342 lines
12 KiB
Markdown
342 lines
12 KiB
Markdown
<div align="center">
|
|
|
|
<img src="packaging/linux/verstak.svg" width="112" alt="Verstak logo">
|
|
|
|
# Verstak
|
|
|
|
### Keep the context of your work together — locally.
|
|
|
|
Files, notes, links, browser captures, activity and work history
|
|
in one extensible local-first workbench.
|
|
|
|
**English** · [Русский](README.ru.md)
|
|
|
|
[](https://github.com/mirivlad/verstak/releases)
|
|
|
|
|
|
[](LICENSE)
|
|
|
|
[Download](https://github.com/mirivlad/verstak/releases/latest) ·
|
|
[Documentation](https://github.com/mirivlad/verstak-docs) ·
|
|
[Report an issue](https://github.com/mirivlad/verstak/issues)
|
|
|
|
</div>
|
|
|
|
> [!WARNING]
|
|
> Verstak is currently **alpha software**. APIs, storage formats and packaging may change before the first stable release. Use a test vault and keep backups of important data.
|
|
|
|
## What is Verstak?
|
|
|
|
Verstak is a local-first workbench that keeps the context around your work in one place.
|
|
|
|
A **Deal** can represent almost anything:
|
|
|
|
* a software project;
|
|
* a client or customer;
|
|
* a server or infrastructure site;
|
|
* a device under repair;
|
|
* an article or research topic;
|
|
* a training course;
|
|
* a personal long-term project.
|
|
|
|
Normally, information about such work is scattered across directories, notes, browser tabs, task managers, password managers, terminal history and memory.
|
|
|
|
Verstak brings it together in a local **vault** that remains under your control.
|
|
|
|
No account, cloud service or sync server is required for local use.
|
|
|
|
## Verstak in use
|
|
|
|
| Overview: return to a Deal and see its recent work, captures and items that need attention. | Files: manage ordinary folders and documents inside a Deal. |
|
|
| --- | --- |
|
|
|  |  |
|
|
|
|
| Notes: keep Markdown notes next to the Deal they describe. | Journal: record a completed session and retain its context. |
|
|
| --- | --- |
|
|
|  |  |
|
|
|
|
## Main features
|
|
|
|
| Feature | Description |
|
|
| ------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
|
|
| **Deals** | Organize files, notes and activity around durable projects, clients and other areas of work. |
|
|
| **Files** | Browse and manage ordinary files stored inside your vault. |
|
|
| **Notes** | Create Markdown notes, overview pages and links between related information. |
|
|
| **Overview** | Quickly return to recent work and see what may need attention. |
|
|
| **Browser Inbox** | Send pages, links, selections and files from a browser into Verstak. |
|
|
| **Activity and Journal** | Reconstruct work sessions and turn selected activity into journal entries. |
|
|
| **Todo** | Keep optional task lists inside individual Deals and across the whole vault. |
|
|
| **Search** | Search across notes, files and supported plugin data. |
|
|
| **Trash** | Restore deleted items or remove them permanently from one central location. |
|
|
| **Secrets** | Keep credentials and access information connected to the relevant Deal. |
|
|
| **Templates** | Create repeatable Deal structures for common types of work. |
|
|
| **Plugins** | Add, replace or disable tools without turning Verstak into one rigid monolithic application. |
|
|
| **Optional sync** | Synchronize vaults between devices using a self-hosted Verstak Sync Server. |
|
|
|
|
## Download and install
|
|
|
|
Download the latest build from the
|
|
[GitHub Releases page](https://github.com/mirivlad/verstak/releases/latest).
|
|
|
|
Release packages already include the matching official plugins.
