SMF·ANYTYPE
Can a prompt replace Anytype?
Notes & knowledge management — notes, wikis and personal knowledge bases
Exhibit tracking slip
Verdict
Real-time, no-central-server sync between your own devices — using a CRDT library so edits from two offline devices merge automatically without a server resolving conflicts — is a genuine, if meaningfully harder than the rest of this catalogue's notes tools, weekend-to-week build using existing open libraries. What doesn't survive: Anytype's polished cross-platform apps and its structured-object and relation layer on top of the note graph.
Exhibit A — The prompt
Received on31.07.2026Build a local-first note app that syncs between your own devices without a central server, using a CRDT library — Yjs or Automerge, both mature; don't write your own merge algorithm. Use Tauri with the CRDT library embedded, storing each note as a CRDT document persisted locally. For peer-to-peer sync between devices, use a library like Yjs's y-webrtc provider (peer discovery via a small public signaling server, but the actual document data never touches that server) or a local network discovery approach for devices on the same Wi-Fi. Support the same core note-taking loop as this catalogue's other notes tools — wiki-links, backlinks, full-text search — implemented on top of the CRDT documents rather than plain files, since that's what makes offline-edit-then-merge actually work correctly. Test the specific case that matters: edit the same note on two devices while offline, then reconnect, and confirm both edits merge without data loss. Do not build a structured-object/relation layer, a plugin ecosystem, or polished apps for every platform — a working desktop build via Tauri is enough. No account needed; a lightweight public signaling server, many free options exist, is the only external dependency, and it never sees your actual note content.
Opening prefills the prompt — press enter to run it.
Exhibit B — What you lose
- B.1 polished native apps on every platform
- B.2 the structured-object and relation layer on top of notes
- B.3 a public plugin and extension ecosystem
- B.4 years of CRDT edge-case and performance tuning at scale
Prior art
Exhibit C — Why people still pay: sync, collaboration, and capture polish
A CRDT library handles the merge algorithm; making peer-to-peer discovery, large-document performance, and every platform's app feel reliable and fast is the years of engineering underneath.
Questions
Does my data pass through a server anywhere?
Only a signaling server for initial peer discovery, and it never sees your actual note content — the CRDT document data syncs directly between your devices, matching Anytype's own local-first design.
What happens if I edit the same note offline on two devices?
Both edits merge automatically when the devices reconnect, thanks to the CRDT library's conflict-free merge algorithm — that's the specific case this build is designed and tested around.
Does it have the structured databases Anytype has, on top of notes?
No — that relation and object layer is real additional product design this build doesn't attempt. This is notes with backlinks and CRDT sync, nothing more structured.
What does it cost to run?
Nothing beyond an optional free-tier signaling server for peer discovery — there's no subscription, since sync doesn't depend on a paid backend.
Related tools
Receipt