Vasta

Your notes, tasks and days in one app, on your computer or your own server.
Local-first. Works offline. No server needed to start; move to one whenever you want.

Get started · Self-hosting · Desktop app · Documentation · Contributing

Vasta keeps everything as typed objects: pages, tasks, books, people, or a type that you make.
Each day has a note. Captures from your phone, your browser or an agent go into it.
Each device keeps a copy of your spaces, so the app works offline. Your server keeps all
devices in sync.

[!NOTE]
Vasta is in alpha. Its author uses it every day, but some parts are new. Make backups
(docs/deploy.md).

Get started

[!TIP]
Start on your computer, move later. When you want your phone or other people in, open
Settings › Server › Move to a server… in the desktop app. Paste the server's setup code
or an invite link, and Vasta moves your notes, their history and your files into a new account
there. How it works →

Features

Capture in one line Type a line in ⌘K, Telegram or the desktop shortcut. Vasta reads the type and the properties from it: /Task Ask Lena due:fri assignee:lena. Capture →
Your own types Make a type for anything. Give it properties: text, numbers, dates, selects, relations, formulas. Show it as a list, table, board, grid, wall or gallery. Data model →
Work together Share a space with other people. Use boards, sprints, comments, @mentions and notifications. Flow metrics show how fast work moves. Accounts and spaces →
One calendar Daily notes, tasks, dated objects, sprints and events go on one calendar. Add your other calendars with their iCal links.
Your agents, your notes Claude Code, Codex and scripts read and write your notes through an MCP endpoint and the vasta command: search, query, make objects, capture, log habits. They act as you, with a token you can revoke. Vasta has no AI inside and keeps no model keys. Agents →	claude mcp add --transport http vasta \ https://vasta.example.org/mcp \ --header "Authorization: Bearer <token>" Read my notes from this week's meetings and make a task for each thing I promised, due Friday.

Also in Vasta:

• Offline first: each device keeps a copy in SQLite. Edits made offline on two devices merge.
• Block editor: slash commands, @ mentions, embeds, callouts, toggles, columns, tables and
  backlinks.
• Templates and snippets: start a type's objects or each day's note from a template, with
  placeholders ({{date:+7d}}, {{ask:With whom?}}) and blocks shown only when a condition
  holds; insert snippets with /. Templates →
• Saved links keep a preview, a readable copy of the page and embeds.
• Habits and reminders through ntfy, Telegram and the desktop app. Reminders →
• A food diary with nutrition goals, if you turn it on.
• Apps: install the web app on a phone (PWA). The desktop app adds a global capture shortcut.
• Media on disk or in an S3-compatible bucket.
• Import from Capacities.

Self-hosting

You need Docker. Do these steps on the server:

mkdir vasta && cd vasta
curl -o compose.yml https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ariedotme/vasta/main/compose.example.yml
curl -o .env https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ariedotme/vasta/main/.env.example
docker compose up -d
docker compose logs vasta

1. Find the setup code in the log.
2. Open http://127.0.0.1:5174.
3. Make the first account with the setup code.
4. To add other people, make an invite link in Settings › Server accounts.

Started with the desktop app on your computer? Skip step 3: in the app, open Settings › Server ›
Move to a server… and paste the setup code there. Your notes come with the new account.

For HTTPS, backups, upgrades and media buckets, read docs/deploy.md.

Desktop app

Download the app for macOS, Windows or Linux from the
releases. On first start, choose where your
notes live:

• Start on this computer: no server needed. The app runs Vasta itself, and your notes stay on
  that computer (docs/desktop.md). Settings › Server ›
  Move to a server… moves them to a server later.
• Your Vasta server: type its address.

Apple and Microsoft did not sign the app. Thus your system stops it the first time:

• macOS: open System Settings › Privacy & Security. Click Open Anyway.
• Windows: in the SmartScreen message, click More info › Run anyway.

For more, read docs/desktop.md.

Development

You need Node.js 24 or later and pnpm 10.

pnpm install
pnpm dev          # API on 127.0.0.1:5174, web app on http://127.0.0.1:5173
pnpm test
pnpm typecheck

The first start writes a setup code to the terminal. Use it to make your account. To start with
sample data, read CONTRIBUTING.md.

packages/
  core/                  data model, SQLite schema, sync, media store
  editor-schema/         rich-text schema for the editor and the server
  server/                HTTP API (Hono), capture channels, MCP endpoint, admin CLI
  web/                   the app: Vue 3, Tailwind, TipTap, sqlite-wasm replica
  desktop/               the desktop app (Tauri 2)
  cli/                   vasta, the CLI for agents and scripts
  importer-capacities/   import from Capacities
extensions/browser/      "Save to Vasta" browser extension

Documentation

• Data model: objects, types, properties, documents and queries
• Accounts: users, shared spaces, tokens, and how the API is safe
• Self-hosting: Docker, HTTPS, backups and upgrades
• Desktop app: install, how it works, releases
• Capture: Telegram, HTTP API, browser extension, Shortcuts
• Agents: the MCP endpoint and the CLI
• Reminders: ntfy, Telegram and the desktop app
• Sync: how local-first sync works

The server also describes its capture API at /api/openapi.json (OpenAPI 3.1).

Next

• Import from Markdown folders, Obsidian and Notion, and a documented Markdown export
• A public HTTP API to read and edit objects
• Live editing of one note by many people at the same time
• Email as a capture channel
• CalDAV, Google and iCloud calendars (now: iCal links)

The full list is on the roadmap, as issues. Items with the good first issue label are a
good place to start.

License

AGPL-3.0. You can use, change and share Vasta. If you run a changed version for other
people on a network, give them its source code.