jid (jot it down)

A distraction-free writing app built with GPUI.

What it does

jid is a minimal text editor for focused writing. No menus, no toolbars—just a centered editor and your words.

• Auto-save — Documents save automatically to ~/Documents/jid/
• Multiple themes — Cycle through themes with Cmd+Shift+T
• Focus mode — Dims all lines except the current one for distraction-free writing
• Keyboard-first — All actions via shortcuts

Installation

Linux

Install required dependencies first:

sudo apt install libxkbcommon-x11-dev libxkbcommon-dev

All platforms

cargo install jotitdown

Then run with:

jid

To create a macOS app bundle (launchable from Spotlight/Finder):

curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ehamiter/jid/main/make_app.sh | bash

Building from Source

cargo run

To build a macOS app bundle:

./build_app.sh
cp -r target/release/jid.app /Applications/

Keyboard Shortcuts

Action	Shortcut
Save	Cmd+S
Cycle theme	Cmd+Shift+T
Toggle focus mode	Cmd+Shift+F
Open config	Cmd+,
Quit	Cmd+Q

Themes

Cycle through themes with Cmd+Shift+T in this order: Dark → Light → Sepia → Ocean → Forest → Midnight

Dark	Light

Sepia	Ocean

Forest	Midnight

Midnight is a privacy-focused theme with very dim text, designed for use in public spaces where you want to minimize screen visibility from a distance. When combined with focus mode (Cmd+Shift+F), non-current lines are also ROT13 obfuscated—making your text unreadable to anyone glancing at your screen.

Configuration

Settings are stored in ~/.config/jid/jid.toml and automatically update when you change themes or toggle focus mode.

theme = "dark"                              # dark, light, sepia, ocean, forest, or midnight
focus_mode = false                          # Dims text except current line
documents_dir = "/Users/you/Documents/jid"  # Where documents are saved

To change the default save location, edit documents_dir in the config file.