remnote-cli

CLI (command-line interface) companion for the RemNote Automation Bridge plugin. Provides terminal access to your RemNote knowledge base through a lightweight daemon architecture. Useful e.g. for integration with OpenClaw agents, scripting and other automation.

This is a working solution, but still experimental. If you run into any issues, please report them here.

Demo

See CLI flow and troubleshooting in action: View Demo →

Architecture

RemNote + Automation Bridge Plugin (WebSocket client)
         │
         │ ws://127.0.0.1:3002
         ▼
CLI Daemon (background process)
  ├─ WebSocket Server :3002
  └─ HTTP Control API :3100
         ▲
         │ HTTP
CLI Commands (short-lived)
  e.g. remnote-cli create "My Note"

Two components: the RemNote Automation Bridge plugin connects to the CLI daemon's WebSocket server. CLI commands talk to the daemon over a local HTTP control API.

Quick Start

Version compatibility (0.x semver): install a remnote-cli version compatible with your installed RemNote Automation Bridge plugin version. See the Bridge / Consumer Version Compatibility Guide.

npm install -g remnote-cli

# Start the daemon
remnote-cli daemon start

# Check connection (requires RemNote + RemNote Automation Bridge plugin running)
remnote-cli status --text

# Create a note
remnote-cli create "My Note" --content-file /tmp/my-note.md --text

# Search
remnote-cli search "My Note" --text

# Stop the daemon
remnote-cli daemon stop

Documentation

Getting Started

• Installation Guide - Prerequisites and install methods
• Bridge / Consumer Version Compatibility Guide - Match CLI version to installed bridge plugin version (0.x semver)
• Daemon Management - Start, stop, status, logs, and PID behavior
• Demo & Screenshots - Terminal walkthrough of daemon startup, connection checks, and search

Usage

• Command Reference - All CLI commands and examples

Help & Advanced

• Troubleshooting - Common issues and fixes

Development

• Development Setup - Local setup, workflows, and quality checks
• Integration Testing - End-to-end testing against live RemNote

Commands

| Command | Description | |---------|-------------| | daemon start | Start the background daemon | | daemon stop | Stop the daemon | | daemon status | Show daemon process status | | create <title> | Create a new note | | search <query> | Search for notes | | search-tag <tag> | Search for tagged notes with ancestor context | | read <rem-id> | Read a note by ID | | update <rem-id> | Update an existing note | | journal [content] | Append to today's journal | | status | Check bridge connection status |

Global Options

| Flag | Description | |------|-------------| | --json | JSON output (default) | | --text | Human-readable output | | --control-port <port> | Override control port (default: 3100) | | --verbose | Enable verbose stderr logging | | --version | Show version | | --help | Show help |

Configuration

| Setting | Default | Environment | |---------|---------|-------------| | WebSocket port | 3002 | --ws-port flag on daemon start | | Control port | 3100 | --control-port global flag | | PID file | ~/.remnote-cli/daemon.pid | — | | Log file | ~/.remnote-cli/daemon.log | --log-file flag on daemon start |

Prerequisites

• Node.js >= 18
• RemNote desktop app with the RemNote Automation Bridge plugin installed and enabled

Troubleshooting

Daemon won't start — port in use: Another process is using port 3002 or 3100. Use --ws-port or --control-port to pick different ports.

"Bridge not connected" after daemon start: The RemNote Automation Bridge plugin needs to be running in RemNote. Open RemNote and ensure the plugin is enabled.

Stale PID file: If the daemon crashed, daemon start will detect the stale PID file and clean it up automatically.

Commands fail after plugin/CLI upgrade: Check bridge plugin version and remnote-cli --version, then install a compatible CLI version (prefer same minor line for 0.x). See the Bridge / Consumer Version Compatibility Guide.

Related Projects

• remnote-mcp-server — MCP server integration path
• remnote-mcp-bridge — RemNote Automation Bridge plugin

License

MIT