KeepGlide
Free on Linux

KeepGlide for desktop, notes connected.

KeepGlide for desktop is a desktop app for Linux (x86_64): your notes, PDFs and files, linked together and, if you choose, kept in step with Google Drive. For people who live in Markdown and PDFs and want it all local-first.

Download for Linux See it in action Local mode is free. When paid licenses open, a license will add Sync and Cloud: US$19, one-time. Free updates for all 1.x versions.

  • Works offline, syncs later

    In Sync mode, changes you make offline wait in a queue and go out when the connection returns.

  • Wikilinks

    Connect notes with [[name]] and follow backlinks across the vault, the folder that holds your notes.

  • Documents ready to read

    Highlight and annotate PDFs, then cite the exact page from your notes.

Local-first

Local mode stays on your computer and needs no account.

The KeepGlide app showing a Markdown note with properties, a callout and a list of incoming and outgoing wikilinks

Price and download

Download for Linux 

How to install

Local mode is free. When paid licenses open, a license will add Sync and Cloud: US$19, one-time. Free updates for all 1.x versions.

or

See it in action

Desktop app for Linux (x86_64). Local mode needs no account.

ModesThemesGoogle Drive

In motion

See it in action

Short clips recorded in the real app, with a small demo vault.

Open a note, follow the links

Follow wikilinks between notes and see each incoming and outgoing link beside the text.

Search the whole vault

Explore the connection graph

Open the vault graph and zoom into clusters of connected notes.

Read a PDF

Open a PDF next to your notes and scroll through its pages.

Cite a page of a PDF

Link a note to page 2 of a PDF and see the citation marked on the page.

Validate and format JSON

See the line and column of a syntax error, then format the file with one click.

Edit, read or both

Switch a Markdown note between edit, read and side by side.

Your files

Your notes are plain Markdown files

Each note is a .md file, in a format you can open without the KeepGlide app. In Local and Sync modes the files sit in a folder on your computer, and Local mode needs no account. In Cloud mode they live in your Google Drive.

  • Wikilinks and backlinks

    Link notes with [[name]] or embed them with ![[name]]. Rename or move a file and the links to it are rewritten.

  • Properties and tags

    Frontmatter is shown formatted above the note, and #tags work in the text.

  • Checklists and callouts

    Task checkboxes, callouts, tables and ==highlights== in the note.

  • Code, math and diagrams

    Code blocks with syntax highlighting, and math with KaTeX and Mermaid diagrams in read and side-by-side views.

How writing works in Help

The whole app

What the KeepGlide app does

Seven areas, from writing to keeping your files safe. The big card in each area is the one to look at first.

Write

Plain Markdown, with the tools a long note needs.

Markdown: edit, read or side by side

Three views for every note: edit the source, read the result, or see both at once.

A Markdown note with a properties block, a checklist and a callout

  • Formatting keys

    Bold, italic, strike, highlight, code, wikilinks, tasks and headings.

  • Tables and callouts

    Tables, callouts, task checkboxes and ==highlights==.

  • Math and diagrams

    Math with KaTeX and Mermaid diagrams in read and side-by-side views.

  • Code blocks

    Code blocks with syntax highlighting.

  • Properties

    Frontmatter shown formatted above the note.

  • Export to PDF

    Export notes to PDF in batches, with layout presets.

Connect

Link notes and see how they fit together.

Wikilinks and embeds

Link with [[note]] and embed with ![[note]], then see the graph of the vault.

The vault graph showing six notes as connected dots with their names

  • Backlinks

    A backlinks panel for every note.

  • Unlinked mentions

    Find mentions of a note and turn them into links.

  • Graph

    The graph of the current note or of the whole vault.

  • Tags and colors

    #tags in text, plus emoji, color and tags per folder.

  • Links follow moves

    Rename or move a file and the links to it are rewritten.

  • AI agents (MCP)

    A built-in MCP server lets AI agents read your notes and PDFs. Writing stays off until you turn it on. How MCP works

Read

Open documents, PDFs and media next to your notes.

PDFs with citations

Highlight, underline and strike marks, plus notes and text boxes, in several colors. Then cite the page from a note.

A PDF open in the KeepGlide app with highlight tools and the notes that cite it

  • Search and rotate in a PDF

    Find text in the document and rotate pages.

  • Books

    An EPUB, MOBI, FB2 and CBZ reader.

  • Word and OpenDocument

    ODT and DOC viewing. DOC needs LibreOffice, antiword or catdoc.

  • Spreadsheets

    XLS and XLSX, read-only. CSV and TSV open as text.

  • Media

    Images open, and audio and video play, inside the app.

  • ZIP preview

    See what is inside a ZIP without extracting it.

