Minimal journaling CLI for developers. Just type journal in your terminal and start writing.
Website: journalot.dev
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 journalotgit clone git@github.com:jtaylortech/journalot.git
cd journalot
sudo ./install.shOptional: Install fzf for interactive fuzzy-search in --list.
# — Everyday —
journal # Open today's journal
journal "Had a breakthrough today" # Quick capture (no editor)
journal --yesterday # Open yesterday's entry
journal --last # Open most recent entry
journal --date "last friday" # Natural language dates ("3 days ago", "last monday")
# — Browse & Search —
journal --list # List entries (fzf interactive if installed)
journal --list --oldest-first # Oldest first
journal --calendar # Monthly calendar with entry indicators
journal --calendar 2026-01 # Specific month
journal --search "confidence" # Full-text search with context and highlighting
journal --week # Open all entries from this week
journal --tag work # Filter entries by #tag
journal --random # Show a random past entry
# — Stats & History —
journal --stats # Statistics + current/longest streak
journal --diff 2025-01-15 # Git history for an entry
journal --prompt # Today's writing prompt
# — Export & Backup —
journal --export html # Export to HTML
journal --export pdf # Export to PDF (requires pandoc)
journal --backup # Create timestamped backup
journal --restore # Restore from backup (interactive)
journal --archive 2024 # Archive all 2024 entriesjournal --switch work # Switch to (or create) 'work' journal
journal --switch kids --shared # Switch to 'kids' and mark as shared
journal --switch default # Return to default journal
journal --list-journals # List all journals
journal --new-journal work # Explicitly create a named journalEach journal lives at ~/journalot/journals/NAME/ with its own entries/ and git repo. Your default journal at ~/journalot/ is unchanged. Disable with MULTI_JOURNAL=false.
For two people writing to the same journal, synced via a private git repo:
# Person 1
journal --switch kids --shared
cd ~/journalot/journals/kids
git remote add origin git@github.com:you/kids-journal-private.git
git push -u origin main
# Person 2
mkdir -p ~/journalot/journals
git clone git@github.com:you/kids-journal-private.git ~/journalot/journals/kids
journal --switch kids --sharedShared journals auto-pull on open, warn before conflicts, auto-commit and push on save, and include a conflict resolution helper if push fails.
cd ~/journalot
git init
git remote add origin git@github.com:<your-username>/my-private-journal.git
git push -u origin main~/.config/journalot/config:
AUTOSYNC=true # Skip commit/push prompts
DISABLE_PROMPTS=true # Disable daily writing prompts
GIT_BRANCH=master # Custom git branch (default: main)
MULTI_JOURNAL=false # Disable multi-journal support
# JOURNAL_DIR="$HOME/my-journal" # Custom journal directoryCustom entry template: ~/journalot/template.md (supports {{date}}, {{day_of_week}}, {{week_number}}, {{time}} placeholders)
Custom prompts: ~/journalot/prompts.md (one per line) or day-specific files like ~/journalot/prompts-monday.md
💖 Sponsor on GitHub | Learn more
Thank you to all sponsors! Your support makes journalot possible.
MIT — see LICENSE