Installation¶

This guide covers complete installation for users with kickstart.nvim. Since you already have Telescope and fzf installed, setup is straightforward.

Quick Installation¶

1. Run the Setup Script¶

chmod +x notes-setup.sh
./notes-setup.sh

This creates ~/notes/ with the folder structure and templates.

2. Add Shell Functions¶

# For Bash use '~/.bash_profile' instead of '~/.zprofile'
cat notes-functions.sh >> ~/.zprofile

# Alternatively add a line to source notes-functions.sh

# Then source it
source ~/.zprofile

3. Add to Your Kickstart Config¶

# Copy the kickstart-optimized notes module
cp notes-nvim.lua ~/.config/nvim/lua/notes.lua

Then edit your ~/.config/nvim/init.lua and add this line after your plugins are loaded (typically near the end of the file, after the Telescope configuration):

-- Notes system
require('notes').setup()

4. Restart Neovim¶

nvim
# You should see: "Notes system loaded. Use <leader>n[f/g/t/l/b/n/x/s/a] or :Notes* commands"

What You Get with Kickstart Integration¶

Since you already have Telescope, fzf, and ripgrep, the notes system will use them automatically for:

Today: <leader>nt opens today's note, <leader>ny opens yesterday's
Fuzzy finding notes: <leader>nf opens Telescope to find any note
Live grep: <leader>ng searches through all your notes in real-time
Task overview: <leader>na shows all incomplete tasks across all notes
Inserting links: <leader>nl to pick a note and insert a link

Keybindings¶

Key	Action	Description
`<leader>nt`	Open today	Open today's daily log
`<leader>ny`	Open yesterday	Open yesterday's (most recent) daily log
`<leader>nf`	Find notes	Telescope fuzzy finder for notes
`<leader>ng`	Grep notes	Live search through all notes
`<leader>nl`	Insert link	Pick a note and insert [[link]]
`<leader>nb`	Backlinks	Show what links to current note
`<leader>nn`	New note	Create a new wiki note
`<leader>nx`	Toggle checkbox	Toggle task [ ] ↔ [x]
`<leader>ns`	Show tasks	Tasks in current note (quickfix)
`<leader>na`	All tasks	All incomplete tasks (Telescope)

In markdown files only:

Key	Action
`<M-CR>`	Follow [[link]] under cursor (uses correct template)
`<Ctrl>]`	Also follows [[link]] (vim-style)

Shell Commands¶

Essential commands to get started:

today           # Open today's note
context         # Show what you're working on
notes-help      # Show all available commands (alias: nh)

For the complete list of all commands, see: - Daily Notes Commands - Creating Notes - Search and Navigation - Task Management - Review Commands

Customization¶

Adjust Keybindings¶

If you want different keybindings, edit ~/.config/nvim/lua/notes.lua in the setup_keymaps function. For example, to use <leader>f instead of <leader>nf:

vim.keymap.set('n', '<leader>fn', M.find_notes, vim.tbl_extend('force', opts, { desc = '[F]ind [N]otes' }))

Change Notes Directory¶

In ~/.config/nvim/lua/notes.lua:

M.config = {
  notes_dir = vim.fn.expand("~/my-notes"),  -- Change this
  wiki_dir = vim.fn.expand("~/my-notes/wiki"),
  daily_dir = vim.fn.expand("~/my-notes/daily"),
}

And in ~/.zprofile:

export NOTES_DIR="$HOME/my-notes"  # Change this

Spell Check Language¶

The notes system sets spell check to British English (en_gb). To change:

In ~/.config/nvim/lua/notes.lua, find:

vim.opt_local.spelllang = "en_gb"

Change to: - "en_us" for US English - "en_gb,en_us" for both

Telescope Tips for Notes¶

Preview Notes in Telescope¶

Kickstart's Telescope is already configured to preview files. When you use <leader>nf or <Space>ng, you'll see previews automatically!

Smart Daily Log Handling¶

The yesterday command finds your most recent daily log, making it perfect for handling holidays, weekends, and gaps:

After a long weekend:

yesterday   # Opens your last working day (e.g., Friday if it's Tuesday)

After vacation:

yesterday   # Opens the last day you made notes (before the break)

The system intelligently handles gaps: - yesterday always finds the most recent daily log (excluding today) - No more "No note found for yesterday" errors after time off - Works perfectly with irregular schedules

Testing the Installation¶

# Create your first note
today

# In Neovim, try these:
# Type: [[areas/test-project]]
# Press M-Enter on it (creates area with correct template)
# Press Ctrl+O to go back
# Try: <leader>nt (opens today's note)
# Try: <leader>ny (opens yesterday's note)
# Try: <leader>nf (shows Telescope file finder)
# Try: <leader>ng (shows Telescope grep)

Troubleshooting¶

Notes keybindings don't work¶

# In Neovim
:messages
# Look for errors

# Check if notes loaded
:lua print(vim.inspect(require('notes').config))

Yesterday doesn't work on Monday¶

# Check if the improved function is loaded
type yesterday
# Should show the function with weekend logic

# If not, make sure you sourced ~/.zprofile
source ~/.zprofile

Telescope not previewing markdown¶

Kickstart should handle this, but if not:

-- In your kickstart config, ensure:
require('telescope').setup {
  defaults = {
    file_previewer = require('telescope.previewers').vim_buffer_cat.new,
  }
}

Next Steps¶

Start with today and get comfortable with daily notes
Use context frequently (make it muscle memory)
After a week, add wiki pages with wiki <topic>
Explore Telescope search with <leader>ng
Read the User Guide for philosophy and Daily Workflows for practical patterns

Your kickstart.nvim setup already has all the powerful search capabilities - the notes system just integrates with them seamlessly!