nb

nb [subcommand] [options] [arguments]

nb is a command-line note-taking, bookmarking, archiving, and knowledge-base application. Notes are stored as plain Markdown (or any text format) on the local filesystem, and each notebook is a git repository, providing version history, conflict resolution, and remote sync.Beyond plain notes, nb supports tagged to-do lists, encrypted notes (via OpenSSL or GPG), bookmarks (with cached page snapshots), pinned notes, search with rg/ag/grep, and import/export to multiple formats. It runs as a single Bash script with optional plugins.

add [text]

Create a new note. Without arguments opens the configured editor.

List notes, optionally filtered by query.

Full-text search across notes.

Open an existing note in the editor.

Remove a note. --force skips the confirmation.

Print the contents of a note.

Save a bookmark, fetching title and content automatically.

Manage to-do items.

Manage notebooks (groups of notes backed by separate git repositories).

Pull and push changes to the configured remote git repository.

Switch the active notebook.

Display help for nb or a subcommand.

~/.nb/

Default directory containing notebooks (each a git repo) and configuration.

User configuration file: editor, default notebook, color theme, sync remotes, etc.

Implemented as a Bash script — works on macOS and Linux but Windows requires WSL or Git Bash. Sync depends on a configured git remote per notebook. Encrypted notes require OpenSSL or GPG to be installed.

nb was created by xwmx as a single-file Bash CLI for note-taking with a strong emphasis on plain text and git-backed sync.

jrnl(1), notes(1), taskwarrior(1), git(1)