LemaNotes

A Linux desktop notes app built with PyQt6, with optional cloud sync via Supabase.

Features

• Notebooks & Sections — hierarchical note organization (notebook → section → note)
• Tags — label notes and filter by tag
• WYSIWYG Editor — powered by Toast UI Editor (Markdown under the hood)
• 8 Themes — 4 dark (Dark, Deep Sea, Midnight, Night Forest) + 4 light (Classic, Ocean, Forest, Rose)
• Auto-save — saves automatically 800ms after you stop typing
• Full-text search — search by title, content, and tags
• Pin & Priority — pin important notes, mark priority (Low / Medium / High)
• Export PDF — export any note to a PDF file
• Cloud Sync — auto-sync across devices via Supabase (optional)
• Offline-first — all features work without an internet connection

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Installation

Not sure which option to choose? Go with Shared Server — it takes 2 minutes, requires no configuration, and everything is ready to use immediately.

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Option 1 — Shared Server (Recommended)

Connect to the developer's pre-configured server. No Supabase account, no database setup, no credentials to manage — just install, create an account, and start taking notes.

Requirements: Ubuntu / Debian, Python 3.10+, sudo access.

Step 1 — Run the installer

cd lemanotes-apps
chmod +x install.sh
./install.sh

Step 2 — Choose Shared Server

When the installer asks "Which database server do you want to use?", press Enter to accept the default:

▶  1)  Shared Server (recommended)   ← default
   2)  Self Hosted (my own Supabase)

The installer writes the server credentials automatically. No manual input required.

Step 3 — Launch and register

lemanotes
# or open it from the app launcher / desktop icon

Go to Account → Sign in… and register a new account. Your notes will sync automatically across any machine using the same account.

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Option 2 — Self Hosted (Advanced)

Use your own Supabase project. Choose this if you want full control over the backend and data storage.

Requirements: Ubuntu / Debian, Python 3.10+, sudo access, a Supabase account.

Before installing, complete the Supabase setup steps below to create the database table and get your credentials.

Step 1 — Run the installer

cd lemanotes-apps
chmod +x install.sh
./install.sh

Step 2 — Choose Self Hosted

When asked "Which database server?", select Self Hosted, then choose a sync mode:

Mode	Description
Static	Enter your Supabase URL and Anon Key during install. Credentials are written to .env. Users only need to log in — no in-app setup.
Dynamic	Skip credentials for now. Users configure them later inside the app via Account → Setup Supabase…

Step 3 — Launch

lemanotes

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Python Detection

The installer finds a suitable Python environment automatically, in this order:

1. Active conda environment (if running inside one)
2. Any conda environment that already has PyQt6
3. System Python that already has PyQt6
4. Auto venv — creates a self-contained environment at ~/.local/lib/lemanotes/venv/ and installs all dependencies there

No conda or pre-installed packages required — it just works.

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Uninstall

chmod +x uninstall.sh
./uninstall.sh

Removes app files (~/.local/lib/lemanotes/), desktop shortcut, and the lemanotes CLI launcher. Your notes (~/LemaNotes/) and settings (~/.config/lemanotes/) are not deleted.

To also remove notes and settings:

rm -rf ~/LemaNotes ~/.config/lemanotes

Reinstall

./uninstall.sh && ./install.sh

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Manual Installation

1. System Dependencies (Ubuntu / Debian)

sudo apt install -y libxcb-cursor0 libxcb-xinerama0 libxcb-icccm4 \
                    libxcb-image0 libxcb-keysyms1 libxcb-render-util0

# WebEngine (if the pip version does not bundle it)
sudo apt install -y python3-pyqt6.qtwebengine

2. Python Dependencies

pip install -r requirements.txt

requirements.txt:

PyQt6>=6.6.0
PyQt6-WebEngine>=6.6.0
supabase>=2.0.0
python-dotenv>=1.0.0

3. Run

cd lemanotes-apps
python run.py

Troubleshooting

Error	Fix
Could not load the Qt platform plugin "xcb"	sudo apt install -y libxcb-cursor0
PyQt6-WebEngine not found	sudo apt install -y python3-pyqt6.qtwebengine
Editor area is blank	Make sure assets/tui/ contains the Toast UI Editor files
ModuleNotFoundError: supabase	pip install supabase
ModuleNotFoundError: dotenv	pip install python-dotenv

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Cloud Sync Setup (Supabase)

Sync is optional. The app runs fully offline without this setup.

