Grug Notes A simple self-organizing tool for text.

What is Grug Notes?

Grug Notes offers a minimalist, web-based interface designed for speed and simplicity in note-taking. Inspired by the efficiency needs of manufacturing and the straightforward design of sites like Hacker News and Craigslist, it aims to minimize friction for users who need to capture information quickly, whether in an office or on a shop floor. The focus is on core functionality without unnecessary complexity.

Leveraging artificial intelligence, the tool automatically processes plain text notes to identify and link entities such as people, companies, and natural language dates. Grug AI assists further by extracting attributes and structured data, effectively turning unstructured text into an organized database. This AI capability also powers a semantic search function, allowing users to query their notes using natural language, significantly reducing the need for manual tagging and organization.

Features

Plain Text Notes: Enables easy, fast note creation with minimal formatting.
AI Organization: Automatically identifies and organizes people, companies, and dates within notes.
Attribute & Data Extraction: Uses AI to pull structured data and attributes from text.
Semantic Search: Allows users to find information using natural language queries powered by AI.
Wiki Functionality: Supports markdown styling, [[links]], #tags, and attributes for knowledge building.
Backlinks: Automatically groups related notes via AI analysis, tags, and auto-tagging.
Voice Notes: Includes push-to-talk recording, talk-to-edit functionality, and speech-to-search.
Tag Synonyms: Allows users to define alternative names for tags.
Outliner Features: Supports indentation using tab/return keys with visual level indicators.
Customizable Line Starters: Cycle through predefined characters (e.g., for to-do lists) using Ctrl-Return.

Use Cases

Personal knowledge management (PKM)
Quick note-taking and journaling
Organizing customer relationship details
Logging equipment maintenance schedules
Documenting quality control procedures
Creating and maintaining operating manuals
Building personal or team wikis
Managing unstructured information for small businesses

FAQs

Is Grug Notes related to the Grug Brained Developer meme?

Yes, the meme inspired the name, reflecting the tool's focus on caveman-like simplicity in an increasingly complex world.
Why was Grug Notes developed by a canoe company?

It originated from Kamanu Composites' internal need for a simpler, faster note-taking solution suitable for manufacturing environments, developed as a process improvement and diversification effort.
Is Grug Notes suitable for users prioritizing local storage or end-to-end encryption?

No, users requiring local-first storage or end-to-end encryption should consider other tools, as Grug Notes prioritizes accessibility and speed over these features.
Does Grug Notes support images or other media?

Currently, Grug Notes primarily supports text. Support for media like images and PDFs is not a current priority.
What is the long-term vision for Grug Notes?

The vision is to be a simple, effective tool for managing information for personal and small business use, aiming to simplify workflows and potentially replace more complex software systems.