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You can keep linked Markdown notes on Linux with backlinks, tags and a graph, and keep every one of them on your own disk. Notes, in Off Grid AI Desktop (OGAD) Pro, writes plain Markdown files you own, and opens your Obsidian vault as it is. Link notes with [[wikilinks]], see what links back, and bring back any earlier version from History.
Your notes stay files in a folder you can open in your file manager. Nothing is uploaded, and the AI that checks your writing runs on your machine.
Get Pro for $34.99 once · Download Off Grid AI for Linux
What you need
- An x64 Linux machine with OGAD 0.0.57 or later, as an AppImage or a .deb. Get it from the download page.
- Off Grid AI Pro, built into the app. Enter your licence key and click Activate. Pro is $34.99 once, a limited-time price down from $119, or $7.99 a month, for up to 5 devices.
Step 1: Open your vault or start a library
Click Notes in the sidebar. The first time, Notes reads Obsidian’s list of vaults on your machine and asks, for example, “Open ‘Work notes’?”
- Click Open to use that vault as it is.
- Click New library to start fresh. Notes makes Off Grid Notes in your Documents folder.
Notes doesn’t move or convert your files, and it leaves the .obsidian folder alone. You can keep Obsidian open on the same vault, and Notes picks up its changes from disk.
To add another folder or a single file, click Add a folder or file (Ctrl+Shift+O), or drag it into the sidebar.
Step 2: Write
Press Ctrl+N or click New note. Each note opens in a tab, in Page, Markdown or Split view. The footer reads “Markdown · saves itself”, so there’s no save button to remember.
Press Ctrl+Alt+D for Today’s note, one note per day for a running log.
Scribe works inside Notes, checking spelling and grammar on your machine as you type. Pause in a paragraph or press Alt+Enter for a clearer version. Hold Alt+Space to dictate, and your words land as Markdown, with lists and headings.
Step 3: Link your notes
Type [[ and pick a note to link it, or [[Note# to link a heading. Add #tags anywhere.
- Backlinks shows the notes that link here, and mentions of its name that aren’t linked yet.
- Outline lists the note’s headings.
- Graph draws every note and link, fitted to the window with names on.
Step 4: Find anything fast
Ctrl+O finds a file by name, Ctrl+Shift+P lists every command, and Filter files narrows the sidebar as you type. Chat in Off Grid AI can answer from your notes too, with a model on your machine.
Step 5: Get any version back
Click History in the note’s toolbar to see earlier versions by day. Choose Changes since or Full text, then Restore, or Copy just the part you need. One Ctrl+Z undoes a restore.
Saves within five minutes fold into one version. Big deletions, restores and changes from other apps each get their own. After 30 days Notes keeps the last version of each day, and always the newest 20. History lives in OGAD’s own data, not in your vault.
If something doesn’t work
| What you see | Why | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Your vault isn’t offered | Obsidian hasn’t opened it here, or Obsidian runs as a Flatpak | Click Add a folder or file and pick the vault folder |
| Notes shows the upgrade screen | Pro isn’t active | Enter your licence key and click Activate |
FAQ
Is there a private notes app for Linux that opens my Obsidian vault?
Yes. Notes in Off Grid AI Desktop Pro finds the vaults Obsidian knows about the first time you open it and offers to open one. It reads your Markdown files where they are and leaves the vault’s .obsidian settings alone.
Can I keep using Obsidian on the same vault? Yes. Both apps edit the same Markdown files. When Obsidian changes a note, Notes picks up the change from disk.
Where are my notes stored on Linux? As plain Markdown files on your machine. A new library lives in your Documents folder, in Off Grid Notes, so you can see it in your file manager.
Does it keep old versions of my notes? Yes. Click History in a note to see earlier versions by day, compare them and restore one. Edits made in other apps get their own versions too.
What do I need? An x64 Linux machine, Off Grid AI Desktop 0.0.57 or later, and an Off Grid AI Pro licence.
Related guides
- How to Check Grammar and Spelling in Every App on Linux in 2026 (Private, On-Device)
- How to Chat With Your Obsidian Notes in 2026 Without Uploading Them
- Best Obsidian Alternatives in 2026 (Private Markdown Notes With Local AI)
Get Off Grid AI Pro, click Notes, and open the vault you already have.