zen

Skill Data & Analytics Usable

Works inClaude Code

Usable Scanned — metadata only

Eliminates dependency on third-party note services while keeping search and retrieval fast.

Selfhosted notes app. Single golang binary, notes stored as markdown within SQLite, full-text search, very low resource usage

Store meeting notes and decision logs with full-text search
Build internal knowledge base without external SaaS
Archive project documentation in portable SQLite format

1,134 starsAGPL-3.0 (check with legal)FreeQuick setup

Usable rating — This tool is functional but has notable gaps. Review the evaluation notes below before deploying.

Why it matters

Eliminates dependency on third-party note services while keeping search and retrieval fast. Single binary deployment reduces infrastructure overhead and vendor lock-in risk.

Best for

Teams needing self-hosted markdown notes with full-text search on modest hardware (low ops footprint, no cloud fees).

Works in

Claude Code Claude Cowork Claude Chat

Source

https://github.com/sheshbabu/zen

By sheshbabu

How to Get It

Option 1: Claude Desktop App (Code Mode)Click the + button next to the prompt box → Plugins → Add plugin. Search and click Install. Skills work in Claude Code only.

Option 2: Paste into Claude CodeCopy the command below and paste it into your conversation. Claude will install it.

Command

See repository README

Tip: Paste this into a Claude Code conversation. Verify command matches your Claude Code version.

Auto-generated from the tool's public listing — not hands-on verified. Cross-check against the source repo's README before running.

First thing to try

After installing, paste this into Claude:

Help me store meeting notes and decision logs with full-text search

CostFree

Trust Signals Auto-scanned

Stars1,134Contributors1Last updated2026-04-29LicenseAGPL-3.0 (check with legal)Known CVEsNone foundSources: GitHub Advisory Database + OSV.dev · Scanned 2026-08-13 · scanner vattempted-no-data

Community Pulse Active

Discussed on Hacker News, Reddit

Zen Notes - Distraction free notes app — Reddit · 113 pts
Zen Notes v1.1: With Most Requested Features — Reddit · 47 pts
Zen Notes v1.5: Templates, Pinned Notes, Canvas, Semantic Search — Reddit · 41 pts

3 mentions across 1 sources

Reviewer notes

Auto-scanned review. These are observations, not a security certification.

Scored from trust signals (evidence-eval-v1): 1,099 GitHub stars; contributors unknown; last commit 37d ago; license AGPL-3.0.

Things to check

Scanned, not hands-on tested — this entry was auto-scanned from public metadata (GitHub metrics, license, security flags). No reviewer has run it, and no tool-specific limitations have been documented yet.
License (AGPL-3.0) may restrict commercial use. Check with your legal team.
Single maintainer. Consider the risk if this person stops maintaining the project.

How to evaluate tools before deploying →

Data shown here comes from public APIs and automated scanning. Reviewer notes reflect one person's experience. This is not a security certification or legal recommendation. Always evaluate tools according to your own organization's policies.

Evaluation Scores

Evaluation

Ease of Use

2/5

Versatility

4/5

Reliability

3/5

Security

3/5

Overall score2.90 / 5.00 UsableEvaluatedJun 2026

Scored from trust signals (evidence-eval-v1): 1,099 GitHub stars; contributors unknown; last commit 37d ago; license AGPL-3.0.

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