HN Showcase
Back to browse
Notedog – Git-friendly portable Markdown journal, edit from a laptop

Notedog – Git-friendly portable Markdown journal, edit from a laptop

by hibariya·Jun 20, 2026·3 points·0 comments
Visit ProjectView on HN

AI Analysis

●●SolidCozyBig Brain

Phone as web server is clever, but Obsidian already does local-first Markdown sync.

Strengths
  • •Phone-as-server architecture eliminates cloud dependency for local network editing.
  • •MCP server integration lets AI agents read/write journal with revocable API keys.
  • •Plain Markdown files with Git backup means zero vendor lock-in.
Weaknesses
  • •Remote access requires paid tunnel subscription or manual Tailscale setup.
  • •Android-only limits audience; no iOS or desktop native app.
Category
Productivity
Target Audience

Privacy-conscious journalers, Android users who want local-first note taking

Similar To

Obsidian · Joplin · Logseq

Post Description

I wanted a journal that's portable in two senses: it's just my own plain-text Markdown (no vendor lock-in) and it works across my phone and laptop, even offline. So I built an Android app: Notedog.

It keeps your journal as Markdown files on the device (point it at your own Git repo for history + backup). The twist: the app runs a small web server, so you can open and edit the same journal from any browser on your network — your phone is the backend. It works without an internet connection; no journal content is persisted on my servers. Also, it can connect to AI agents like Claude and Codex over MCP. Access is scoped and revocable.

Optionally, you can reach it from anywhere over a built-in HTTPS tunnel (paid subscription). Or reach it privately over your own Tailscale network — no subscription.

Would love feedback. Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=run.notedog

Similar Projects