Data and code

Check, format and edit structured files.

Validate and format JSON

Errors show with line and column as you type, and one click formats the file with two-space indentation.

Before

{"title":"Thermals","tags":["weather","lift"],"links":3}

After

{
  "title": "Thermals",
  "tags": [
    "weather",
    "lift"
  ],
  "links": 3
}

  • JSON in notes

    JSON blocks inside notes are validated and formatted at the cursor.

  • Format JSON (2 spaces)

    One click re-indents any JSON file.

  • JSONL and NDJSON

    Record by record, with an error for each bad line.

  • Code and config

    Code and config files open with syntax highlighting (JSON, XML, SQL, HTML, CSS, JS, Python, Go, Rust and more).

  • File metadata

    Read a file's metadata and copy it as text or JSON. Edit PDF, SVG and XMP metadata, with undo.

Find and move

Find anything quickly and keep your place.

Search the vault

Filter with #tag, path: and color:, by file type, or by title only.

Search results listing five notes with the matching word highlighted next to an open note

  • Quick switcher and palette

    Open a file with Ctrl+O, or run a command with Ctrl+P.

  • Tabs and windows

    Tabs, split panes and pop-out windows.

  • Favorites

    Keep shortcuts to folders, files, saved searches, headings and blocks.

  • Recents

    Recent files on this computer, and a thumbnail grid for large folders.

  • Guest mode

    Open a folder or a Markdown file from outside the vault, read-only.

Keep it safe

Local deletes go to the trash first. By default, a sync conflict merges the edits into one note; when they overlap, or the file is not a note, both versions are kept.

A trash for local deletes

In Local mode, a deleted file waits in the trash until you restore it or delete it forever.

  • Version history

    Compare versions and restore one.

  • Conflicts

    By default, edits on both sides of a note are merged into one note; if they overlap, or the file is not a note, both versions are kept and the other one goes to a _conflicts folder.

  • Local, Sync or Cloud

    Local, Sync (a local mirror with a queue) and Cloud (Google Drive).

  • Sync queue

    In Sync mode, changes wait in a queue while you are offline, and the queue survives restarts.

  • Network and privacy

    By default the app listens only on this computer (127.0.0.1); an optional tailnet listener for MCP stays off until you turn it on. Sync and Cloud modes connect to Google Drive and ask for Drive access. Update checks are opt-in and off by default. No analytics in the app.

Make it yours

Shape the look, the language and the keys.

24 built-in themes

Each one is light or dark, plus custom themes of your own.

  • Fonts and size

    Separate fonts for the interface, editor, reading and monospace text, and the text size.

  • Two languages

    English and Brazilian Portuguese.

  • Remap keys

    Remap the shortcuts of the app's commands.

  • A guided start

    An onboarding tutorial, with a walkthrough for setting up Google Drive.

Formats it opens

  • Markdown
  • JSON
  • JSONL
  • PDF
  • EPUB
  • ODT
  • DOC
  • CSV
  • TSV
  • XLS
  • XLSX
  • MOBI
  • FB2
  • CBZ
  • XML
  • SQL
  • Images
  • Audio
  • Video
  • ZIP
  • Source code

Make it yours

Pick the look that suits your eyes

The KeepGlide app ships 24 built-in themes, each light or dark, plus custom themes. Six of them are below as examples. Pick one and this page takes its color.

Previewing: Lavender (light)

Paid, opens later

Keep in step

Connect your vault to Google Drive

Sync and Cloud modes connect your vault to Google Drive, when you choose them. Sync mode keeps a folder on your computer in step with Google Drive through a queue: while you are offline, changes wait in the queue. In Cloud mode the files live in Google Drive, with a read cache on your computer.

How to connect Google Drive

This computer ~/Field Notes
Google Drive Field Notes
Synced
  • thermals.mdUploaded
  • soaring-basics.pdfDownloaded
  • ridge-lift.mdBoth versions kept

Platforms

KeepGlide for desktop 1.x is an app for Linux (x86_64). It ships as an AppImage (one file you run without installing), a .deb and an .rpm. Windows, macOS and Android are in production: join each waitlist.

Sync and Cloud modes work with Google Drive.

Your choice of mode

Local mode keeps your files on your computer and needs no account. Sync mode keeps a folder on your computer in step with Google Drive, and changes made offline wait in a queue. Cloud mode keeps your files in Google Drive, with a read cache on your computer. Sync and Cloud modes ask for Drive access. No analytics in the app.

Notes connected.

Linux is out now, free. Windows, macOS and Android are in production. Paid licenses are not open yet.

Local mode is free. When paid licenses open, a license will add Sync and Cloud: US$19, one-time. Free updates for all 1.x versions.

Download for Linux

Join the waitlist