Marinho

Posted on Oct 19

Snip - The Command-Line Note-Taking Tool I Built Because I Was Tired of Slow Apps

#cli #showdev #tooling #productivity

TL;DR

I built Snip because I was frustrated with slow note-taking apps. It's a command-line tool that's fast, local, and actually works. No AI, no cloud, no BS - just you, your terminal, and your thoughts.

The Problem That Drove Me Crazy

Picture this: You're debugging a complex authentication issue at 2 AM. You have a brilliant insight, but every note-taking app you try is either:

Too slow to open
Requires you to leave your terminal
Wants you to create an account
Has a bloated interface that gets in the way

Sound familiar? (If it doesn't, i envy you) This happened to me way too many times. As a developer, I live in my terminal. Why should I have to leave it just to write down a thought?

What I Built

Snip is a command-line note-taking tool that respects your workflow. It's built with Go, uses SQLite for storage, and gets out of your way. Think of it as your personal knowledge base that lives in your terminal.

The Core Philosophy

Fast: No waiting, no loading screens
Local: Your data stays on your machine
Simple: No accounts, no subscriptions, no complexity
Terminal-native: Works where you already are

How It Actually Works

Basic Usage

# Create a note
snip create "Bug fix: User authentication issue in login flow"

# Search your notes
snip find "authentication"

# List all notes
snip list

# Update a note
snip patch 1 --title "Fixed authentication bug"

# Delete a note
snip delete 1

Advanced Features

# Export your notes
snip export --format markdown

# Import from other tools
snip import ~/old-notes/

# Get recent notes
snip recent

Why This Matters

For Developers

You're already in your terminal. Why leave it just to write down a thought? Snip lets you capture ideas instantly without breaking your flow.

For Writers

Quick idea capture, organized with tags, exportable to Markdown. Perfect for anyone who thinks in text.

For Students

Lecture notes, study guides, quick references. All searchable, all local, all fast.

The Technical Story

I built Snip with Go because I wanted something that would be:

Fast to compile: No waiting for builds
Cross-platform: Works on Windows, macOS, Linux
Self-contained: No external dependencies
Reliable: Go's error handling keeps things stable

The database is SQLite with FTS4 for full-text search. It's not the most sophisticated setup, but it works. And that's the point - it works.

What Makes It Different

Not Another Note App

Most note-taking apps are designed for everyone. Snip is designed for people who think in text and live in terminals.

No Lock-in

Your notes are stored in a local SQLite database. Export them anytime. Import from anywhere. You own your data.

No Complexity

No accounts, no sync, no cloud. Just you and your notes. Sometimes simple is better.

The Real-World Impact

Since building Snip, I've:

Captured ideas faster: No more losing thoughts while switching apps
Stayed in flow: No context switching when debugging
Organized better: Tags and search make finding things easy
Backed up easily: Export to Markdown, import anywhere

What's Next

I'm not done yet. Here's what I'm thinking about:

Markdown Preview: Visualize rendered Markdown so you can see your notes as they'd appear formatted

The Story Behind Snip

I've been a developer for years, and I've always struggled with note-taking tools. They're either too slow, too complex, or too locked-in to specific platforms.

One day, I was debugging a complex authentication issue, and I needed to quickly jot down some thoughts. Every tool I tried was either too slow to open or required me to leave my terminal. That's when I realized: developers need a tool that lives in their terminal.

So I built Snip. Not just another note-taking app, but a developer-first tool that respects your workflow. It's fast, it's local, and it gets out of your way.

Why I'm Sharing This

I built Snip to solve my own problem, but I think other developers might find it useful too. It's open source, it's free, and it's built by someone who actually uses it.

If you're tired of slow, bloated note-taking apps, give Snip a try. It might just change how you capture and organize your thoughts.

Try It Today

GitHub: https://github.com/matheuzgomes/Snip

Releases: https://github.com/matheuzgomes/Snip/releases

Built with Go, built for developers, built to work.

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