Install the CLI

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The Notate CLI is a command-line client for your notes, published on npm as @notatemd/cli. It is a pure REST client: it talks to the Notate API and works against the same account and notes as the desktop, mobile, and web apps, with no local database to set up. For an overview of what it can do, see the CLI page.

Requirements

  • Node.js 20 or newer.
  • An account with the Sync plan (or AI plan). The CLI works against your synced notes on the server, so there is nothing for it to reach on the Free, local-only plan.

Install

Install it globally so the notate command is on your path:

npm install -g @notatemd/cli
notate --help

Or run it without installing anything:

npx @notatemd/cli --help

Sign in

The CLI talks to the hosted Notate API by default. Log in with your Notate account:

notate login          # prompts for your password
notate whoami         # confirm the signed-in account

login prompts for your password, and for your email if you do not pass --email. Your access and refresh tokens are stored in your operating system keychain, not in a plaintext file. Run notate logout to clear them.

First capture

Pick a default workspace so you can skip --workspace on every command, then create a note:

notate workspaces use "My Workspace"
notate notes create "My first CLI note" --content "# Hello from the terminal"
notate notes list

The note syncs like any other, so it shows up in every Notate app.

Next: the command reference.