ~/journalot/entries/*.md

• Creates a daily journal file: YYYY-MM-DD.md stored in entries/ folder
• Smart editor detection (respects $EDITOR or falls back to code → vim → nano)
• Optional Git integration with auto-commit and push
• Template support for customized entry structure
• Config file support (~/.journalotrc)

• Quick capture: journal "Had a great idea" - append to today's entry without opening editor
• Enhanced list view: Word count and preview for each entry
• Auto-sync: Set AUTOSYNC=true in config to skip commit/push prompts
• Previous entries: --yesterday or --date to access any day

• Stats: --stats shows total entries, words, and patterns (non-gamified)
• Search: --search "keyword" to find entries containing text
• Week view: --week opens all entries from current week
• Timestamps: --time creates multiple entries per day (e.g., 2025-01-15-1430.md)
• Tags: Filter entries by hashtag with --tag work
• Export: --export html or --export pdf to share or archive
• Random entry: --random rediscover old thoughts
• Diff view: --diff DATE see what changed in an entry
• Archive: --archive YEAR move old years to archive folder
• Daily prompts: Writing prompts for blank entries (disable with DISABLE_PROMPTS=true)

Every journaling app has the same problem: friction. Open app → wait for sync → click new entry → choose template...

journalot eliminates all of that:

• You're already in terminal → just type journal
• Opens in your preferred editor → no learning curve
• Auto-commits to git → no manual syncing
• Just markdown files → complete ownership

The best productivity tool is the one you actually use.

brew tap jtaylortech/journalot
brew install journalot

git clone [email protected]:jtaylortech/journalot.git
cd journalot
sudo ./install.sh

If you want to sync across devices, set up SSH access for GitHub. Guide

By default, this repo points to my public GitHub. To push your own journal entries:

1. Create a new private repo on GitHub (e.g., journalot-private)
2. Replace the remote:

   git remote remove origin
   git remote add origin [email protected]:<your-username>/journalot-private.git
   git push -u origin main

journal                              # Open today's journal
journal "Had a breakthrough today"   # Quick capture (append without editor)
journal --yesterday                  # Open yesterday's journal
journal --date 2025-01-15            # Open specific date
journal --time                       # Create timestamped entry (multiple per day)
journal --list                       # List all entries with previews
journal --help                       # Show help

journal --search "confidence"        # Search all entries for keyword
journal --week                       # Open all entries from this week
journal --tag work                   # Filter entries by #tag
journal --stats                      # View journal statistics
journal --random                     # Show a random entry
journal --diff 2025-01-15            # See git history for an entry
journal --prompt                     # Show today's writing prompt

journal --archive 2024               # Archive all 2024 entries
journal --archive 2024 --unarchive   # Restore from archive

journal --export html                # Export to HTML
journal --export pdf                 # Export to PDF (requires pandoc)

Create ~/.journalotrc to customize behavior:

# Auto-sync without prompts
AUTOSYNC=true

# Custom journal directory (optional)
# JOURNAL_DIR="$HOME/my-journal"

Create ~/journalot/template.md to customize new entries:

# {{date}}

## What happened today?

## Grateful for

## Tomorrow's focus

• Editor: Set $EDITOR environment variable (e.g., export EDITOR=vim)
• Journal Directory: Edit JOURNAL_DIR in config or bin/journal (default: ~/journalot)
• Template: Create ~/journalot/template.md for custom entry structure
• Auto-sync: Set AUTOSYNC=true in ~/.journalotrc to skip prompts

• Quick capture great for fleeting thoughts: journal "Remember to check that bug"
• Use tags for organization: add #work, #personal, #ideas to entries
• Search is case-insensitive and shows line numbers
• Week view opens all entries in your editor at once
• Stats are informational only - no guilt for skipping days
• Templates support {{date}} placeholder
• Daily prompts rotate based on day of year (disable with DISABLE_PROMPTS=true)
• Archive old entries to keep your main folder clean
• Use --random for serendipitous rediscovery

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.