OnlyWrite CLI

OnlyWrite is a local-first personal writing resource system. It stores Notes and References in a SQLite database under ~/.onlywrite and exposes the same commands to humans, scripts, and external AI agents.

Install

npm install -g onlywrite
onlywrite doctor

Or run it without a global install:

npx onlywrite --help

The package installs one binary: onlywrite.

Quick Start

Create a Note from stdin:

printf 'Draft opening paragraph' | onlywrite note create --title "Opening" --stdin

Import a Reference from a URL:

onlywrite reference import https://example.com/article

Search and read resources:

onlywrite resource search "opening"
onlywrite resource list --type reference
onlywrite resource read <resource-id>

Start the read-only local web viewer:

onlywrite web

Check the local installation:

onlywrite doctor

JSON Mode

Add --json to commands when another program or agent needs stable machine-readable output.

onlywrite resource list --json
onlywrite resource read <resource-id> --json

JSON responses include schemaVersion: 1.

Resource Model

• Note: user-authored or saved Markdown content.
• Reference: external material with a local text snapshot, URL, and optional note.
• Resource Link: a structured link from a Note to a Reference.
• Trash: deleted resources go here until restored or purged.

Common Commands

onlywrite note create --title "Idea" --text "Body"
onlywrite note create --title "From file" --file ./note.md
onlywrite reference create --title "Paper" --url https://example.com --snapshot "Text"
onlywrite reference import https://example.com/article

onlywrite resource list
onlywrite resource list --trash
onlywrite resource search "query" --type note
onlywrite resource read <id>
onlywrite resource update <id> --title "New title" --text "New body"

onlywrite resource link <note-id> <reference-id>
onlywrite resource unlink <note-id> <reference-id> --yes
onlywrite resource delete <id> --yes
onlywrite resource restore <id>
onlywrite resource purge <id> --yes
onlywrite doctor

Local Store

OnlyWrite uses ~/.onlywrite/onlywrite.sqlite by default. Set ONLYWRITE_HOME to use another local store:

ONLYWRITE_HOME=/tmp/onlywrite-demo onlywrite resource list

Safety

reference import only accepts http and https URLs and rejects localhost/private-network hosts before fetching. delete, unlink, and purge require --yes.