Use cases

Write the runbook
where the code lives.

NoteX Desktop is built on the VS Code engine, so engineering docs finally behave like engineering artifacts: plain files you can version, diagrams you can diff, and AI that works on the same notes you do.

Docs as files

Specs and runbooks,
git-friendly by birth.

NoteX notes are plain files on disk: open JSON .notex or straight Markdown. That means your specs, ADRs, and runbooks can live in real folders, get committed, diffed, and reviewed like the code they describe. NoteX edits .md and .mdx natively, so an existing docs folder is already NoteX-ready.

On desktop, the note tree can mirror on-disk folders, and the optional Source Control view (off by default) puts git one toggle away.

How file ownership works
🛠️

Runbook: Deploys

Workspace · Atlas Labs · runbook-deploys.notex
🧯

Owner: Omar Haddad. Update this page after every incident review, no exceptions.

Ship path
Merge to mainCI buildStagingCanaryProduction
Rollback
bash
# one command, rehearsed quarterly
deployctl rollback --service search --to previous
error budget = (1 - SLO) · 30d ≈ 43 min / month
When NOT to roll back

Data migrations that already ran. Fix forward instead; see the migration checklist below.

One runbook, three block types engineers actually need: code, a flow diagram, and math.

Technical blocks

An editor that speaks
your team's native formats.

⌨️ Code blocks

Syntax highlighting, language labels, and markdown shortcuts: type three backticks and start pasting. Multi-cursor editing works in rich text too.

🧜 Mermaid diagrams

Nine kinds of diagrams including flowcharts, sequences, and mind maps, rendered from text you can diff. Architecture sketches stay reviewable.

🧮 LaTeX math

KaTeX-rendered equations for capacity math, error budgets, and anything with a subscript. Inline or as a block.

🗂️ Toggles and tables

Collapse the edge cases behind toggles, and keep decision matrices in resizable tables with merged cells.

🔍 Find like an engineer

Ctrl+F in a note, Ctrl+H to replace, cross-note search for everything else. And because notes are files, grep works too.

🔧 Developer views

File Explorer, Search, and Source Control views ship in the desktop app, off by default. Flip them on and NoteX sits happily next to your repos.

The map

Every ritual gets a home.

Engineering ritualIts NoteX home
Design docs and ADRsMarkdown or .notex files, versioned next to the repoDesktop
RunbooksCode blocks, diagrams, and toggles in one pageDesktop + web
Sprint notes"Meeting Notes: Sprint 14", shared to the workspaceDesktop + web
Release notesWritten into the wiki by CI through the APIAPI · web
Architecture diagramsMermaid blocks, 9 kinds including mind mapsDesktop
Incident reviewsA template away, findable with cross-note searchDesktop + web

AI on your docs

Claude Code works
on the same notes.

On desktop, Claude Code installs as a native add-on from the curated catalog and treats your notes as its working files. Ask it to update a runbook after an incident, draft an ADR from a discussion, or reconcile the spec with what actually shipped. It proposes, you review.

A dedicated agent sessions window keeps long-running agent work out of your writing surface, and the AI customization system manages agents, skills, prompts, and MCP servers in one place.

AI integration

Add the new canary stage to the deploy runbook and link it from the Team Wiki.

I read Runbook: Deploys and the CI config. Two edits ready for your review:

Edit: Runbook: DeploysInserts the canary stage between staging and production
Applied
Append link to Team WikiUnder Engineering › Operations
Proposed

Claude Code on desktop: edits arrive as proposals, never as surprises.

Automation

Let CI write
the boring pages.

NoteX ships a Notion-style REST API with scoped nx_ keys: read-only or read/write, optionally locked to one page tree, with expiry and usage logging. Give your pipeline a write key scoped to the Releases section and every deploy documents itself.

The API and MCP server are part of the NoteX web platform; pages your automation creates land in the synced workspace and reach the desktop app on its next sync.

The API and MCP server
📦

Release Notes: v2.4.0

Team Wiki › Releases · created 4 min ago
🤖

Posted automatically by the deploy pipeline through the NoteX API.

Shipped
  • Search v2 ranking behind the semantic flag
  • Query analytics wired into the launch dashboard
  • Deploy canary stage added to the ship path

Full diff: 23 commits by Omar Haddad and Maya Chen.

A release-notes page created by the pipeline. Nobody wrote it; everybody reads it.

Frequently asked questions

Can our docs live in the same repository as our code?

Yes, on desktop. Notes are plain .notex or Markdown files in real folders, and the note tree can mirror on-disk folders. Keep a docs folder in the repo, edit it in NoteX, and commit it with your normal git flow; the optional Source Control view even brings git into the app.

Does NoteX really render Mermaid and LaTeX?

Yes, on the desktop editor: nine kinds of Mermaid diagrams including flowcharts, sequence diagrams, and mind maps, plus LaTeX math rendered with KaTeX. Both are first-class blocks in the slash menu. See the block editor.

How does Claude Code fit in?

Claude Code installs on desktop as a native add-on from the curated Open VSX catalog and works on your notes as files. It can read the runbook, propose edits, and update pages, with a dedicated agent sessions window for longer jobs. See AI integration.

Can CI or scripts write to our wiki?

Yes, through the Notion-style REST API on the NoteX web platform. Create a scoped nx_ key (read/write, limited to one page tree, with expiry if you want) and have the pipeline post release notes or deploy records. Usage is logged per key. See API and MCP.

Will non-engineers on the team cope with it?

Yes. NoteX opens as a calm, Notion-style editor; the developer views (File Explorer, Search, Source Control) are off by default. Engineers switch them on, everyone else never sees them.

Your notes deserve a better engine.

A Notion-style block editor on the engine behind the world's most popular code editor. Notes stay files you own, extensions add what you need, and AI plugs in natively. Free to start, on web and desktop.

Free to start · Your files, your disk · Windows desktop & web