|
|
|
|
| System | Download | Installation |
|
|
| --------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------- |
|
|
| Debian 13 / Ubuntu 24.04 or newer | `verstak_<version>_amd64.deb` | Install through APT. |
|
|
| Other x86_64 Linux distributions | `verstak-linux-x86_64-<version>.AppImage` | Make the file executable and run it. |
|
|
| Windows 10/11 x64 | `verstak-windows-amd64-<version>.zip` | Extract the archive and launch `Verstak.cmd`. |
|
|
|
|
### Debian and Ubuntu
|
|
|
|
```bash
|
|
sudo apt install ./verstak_*_amd64.deb
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
Launch Verstak from the application menu or run:
|
|
|
|
```bash
|
|
verstak
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
### AppImage
|
|
|
|
```bash
|
|
chmod +x verstak-linux-x86_64-*.AppImage
|
|
./verstak-linux-x86_64-*.AppImage
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
On a system without FUSE support:
|
|
|
|
```bash
|
|
APPIMAGE_EXTRACT_AND_RUN=1 ./verstak-linux-x86_64-*.AppImage
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
### Windows portable version
|
|
|
|
1. Download `verstak-windows-amd64-<version>.zip`.
|
|
2. Extract it to a local directory.
|
|
3. Run `Verstak.cmd`.
|
|
|
|
Do not run Verstak directly from inside the ZIP archive or from a network share.
|
|
|
|
Verstak uses the Microsoft WebView2 Runtime. It is already included with Windows 11 and most current Windows 10 installations. If Verstak does not start, install the
|
|
[Microsoft WebView2 Runtime x64](https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkId=2124701).
|
|
|
|
## Background and tray mode
|
|
|
|
Closing the main window keeps Verstak running in the system tray. Use **Show Verstak** to bring it back and **Quit** to exit the application completely. This lets scheduled Todo reminders continue while the window is hidden.
|
|
|
|
### Verify a download
|
|
|
|
Each release includes a `SHA256SUMS` file.
|
|
|
|
On Linux:
|
|
|
|
```bash
|
|
sha256sum -c SHA256SUMS --ignore-missing
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
## First start
|
|
|
|
### 1. Create or open a vault
|
|
|
|
A **vault** is the root directory where Verstak stores your work.
|
|
|
|
Choose a writable local directory. For example:
|
|
|
|
```text
|
|
Documents/
|
|
└── Verstak/
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
Your files and notes remain ordinary files that can be accessed without Verstak.
|
|
|
|
### 2. Create your first Deal
|
|
|
|
Inside the vault, create a Deal for a project, client, server, device or another area of work.
|
|
|
|
For example:
|
|
|
|
```text
|
|
Home server
|
|
Customer Alpha
|
|
Verstak development
|
|
3D printer
|
|
Training course
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
### 3. Add context
|
|
|
|
Open the Deal and add the information needed to return to it later:
|
|
|
|
* notes and decisions;
|
|
* documents and source files;
|
|
* useful links;
|
|
* access information;
|
|
* journal entries;
|
|
* tasks;
|
|
* materials captured from the browser.
|
|
|
|
### 4. Return through Overview
|
|
|
|
The Overview screen shows recent changes, unfinished captures, activity and other useful entry points back into your work.
|
|
|
|
## How Verstak stores data
|
|
|
|
Verstak follows several principles:
|
|
|
|
* your vault is local and works without an account or internet connection;
|
|
* files and notes remain readable outside the application;
|
|
* synchronization is optional and is not the source of truth;
|
|
* the user should understand where data is stored and what happens to it;
|
|
* application tools are provided by plugins rather than being permanently embedded into the core.
|
|
|
|
The desktop application loads plugins from a `plugins/` directory located beside the executable.
|
|
|
|
## Browser integration
|
|
|
|
The optional browser extension can send the following into Browser Inbox:
|
|
|
|
* the current page;
|
|
* selected text;
|
|
* a link;
|
|
* a downloaded or selected file.
|
|
|
|
Repository:
|
|
|
|
[mirivlad/verstak-browser-extension](https://github.com/mirivlad/verstak-browser-extension)
|
|
|
|
To connect the extension:
|
|
|
|
1. Open Browser Inbox settings in Verstak.
|
|
2. Copy the Receiver URL and Pairing Token.
|
|
3. Paste them into the extension settings.
|
|
4. Save the settings and send a test page.
|
|
|
|
Passive domain activity tracking is disabled by default. When enabled, it sends bounded time totals by normalized domain. It does not send page contents, keystrokes or full browsing history.
|
|
|
|
## Optional synchronization
|
|
|
|
Local use does not require a server.
