cli/

SecretNotes CLI

A simple, secure TUI for a single encrypted note tied to your passphrase.

Concept

• One passphrase → one note. Change the passphrase and you see a different note.
• No list, no accounts. Just load, edit, and save your note.
• Images exist in the backend but are intentionally omitted in this CLI v1 (text-only).

Keybindings

• Ctrl+S: Save the note
• Ctrl+P: Change passphrase (focuses prompt, Enter to reload)
• Ctrl+T: Toggle Plain view (shows only your text, no UI chrome)
• Alt+S: Toggle Autosave (persists to config)
• Ctrl+Y: Copy note content to clipboard
• Ctrl+Q: Quit and wipe screen + scrollback (privacy)
• Ctrl+C: Quit and clear screen only

Features

• First-run setup storing non-sensitive config in the user config directory
• Passphrase prompt at start (never stored); in-app passphrase change (Ctrl+P)
• Load note via GET /api/secretnotes/notes (creates if missing)
• Save via PATCH /api/secretnotes/notes with {"message": "..."}
• Autosave ON by default (1200ms debounce), toggleable in-app and persisted
• Plain view toggle for clean selection/copy (Ctrl+T)
• One-shot copy to clipboard (Ctrl+Y)

Build

• cd cli
• go mod tidy
• go build ./cmd/sn

Run

• ./sn
• ./sn --url https://secret-note-backend.lugetech.com --autosave --autosave-debounce-ms 1200
• ./sn --insecure (only if using dev HTTPS with self-signed certs)

Binaries from GitHub Releases

• We publish prebuilt binaries for macOS, Linux, and Windows when a tag is pushed (vX.Y.Z)
• Download from the Releases tab and place sn in your PATH

Install

• Requirements: Go 1.22+
• Local (from this repo):
  • cd cli && go install ./cmd/sn
• From GitHub (always latest from main):

  go install github.com/ktappdev/secretnotes-go-backend/cli/cmd/sn@main
  

  • Alternative (@latest may be cached by proxies):

    go install github.com/ktappdev/secretnotes-go-backend/cli/cmd/sn@latest
    # If @latest fails due to proxy cache:
    go env -w GOPROXY=direct
    go install github.com/ktappdev/secretnotes-go-backend/cli/cmd/sn@latest
    go env -u GOPROXY
    

Autosave

• Default: ON (1200 ms debounce)
• Toggle in the app: press Alt+S (persisted to config immediately)
• One-time for this run: ./sn --autosave (optional: --autosave-debounce-ms 1200)
• You can also edit preferences.autosaveEnabled and preferences.autosaveDebounceMs in the config

First run

• You’ll be asked:
  • Server name (default: local)
• Server URL (default: https://secret-note-backend.lugetech.com)
  • TLS verification (only for https)
  • Autosave and debounce settings
• After setup, you’ll be prompted for your passphrase (masked). The note for that passphrase is loaded.

Change passphrase during a session

• Press Ctrl+P to focus the passphrase prompt, enter a new passphrase, then press Enter.
• The editor reloads to show the note for that passphrase.

Copying your text (no UI borders or line numbers)

• Press Ctrl+T to enable Plain view. Only your note text is shown, so you can select and copy without any UI lines.
• Or press Ctrl+Y to copy the full note content directly to your clipboard.

Config paths

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/SecretNotes/config.json
• Linux/other: platform-specific os.UserConfigDir path (e.g., ~/.config/SecretNotes/config.json)
• Windows: %AppData%\SecretNotes\config.json

Security

• Passphrase lives only in memory for the session and is zeroed on exit.
• No passphrases in config or logs.
• No recovery: If you forget your passphrase, your note is permanently unrecoverable.

Privacy & exit behavior

• Ctrl+Q: wipes the screen and scrollback to remove any trace of your note
• Ctrl+C: clears the visible screen but preserves scrollback history
• Terminal support varies: not all terminals honor scrollback clear (CSI 3 J). If privacy is critical, manually clear or close your terminal after quitting. For stubborn terminals, set SN_WIPE_AGGRESSIVE=1 when launching.

Why clear the screen?

• Your note content can remain in the terminal’s visible buffer or scrollback history
• Screen recording, streaming, or remote support tools can capture that history
• Clearing (and optionally wiping scrollback) reduces the chance of accidental disclosure

Troubleshooting

• Status shows Connected/Offline; the backend host is not displayed.
• If you see a server health warning, ensure your backend is running and the URL is correct.
• Saving issues often mean the passphrase doesn’t match the note or the server is unreachable.