écrit – Writing Without Friction

écrit is a minimal, distraction-free writing app built for people who just want to write. Most note apps become bloated over time and force you to navigate menus and interfaces before you can even start. écrit removes all of that.

You open it and write instantly. The UI stays invisible until you call it.

Features

• Instant Writing – No menus, no setup. Just open and write.
• Keyboard-First – Everything is controlled via shortcuts.
• Voice Transcription – Speak and watch your words appear.
• Autosave – Your work is always safe.
• Minimal UI – The interface stays out of your way.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Global Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl + K	Open notes search
Ctrl + Alt + N	Create new note
Ctrl + Shift + P	Open settings
Ctrl + Shift + D	Delete current note (with confirmation)
Ctrl + Shift + S	Share current note

Editor Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl + S	Save note
Esc (single)	Exit note (shows warning if unsaved)
Esc (in warning)	Dismiss exit warning
Esc (recording)	Stop voice recording
Esc + Esc	Start voice recording (double-tap < 300ms)

Text Formatting

The editor supports standard rich text formatting shortcuts:

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl + B	Bold text
Ctrl + I	Italic text
Ctrl + U	Underline text
Ctrl + Shift + X	Strikethrough text
Ctrl + E	Inline code
Ctrl + Alt + 1-6	Heading levels 1-6

Note: On macOS, use ⌘ (Cmd) instead of Ctrl

Tech Stack

• Framework – Next.js 16 with React 19
• Database – PostgreSQL with Drizzle ORM
• Auth – Better Auth
• Editor – Novel (Tiptap-based)
• Styling – Tailwind CSS
• State – Zustand + TanStack Query

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+ or Bun
• PostgreSQL database
• Docker (optional)

Installation

1. Fork this repository.

2. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/ecrit.git
cd ecrit

3. First time setting up dev env, use the script

• make it executable

  chmod +x scripts/run-dev.sh

• run the script

  ./scripts/run-dev.sh

  this will setup the entire dev env for if this is the first time running it locally and from there if it's the second time, you can just run bun run dev

Open http://localhost:3000 to start writing.

HTTPS Development (for voice recording)

Voice transcription requires HTTPS. Run with:

bun run dev:https

Project Structure

ecrit/
├── app/                 # Next.js app router
│   ├── (app)/          # Authenticated routes
│   ├── (auth)/         # Auth routes
│   └── api/            # API routes
├── components/         # React components
│   ├── editor/         # Novel editor
│   ├── modals/         # Modal dialogs
│   └── ui/             # UI primitives
├── db/                 # Database schema
├── hooks/              # Custom hooks
├── lib/                # Utilities
└── contex/             # React contexts

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

License

MIT

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écrit is writing the way it should be.