|
|
|
|
For synchronization between devices, deploy the optional self-hosted
|
|
[Verstak Sync Server](https://github.com/mirivlad/verstak-sync-server).
|
|
|
|
Each vault is connected separately. The local vault remains the primary copy of your data.
|
|
|
|
## Build from source
|
|
|
|
### Requirements
|
|
|
|
* Go 1.24 or newer;
|
|
* Node.js 20 or newer with npm;
|
|
* Python 3;
|
|
* Git;
|
|
* Wails v2 build dependencies;
|
|
* WebKitGTK development packages on Linux.
|
|
* Ayatana AppIndicator development files on Linux (`sudo apt install libayatana-appindicator3-dev`).
|
|
|
|
See the
|
|
[Wails installation documentation](https://wails.io/docs/gettingstarted/installation/)
|
|
for distribution-specific dependencies.
|
|
|
|
### Clone the repositories
|
|
|
|
The desktop, SDK and official plugin repositories must be cloned as sibling directories:
|
|
|
|
```text
|
|
verstak-source/
|
|
├── verstak/
|
|
├── verstak-sdk/
|
|
└── verstak-official-plugins/
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
```bash
|
|
mkdir verstak-source
|
|
cd verstak-source
|
|
|
|
git clone https://github.com/mirivlad/verstak.git
|
|
git clone https://github.com/mirivlad/verstak-sdk.git
|
|
git clone https://github.com/mirivlad/verstak-official-plugins.git
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
### Build
|
|
|
|
```bash
|
|
cd verstak-sdk
|
|
./scripts/build.sh
|
|
|
|
cd ../verstak-official-plugins
|
|
./scripts/build.sh
|
|
|
|
cd ../verstak
|
|
./scripts/install-dev-plugins.sh
|
|
./scripts/build.sh
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
The resulting application will be located at:
|
|
|
|
```bash
|
|
./build/bin/verstak-desktop
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
Run it with additional diagnostics:
|
|
|
|
```bash
|
|
./build/bin/verstak-desktop --debug
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
## Build release packages locally
|
|
|
|
These commands create local artifacts in `release/`. They do not publish a GitHub Release.
|
|
|
|
### Debian package
|
|
|
|
```bash
|
|
./scripts/package-deb.sh v0.1.0-alpha.1
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
### AppImage
|
|
|
|
```bash
|
|
./scripts/package-appimage.sh v0.1.0-alpha.1
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
### Windows portable ZIP
|
|
|
|
The Windows archive can be cross-compiled on Linux using MinGW:
|
|
|
|
```bash
|
|
sudo apt install gcc-mingw-w64-x86-64 zip
|
|
./scripts/package-windows-portable.sh v0.1.0-alpha.1
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
## Project repositories
|
|
|
|
| Repository | Purpose |
|
|
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ |
|
|
| [verstak](https://github.com/mirivlad/verstak) | Desktop application, core platform and UI shell |
|
|
| [verstak-official-plugins](https://github.com/mirivlad/verstak-official-plugins) | Official Files, Notes, Journal, Todo and other plugins |
|
|
| [verstak-sdk](https://github.com/mirivlad/verstak-sdk) | TypeScript SDK, schemas and plugin contracts |
|
|
| [verstak-browser-extension](https://github.com/mirivlad/verstak-browser-extension) | Browser capture and optional activity integration |
|
|
| [verstak-sync-server](https://github.com/mirivlad/verstak-sync-server) | Optional self-hosted synchronization server |
|
|
| [verstak-docs](https://github.com/mirivlad/verstak-docs) | Product and platform architecture documentation |
|
|
|
|
Compatible components should be built from the same release line.
|
|
|
|
## Development status
|
|
|
|
Verstak is under active development.
|
|
|
|
The current alpha is intended for testing, feedback and experimentation. Backward compatibility is not guaranteed until the first stable release.
|
|
|
|
Bug reports and feature discussions are welcome in
|
|
[GitHub Issues](https://github.com/mirivlad/verstak/issues).
|
|
|
|
## License
|
|
|
|
Copyright © 2026 Verstak contributors.
|
|
|
|
Verstak is licensed under the
|
|
[GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 or later](LICENSE).
|