Introducing AS Notes
[[wikilink]]-style knowledge management inside VS Code. Plain markdown files, local SQLite index, no cloud account required.
Most note-taking tools want you to leave your editor. AS Notes doesn't. It runs as a VS Code extension - so your notes live in the same environment as your code, your terminal, and your Git history.
Download from AS Notes - VS Code Marketplace
What it does
You write standard markdown files, link pages with [[wikilinks]], and the extension handles the rest: link resolution, backlinks, renaming, task tracking, journaling, and navigation across your workspace.
Wikilinks. Type [[Page Name]] and AS Notes resolves it globally - no folder paths, no extensions. Rename a file and every reference to it updates automatically. Case-insensitive matching, page aliases, subfolder resolution, and nested links are all handled.
Backlinks with context. The backlinks panel shows every page linking to the current one as a chain - the full outline path from root down to the link. Click any entry to jump to the source line.
Tasks in your notes. Toggle TODOs with Ctrl+Shift+Enter. Tag priority (#P1, #P2, #P3), due dates (#D-2026-03-25), and waiting flags (#W) inline. The Tasks panel aggregates everything across your workspace and groups by page, priority, or due date.
Daily journal. Ctrl+Alt+J opens today's entry from a template. A calendar panel in the sidebar shows which days have entries.
Kanban backed by markdown. Each card is a .md file with YAML front matter. Drag between lanes, add entries, attach files - every change is a plain text file you can diff.
Outliner mode. Every line becomes a bullet. Tab/Shift+Tab to indent, Enter to continue, multi-line paste splits into individual items.
Slash commands. Type / for dates, code blocks, tables (with add/remove row and column operations), templates, and task tags.
Everything runs on plain .md files. Nothing proprietary, nothing you can't open in any other editor tomorrow.
VS Code as the host
VS Code is already installed for most developers. Using it as your notes app means you get a lot for nothing extra:
- Remote development - SSH, containers, WSL, Codespaces. Your notes follow your dev environment.
- AI extensions - GitHub Copilot, Claude, and others can read and work with your notes directly
- The extension ecosystem - Mermaid diagrams, Vim keybindings, draw.io, PDF preview, all usable alongside AS Notes
- Git - stage, diff, branch, and resolve conflicts without leaving the editor
If you already live in VS Code, there's no context switch.
Your data stays local
AS Notes works fully offline.
The index is a local SQLite database at .asnotes/index.db, built using a WASM build of SQLite - no native dependencies. The source is on GitHub if you want to see how it works.
For sensitive content, AS Notes Pro supports AES-256-GCM encryption. The passphrase is stored in the OS keychain via VS Code's SecretStorage - never written to disk.
Publishing
AS Notes can convert your markdown notes to a static website. This blog is built that way - each post is a .md file, pushed to Git, built by Cloudflare Pages. The same setup works with GitHub Pages, Netlify, Vercel, or any static host.
There's more detail in: AS Notes - A Static Site Generator in your Markdown Knowledgebase
Getting started
- Install from the VS Code Marketplace
- Open the Command Palette (
Ctrl+Shift+P) and run AS Notes: Initialise Workspace - Type
[[in any markdown file to start linking
To see a working knowledge base, clone the demo notes repository and open it in VS Code.
AS Notes is free. Templates, table commands, kanban, and encrypted notes are Pro features - licence keys at asnotes.io/pricing.