1. Create a Supabase Account & Project

Sign up for free at supabase.com and create a new project.

2. Create the notes Table

Open the SQL Editor in the Supabase Dashboard and run:

CREATE TABLE notes (
  id          UUID DEFAULT gen_random_uuid() PRIMARY KEY,
  user_id     UUID REFERENCES auth.users(id) ON DELETE CASCADE NOT NULL,
  notebook    TEXT NOT NULL,
  section     TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT '',
  slug        TEXT NOT NULL,
  title       TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT '',
  content     TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT '',
  tags        TEXT[] NOT NULL DEFAULT '{}',
  pinned      BOOLEAN NOT NULL DEFAULT FALSE,
  priority    INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
  created_at  TIMESTAMPTZ NOT NULL DEFAULT NOW(),
  updated_at  TIMESTAMPTZ NOT NULL DEFAULT NOW(),
  is_deleted  BOOLEAN NOT NULL DEFAULT FALSE,
  UNIQUE(user_id, notebook, section, slug)
);

ALTER TABLE notes ENABLE ROW LEVEL SECURITY;

CREATE POLICY "Users manage own notes"
  ON notes FOR ALL
  USING (auth.uid() = user_id)
  WITH CHECK (auth.uid() = user_id);

3. Configure OAuth (for Google / GitHub login)

Add Redirect URL

In the Supabase Dashboard → Authentication → URL Configuration, add the following to Redirect URLs:

http://localhost:54321/callback

Google OAuth

1. Go to console.cloud.google.com and create or select a project.
2. Navigate to APIs & Services → Credentials → Create Credentials → OAuth client ID.
3. Set Application type to Web application.
4. Under Authorized redirect URIs, add your Supabase callback URL:

   https://<your-project-ref>.supabase.co/auth/v1/callback
   

   (Copy the exact URL from Supabase Dashboard → Authentication → Providers → Google → Callback URL)
5. Click Create. Google will give you a Client ID and Client Secret.
   • Client ID format: 123456789012-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.apps.googleusercontent.com
6. In Supabase Dashboard → Authentication → Providers → Google, paste the Client ID and Client Secret, then click Save.

GitHub OAuth

1. Go to github.com → Settings → Developer settings → OAuth Apps → New OAuth App.
2. Fill in the form:

   Application name           : LemaNotes
   Homepage URL               : https://<your-project-ref>.supabase.co
   Authorization callback URL : https://<your-project-ref>.supabase.co/auth/v1/callback
   

3. Click Register application, then click Generate a new client secret.
4. Copy the Client ID and Client Secret.
5. In Supabase Dashboard → Authentication → Providers → GitHub, paste both values and click Save.

4. Get Your URL & Anon Key

Go to Project Settings → API and copy:

• Project URL — https://xxxx.supabase.co
• Anon (public) Key — eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIs...

5. Connect to the App

There are two ways to provide the Supabase URL and Anon Key to the app.

Option A — Configure via UI (default)

In LemaNotes: Account → Setup Supabase…, enter the URL and Anon Key, then click Save & Connect. Values are saved to ~/.config/lemanotes/settings.json.

Option B — Configure via .env file

Copy .env.example to .env in the app directory and fill in your values:

cp .env.example .env

LEMANOTES_SYNC_FROM_ENV=true
LEMANOTES_SUPABASE_URL=https://xxxx.supabase.co
LEMANOTES_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIs...

When LEMANOTES_SYNC_FROM_ENV=true:

• The app loads URL and key from .env on startup
• The Account → Setup Supabase… menu item is hidden (config is read-only)
• Users only need to log in — no manual configuration required
• Useful for distributing the app with a pre-configured backend

When LEMANOTES_SYNC_FROM_ENV=false (or .env is absent):

• URL and key are configured through the app UI (Option A)
• Values are stored in ~/.config/lemanotes/settings.json

SYNC_FROM_ENV	Config source	Setup menu
true	.env file	Hidden
false or absent	App UI → settings.json	Visible

Never commit your .env file to version control. Add it to .gitignore.

