Daily notes as plain text files, with search and optional encryption.
Standalone tool, but most effectively used together with duras_bridge, a minimal Vim / Neovim plugin that integrates the CLI directly into the text editor.
pip install durasRequires Python 3.9 or later. No dependencies. gpg optional for encrypted notes.
duras # open today's note in $EDITOR
duras append "fix login bug #todo"
duras search todo
duras tagsOne file per day:
~/Documents/Notes/YYYY/MM/YYYY-MM-DD.dn
Each note is self-describing plain UTF-8 text:
date: 2026-04-28
2026-04-28 09:10 started work
2026-04-28 14:32 fix null check in login handler #todo
2026-04-28 16:00 called bank re: account — follow up Thursday
Properties:
- plain UTF-8, LF line endings
- header
date:field matches filename and directory - entries are timestamped lines, two spaces between timestamp and text
- filesystem is the index; no database, no hidden state
- atomic writes
- readable with any text tool
Encrypted note:
YYYY/MM/YYYY-MM-DD.dn.gpg
via the GNU Privacy Guard.
Fits:
- terminal-based workflows
- grep-based retrieval
- long-lived plain text notes
- optional encryption
Not a fit:
- sync system
- GUI or rich text editor
- query engine or database
duras # today
duras open -1 # yesterday
duras open 2026-04-19
duras open -- +10 # pass +10 to $EDITOR (jump to line)duras append "text"
duras append -d -1 "yesterday"
cat file | duras append
cmd | duras appendText argument is optional. When omitted, stdin is read automatically.
duras show
duras show -1duras list
duras list -n 0 # all notes
duras statsOrder: by filename (ISO date), not mtime.
duras search error
duras search todo -i # case-insensitive
duras tags # all tags with counts
duras tags project # notes containing #projectLiteral match, not regex. Encrypted notes excluded.
duras export ~/backup
duras export ~/backup --encryptCreates a timestamped .tar.gz. --encrypt pipes through gpg; no plaintext archive is written.
duras path # absolute path to today's note
duras dir # notes root directory
duras today # print today's date
duras audit # validate directory structure
duras echo # notes on this date in past years
duras near # notes within ±3 days of today
duras mv 2026-04-17 2026-04-16duras -c open
duras -c append "secret"
duras -c show- uses system
gpg append -cis memory-only; no plaintext temp fileopen -cwrites a temp file to/dev/shmwhen available
YYYY-MM-DD absolute
0 today
-1 yesterday
-7 one week ago
Future dates are rejected.
| variable | meaning |
|---|---|
DURAS_DIR |
notes directory (default: ~/Documents/Notes) |
EDITOR |
editor (fallback: nano, vi, ed) |
DURAS_GPG_KEY |
GPG recipient (default: self) |
.editorconfig is written to the notes directory on first run. It configures
any supporting editor to use UTF-8, LF line endings, and 72-column line length
for .dn files.
| code | meaning |
|---|---|
| 0 | ok |
| 1 | error |
| 2 | not found |
| 3 | invalid input |
| 4 | external failure |
- encrypted notes are not searchable
- depends on system
gpgfor encryption
man durasduras --help- https://duras.readthedocs.io/en/stable/
ISC