Supernotes
Capture small linked cards, tag them, and review or share focused collections
The core loop is small enough for a capable coding agent to produce a useful local version in one sitting. For Supernotes, capture small linked cards, tag them, and review or share focused collections. The hard boundary is real-time collaboration, mobile polish, sync, and card-based workflow refinement, plus sync, collaboration, and capture polish.
Build verification: not recorded. How we judge buildability
What you give up
- real-time collaboration, mobile polish, sync, and card-based workflow refinement
- frictionless mobile capture
- real-time team editing
- hosted publishing
- proprietary AI memory
Why people still pay
People still pay for Supernotes because people keep paying when the note system is trusted across every device and disappears into their daily capture habits. The recurring cost buys file watching, conflict handling, indexing, mobile apps, encryption, backups, and migrations, not just the visible interface.
Your build guide
The stack, security requirements, and agent rules for a focused replacement.
Before you start
- Node and the Rust toolchain, a supported desktop build environment and an explicitly selected data folder. Remote sync is outside the initial scope.
- Implementation components: Tauri, React and TypeScript for the desktop interface with a narrowly scoped Rust filesystem bridge. SQLite for structured state and search; user-owned files for original documents and attachments.
- Scope boundary: real-time collaboration, mobile polish, sync, and card-based workflow refinement; frictionless mobile capture
Use these project rules and optional skill references alongside the prompt. Review each skill before adding it to your agent; the AGENTS.md export includes the same guidance.
Optional external skill: vercel-react-best-practices — Improve React and Next.js data fetching, rendering, bundle size and server performance. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission.
Optional external skill: web-design-guidelines — Review web interfaces for accessibility, keyboard focus, forms, navigation and interaction quality. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission.
Optional external skill: sharp-edges — Review security-sensitive APIs and configuration for dangerous defaults and easy-to-misuse interfaces. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission.
Project rule — data model: note cards, stable card IDs, tags, parent/related links, collections and Markdown revisions
Project rule — preserve this invariant: Cards retain identity when retitled or moved; a collection membership change cannot delete the underlying note.
Project rule — acceptance evidence: Remove a card from a collection and still find it in search; export/import preserves the card graph without duplicate IDs.
Implementation plan
Phase 1
Scope and fixtures. Implement this bounded workflow: Capture compact note cards, connect them with explicit links and browse a focused collection view. Search quickly and export each card with its links and original creation metadata. Record prerequisites, select representative user-owned fixtures and document the unsupported features: real-time collaboration, mobile polish, sync, and card-based workflow refinement; frictionless mobile capture
Phase 2
Durable model. Model note cards, stable card IDs, tags, parent/related links, collections and Markdown revisions Add migrations or a versioned document format, explicit validation, stable IDs and a visible import-error report. Preserve this rule: Cards retain identity when retitled or moved; a collection membership change cannot delete the underlying note.
Phase 3
Complete the first useful path. Implement the workflow's input, review and output interface, with clear controls and explicit empty/error states. Save edits atomically with stable IDs and revision history. Detect external file changes and offer a conflict copy instead of last-write-wins data loss.
Phase 4
Permissions and integration failure. Limit Tauri capabilities to selected folders and commands. Render imported content without executable HTML, and never expose arbitrary shell execution to the webview. Request integration credentials and permissions only for the enabled feature; show a disconnected state instead of mock results.
Phase 5
Portable handoff. Provide a portable folder export with a JSON manifest and original files. Restore to a separate folder; rebuild disposable indexes from sources. Include setup, operating limits, fixture walkthrough and shutdown/restart instructions in the README.
Phase 6
Acceptance scenarios. Remove a card from a collection and still find it in search; export/import preserves the card graph without duplicate IDs. Repeat the workflow after restart and with a denied permission or unavailable dependency; show recoverable failure rather than a success placeholder.
WORKING SLICE Capture compact note cards, connect them with explicit links and browse a focused collection view. Search quickly and export each card with its links and original creation metadata. Build this scoped Supernotes-inspired workflow with a documented data model and visible failure states. Architecture - Tauri, React and TypeScript for the desktop interface with a narrowly scoped Rust filesystem bridge. - SQLite for structured state and search; user-owned files for original documents and attachments. Prerequisites and limits Node and the Rust toolchain, a supported desktop build environment and an explicitly selected data folder. Remote sync is outside the initial scope. Outside this release: real-time collaboration, mobile polish, sync, and card-based workflow refinement; frictionless mobile capture Data model and correctness note cards, stable card IDs, tags, parent/related links, collections and Markdown revisions Invariant: Cards retain identity when retitled or moved; a collection membership change cannot delete the underlying note. Save edits atomically with stable IDs and revision history. Detect external file changes and offer a conflict copy instead of last-write-wins data loss. Security and privacy Limit Tauri capabilities to selected folders and commands. Render imported content without executable HTML, and never expose arbitrary shell execution to the webview. Recovery and export Provide a portable folder export with a JSON manifest and original files. Restore to a separate folder; rebuild disposable indexes from sources. Implementation order 1. Phase 1 — Scope and fixtures. Implement this bounded workflow: Capture compact note cards, connect them with explicit links and browse a focused collection view. Search quickly and export each card with its links and original creation metadata. Record prerequisites, select representative user-owned fixtures and document the unsupported features: real-time collaboration, mobile polish, sync, and card-based workflow refinement; frictionless mobile capture 2. Phase 2 — Durable model. Model note cards, stable card IDs, tags, parent/related links, collections and Markdown revisions Add migrations or a versioned document format, explicit validation, stable IDs and a visible import-error report. Preserve this rule: Cards retain identity when retitled or moved; a collection membership change cannot delete the underlying note. 3. Phase 3 — Complete the first useful path. Implement the workflow's input, review and output interface, with clear controls and explicit empty/error states. Save edits atomically with stable IDs and revision history. Detect external file changes and offer a conflict copy instead of last-write-wins data loss. 4. Phase 4 — Permissions and integration failure. Limit Tauri capabilities to selected folders and commands. Render imported content without executable HTML, and never expose arbitrary shell execution to the webview. Request integration credentials and permissions only for the enabled feature; show a disconnected state instead of mock results. 