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Tessera

A synoptic visual notes app — think, draft, and organize on a digital lighttable.

Tessera is a lightweight desktop application that lets you create, edit, and visually arrange notes as cards on a grid. Every note is a plain Markdown file, every image lives in a simple folder, and the order is just a JSON manifest. There's no database, no vendor lock-in — your data is always yours.

What can you do with Tessera?

  • See everything at once. All your notes are displayed simultaneously in a draggable grid, like slides on a lighttable.
  • Write in Markdown. Click any card to edit, with instant preview when you save.
  • Attach images easily. Paste images directly onto a card.
  • Tag and search. Add colored tags to organize, search across titles, content, and tags instantly.
  • Reorder freely. Drag cards to rearrange your narrative or thought flow.
  • Stay portable. Everything is plain files — works with Git, other editors, and AI tools.

If external tools (including coding agents) modify files while Tessera is open, reopen the project to reload from disk. A dedicated in-app refresh action is planned but not yet implemented.

Who is it for?

Tessera is designed for anyone who thinks visually:

  • Lecturers & presenters drafting talk outlines
  • Writers & researchers organizing ideas before committing to a linear structure
  • Designers managing mood boards and visual reference cards
  • Documentarians sketching out pages before building them in MkDocs or similar tools

Quick start

  1. Clone earthgraph/tessera and build with the included scripts (see Getting Started)
  2. Launch Tessera from your local build
  3. Create a project, add your first note, and start writing

For detailed instructions, see Getting Started.

For how projects are stored on disk and what the app deliberately does not do, see Architecture & data model and Known limits.