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User Guide

Layout

┌──────────────┬──────────────────┬────────────────────────────┐
│   Sidebar    │   Note List      │         Editor             │
│              │                  │                            │
│  Notebooks   │  [Search]        │  [Title input]             │
│  Sections    │  ─────────────   │  [Tag bar]                 │
│  ─────────   │  Note cards      │  [Toolbar]                 │
│  Tags        │  (title, tags,   │                            │
│              │   date)          │  [Editor area]             │
│              │                  │                            │
└──────────────┴──────────────────┴────────────────────────────┘

Managing Notebooks

Action	How
New notebook	Ctrl+Shift+N or click ＋ in the sidebar
New section	Right-click a notebook → New Section
Rename / Delete	Right-click a notebook or section
Sort notebooks	Right-click the notebook area → choose sort order

Managing Notes

Action	How
New note	Ctrl+N or the ＋ Note button in the note list
Search notes	Type in the search box (searches title, content, and tags)
Pin a note	Right-click → Pin, or use the pin button in the editor
Set priority	Right-click → Priority → Low / Medium / High
Delete a note	Right-click → Delete Note
Move a note	Drag & drop onto another notebook or section in the sidebar

Editor Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+B	Bold
Ctrl+I	Italic
Ctrl+Shift+S	Strikethrough
Ctrl+Shift+H	Highlight
Ctrl+K	Insert Link
Ctrl+Shift+I	Insert Image
Ctrl+Shift+C	Insert Code Block
Ctrl+F	Find
Ctrl+H	Find & Replace
Ctrl+Z	Undo
Ctrl+Shift+Z	Redo

Tags

• Click + tag below the title to add a tag
• Click × on a tag to remove it
• Click a tag in the sidebar to filter all notes by that tag

Themes

Switch themes via:

• Ctrl+Shift+D — cycle through all themes (Dark → Deep Sea → Midnight → Night Forest → Classic → Ocean → Forest → Rose)
• Ctrl+, → Appearance tab → pick a theme from the dropdown

Exporting to PDF

Open a note → Ctrl+E or File → Export as PDF…

Cloud Sync

Action	How
Login (email)	Account → Sign in… → enter email & password
Login (OAuth)	Account → Sign in… → click GitHub or Google
Register	Account → Sign in… → click Register
Manual sync	Account → Sync Now
Logout	Account → Sign out

Once logged in:

• Auto pull — cloud data is pulled to local storage on first login
• Auto push — every time a note is saved, it is pushed to the cloud in the background
• Delete sync — deleting a note locally marks it as deleted in the cloud
• Sync status is shown in the bottom-right corner of the status bar

Notes are always stored locally in ~/LemaNotes/. Cloud sync adds a backup layer and does not replace local storage.

All Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action	Category
Ctrl+B	Bold	Format
Ctrl+I	Italic	Format
Ctrl+Shift+S	Strikethrough	Format
Ctrl+Shift+H	Highlight	Format
Ctrl+K	Insert Link	Insert
Ctrl+Shift+I	Insert Image	Insert
Ctrl+Shift+C	Insert Code Block	Insert
Ctrl+F	Find	Find
Ctrl+H	Find & Replace	Find
Ctrl+Z	Undo	Edit
Ctrl+Shift+Z	Redo	Edit
Ctrl+N	New Note	App
Ctrl+Shift+N	New Notebook	App
Ctrl+E	Export PDF	App
Ctrl+,	Settings	App
Ctrl+Shift+D	Cycle Theme	App
Ctrl+R	Refresh Notes	App

Individual shortcuts can be disabled under Settings → Shortcuts.

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Local Storage Structure

~/LemaNotes/
  <NotebookName>/
    <note-slug>.md
    <note-slug>.meta.json
    <SectionName>/
      <note-slug>.md
      <note-slug>.meta.json

~/.config/lemanotes/
  settings.json        # theme, font size, shortcuts, Supabase config (UI mode)

Project Structure

lemanotes-apps/
├── run.py
├── requirements.txt
├── .env.example             # Supabase config template
├── assets/
│   ├── editor.html          # Toast UI Editor wrapper
│   └── tui/                 # Toast UI Editor static files
└── notes_app/
    ├── storage.py           # File-based storage (CRUD, search, tags)
    ├── sync.py              # Supabase sync manager
    ├── settings.py          # Load/save settings.json
    ├── themes.py            # 8 color themes
    ├── shortcuts.py         # Shortcut definitions
    ├── widgets.py           # TagPill, NoteListWidget, etc.
    ├── dialogs.py           # Settings, Login, Supabase Setup dialogs
    ├── sidebar.py           # Left panel: notebook tree + tag list
    ├── note_list.py         # Center panel: note list + search
    ├── editor.py            # Right panel: editor + tag bar + toolbar
    └── main_window.py       # Main window, wires all panels together