Capture a Note
ScholarOS uses a rich markdown editor built on TipTap. You can write naturally, use familiar formatting, and link notes together with wiki-links — just like Obsidian, but with AI superpowers.
Creating a New Note
There are several ways to create a new note:
Keyboard shortcut: Cmd+N
Press Cmd+N (or Ctrl+N on Windows/Linux) to instantly create a new note. A blank editor tab will open ready for your content.
Sidebar button
Click the + icon in the file explorer sidebar. A new note will be created in the currently active folder.
File menu
Go to File → New Note from the menu bar.
Using the TipTap Editor
ScholarOS uses TipTap, a rich-text editor that works like a word processor but saves as plain markdown. You can type naturally and use the formatting toolbar, or use markdown syntax directly.
Headings
Use # through ###### for headings.
Or select Heading from the toolbar dropdown.
Bold & Italic
Cmd+B for bold, Cmd+I for italic.
Type **text** or *text* directly.
Lists
Start a line with - for unordered lists or 1. for ordered lists.
Press Tab to indent, Shift+Tab to outdent.
Links & Images
Highlight text and press Cmd+K to add a link.
Drag an image into the editor or paste from clipboard to embed it.
Code Blocks
Wrap text in ` for inline code or ``` for code blocks.
Code blocks support syntax highlighting for over 50 languages.
Blockquotes
Start a line with > to create a blockquote. Useful for citations and excerpts from your sources.
Wiki-Links
ScholarOS supports Obsidian-style wiki-links, making it easy to cross-reference notes and concepts.
Basic syntax
Type [[ to open the autocomplete menu. Start typing the name of the note you want to link to. ScholarOS will search your vault and show matching notes. Press Enter to select.
The [[sorting algorithms]] topic builds on [[binary trees]].Display text override
Use a pipe | to change the display text while keeping the link target:
See [[time complexity|Big O notation]] for details.This links to the note “time complexity” but displays as “Big O notation”.
Backlinks
Every note automatically tracks which other notes link to it. Open the Backlinks panel in the sidebar to see the full reference graph of any note.
Frontmatter & Metadata
Each note can include YAML frontmatter at the top. ScholarOS uses this metadata to categorise and organise your knowledge.
---
title: Binary Trees
tags: [data-structures, algorithms, trees]
course: CS301
semester: Fall 2025
created: 2025-09-15
status: reviewed
---Auto-generated fields
ScholarOS automatically adds created and modified timestamps if they're not present.
Custom fields
Add any fields you like. They're stored in the markdown file and can be searched and filtered in the app.
Auto-Save
ScholarOS saves your work automatically as you type. There's no save button and no risk of losing changes.
How it works
Every keystroke is written to disk within milliseconds. The file on disk is always up to date with what you see in the editor. No autosave delay, no manual saving required.
Undo history
The editor keeps a full undo history. Even though changes are written to disk instantly, you can still undo as far back as your current session. Undo history is cleared when you close the note.
Keyboard Shortcuts
These shortcuts work inside the editor and throughout the app. On Windows/Linux, replace Cmd with Ctrl.
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Cmd + N | New note |
| Cmd + W | Close current tab |
| Cmd + S | Force save (auto-save is always on) |
| Cmd + Z | Undo |
| Cmd + Shift + Z | Redo |
| Cmd + B | Bold |
| Cmd + I | Italic |
| Cmd + K | Insert link |
| Cmd + Shift + K | Insert wiki-link |
| Cmd + Alt + C | Toggle code block |
| Cmd + Shift + 7 | Toggle ordered list |
| Cmd + Shift + 8 | Toggle unordered list |
| Cmd + Shift + L | Toggle AI Copilot |
| Cmd + L | Focus AI chat input |
| Cmd + P | Quick open / search notes |
| Cmd + Shift + F | Search in vault |
| Cmd + Shift + I | Import files |
Master Your Notes
Now that you know how to capture notes, explore what the AI can do with them.