Show HN: Not_pad: local idea hub, Windows, single .exe, no install, zip

[SylvaM]

I kept abandoning every note tool I tried — not because they were bad, but because they slowly became systems I had to maintain. At some point opening the app meant thinking about the app first. The idea could wait.

So I built something with no moving parts. One executable, no installer, no accounts, no sync, no cloud. Your files are plain .txt or .md stored wherever you want them.

It does more than a basic editor — Markdown preview, collapsible sections you can drag and reorder, a project system with archive/snapshot/trash, find and replace with a live match counter — but the point isn't the features. The point is it never becomes the thing you have to sort out before you can think. Windows only for now.

Free. Would appreciate any feedback on what's missing or broken.

Download: https://github.com/SylvaMoth/not_pad/releases/download/v0.98...

[karlosvomacka]

132 mb? no source code available?

[SylvaM]

I am new to this. I used claude code to create it. Is the source code essential for people to try it? I understand the need for people to check against malware. I am new to github too, so for me it's safer to keep the sources for now. But I am open to arguments against it.

[SylvaM]

No telemetry - No background network calls - Works fully offline - You can monitor network traffic while running not_pad. It makes zero outbound requests. - Only accesses folders set by the user