5. Phase 5 — Portable handoff. Provide a portable folder export with a JSON manifest and original files. Restore to a separate folder; rebuild disposable indexes from sources. Include setup, operating limits, fixture walkthrough and shutdown/restart instructions in the README. 6. Phase 6 — Acceptance scenarios. Remove a card from a collection and still find it in search; export/import preserves the card graph without duplicate IDs. Repeat the workflow after restart and with a denied permission or unavailable dependency; show recoverable failure rather than a success placeholder. Acceptance Remove a card from a collection and still find it in search; export/import preserves the card graph without duplicate IDs. Use real source data or clearly labeled fixtures. Explain unsupported input and provider failures; do not fabricate analytics, delivery receipts, accuracy claims or security guarantees. Optional agent guidance Optional external skill: [vercel-react-best-practices](https://github.com/vercel-labs/agent-skills/blob/main/skills/react-best-practices/SKILL.md) — Improve React and Next.js data fetching, rendering, bundle size and server performance. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission. Optional external skill: [web-design-guidelines](https://github.com/vercel-labs/agent-skills/blob/main/skills/web-design-guidelines/SKILL.md) — Review web interfaces for accessibility, keyboard focus, forms, navigation and interaction quality. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission. Optional external skill: [sharp-edges](https://github.com/trailofbits/skills/blob/main/plugins/sharp-edges/skills/sharp-edges/SKILL.md) — Review security-sensitive APIs and configuration for dangerous defaults and easy-to-misuse interfaces. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission. Project rule — data model: note cards, stable card IDs, tags, parent/related links, collections and Markdown revisions Project rule — preserve this invariant: Cards retain identity when retitled or moved; a collection membership change cannot delete the underlying note. Project rule — acceptance evidence: Remove a card from a collection and still find it in search; export/import preserves the card graph without duplicate IDs.
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Supernotes pricing
| plan | monthly | annual (per mo) | what you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| starter | $0/user | $0/user | Starts with 100 kept cards; +20 cards per successful referral; cards have a 1,200-character soft limit.At the card cap, existing kept cards remain viewable and editable, but the user cannot create, like or join new cards. |
| unlimited | $10.82/user | $8.12/user | Unlimited cards; full API and integrations; AI features; priority support on yearly billing.Source currency is GBP. Monthly is £8, derived exactly from the page's £6 annual equivalent and 25% annual discount; annual is £72/year. Converted at the ECB 2026-08-12 reference cross-rate of about $1.35254/£. |
| unlimited 4-year licence | — | — | Unlimited creation for 4 years; after expiry, existing cards remain readable, editable and shareable, but no new cards can be created.Single non-recurring payment with a stated 50% discount; the live public page did not expose the current one-time amount. |
free tier100 kept cards initially; achievements and referrals can raise the cap, with +20 cards per successful referral
billingmonthly + annual + one-time 4-year licence; £72 billed annually; 14-day money-back guarantee
hidden costsApp Store/Play Store prices and taxes can differ by region; student pricing is 50% off yearly or 63% off the 4-year licence; new-card creation stops when a 4-year licence expires unless renewed
pricing sources checked 2026-08-13 · pricing source ↗
Questions about Supernotes
Can you build your own Supernotes with AI?
The verdict is yes for the scoped workflow. The core loop is small enough for a capable coding agent to produce a useful local version in one sitting. For Supernotes, capture small linked cards, tag them, and review or share focused collections. The hard boundary is real-time collaboration, mobile polish, sync, and card-based workflow refinement, plus sync, collaboration, and capture polish.
What does the Supernotes build prompt cover?
The prompt starts with this scope: Capture compact note cards, connect them with explicit links and browse a focused collection view. Search quickly and export each card with its links and original creation metadata. Full-product capabilities excluded from the comparison include: real-time collaboration, mobile polish, sync, and card-based workflow refinement; frictionless mobile capture; real-time team editing. Follow the implementation plan and its prerequisites before expanding the build.
How do I use the prompt, AGENTS.md and agent skills?
Start with the Supernotes prerequisites and stack, then copy the prompt into your coding agent. Save the project rules as AGENTS.md in the project root. Linked skills are optional packages or source instructions for specific tasks; review their current contents and install only those matching the chosen stack. A skill does not supply API credentials or verify the finished app.
How long will this Supernotes project take?
The catalogue estimate is one sitting for the limited scope. Setup, integration approvals, debugging, deployment and ongoing maintenance can add time. This is an estimate, not a delivery guarantee.
What would I give up by replacing Supernotes?
real-time collaboration, mobile polish, sync, and card-based workflow refinement; frictionless mobile capture; real-time team editing; hosted publishing; proprietary AI memory. People still pay for Supernotes because people keep paying when the note system is trusted across every device and disappears into their daily capture habits. The recurring cost buys file watching, conflict handling, indexing, mobile apps, encryption, backups, and migrations, not just the visible interface.
What price is this guide comparing against?
The recorded Unlimited plan is $10.82/mo per seat (monthly per user), checked 2026-08-13. Check the linked pricing source before buying. Building your own also has hosting, API and maintenance costs; the recorded amount is not a guaranteed saving.
What can I use instead of building Supernotes?
Memos: Small Markdown cards, tags and public or private sharing, served from one Docker container. Check each option's license, hosting needs and feature limits.