Using Wren

Wren is a sticky-notes app: rich-text notes saved as plain Markdown files on your own computer. Here's how to get around — the views and shortcuts, the desktop window tricks, writing and organizing notes, and where your notes live.

Three ways to see your notes

Wren has three views. Switch with the List · Kanban toggle in the sidebar header — plus a separate Compact button beside it — or with keyboard shortcuts:

• Compact Ctrl+3 — a narrow single-column stack of your notes, like a desk-side panel. This is where Wren opens every time. Click a card to open it, or hit Expand to jump into the full app.
• List Ctrl+1 — the full two-panel app: your notes on the left, the editor on the right.
• Kanban Ctrl+2 — a board that groups notes into columns by tag (see Organizing). Drag cards between columns to retag them.

List and Kanban are remembered as your "full" view; Compact is always the landing view and isn't saved as a preference.

Keep Wren in reach Desktop app

These two are unique to the desktop app for Windows — a browser tab can't float above other windows.

Pin on top

Click the pin in the Compact bar (or the Expanded sidebar) to keep the whole Wren window always on top of your other apps — handy while you reference a note. Click again to unpin. The choice is remembered between launches.

Floating sticky notes

Pop any note out into its own small window that floats on top of everything. Open as many as you like — each sticky edits live and syncs with the main app instantly. Re-popping a note that's already open just brings its window to the front. Close a sticky and it remembers where it was.

(In the web app, "pop out" opens a normal browser window — it just can't stay always-on-top, which is a browser limitation.)

System tray & quick capture

The desktop app lives in your system tray. Closing the window doesn't quit Wren — it tucks it into the tray so it stays a keystroke away. The tray icon's menu has New note, Show / hide all, and Quit; left-clicking the tray icon shows or hides Wren.

Two global hotkeys work even when Wren isn't the focused app:

• Ctrl+Alt+N — new note from anywhere (brings Wren forward and starts a fresh note).
• Ctrl+Alt+W — show / hide Wren.

If another app already owns one of those combos, Wren skips that one and notes it in the in-app Shortcuts panel rather than failing — and you can rebind either hotkey there.

Launch at startup

Turn on Launch Wren at startup in the Shortcuts panel to have Wren start with Windows. It's off by default — Wren never adds a startup item unless you ask. Toggle it off to remove the login item.

All keyboard shortcuts

The full set — also available any time from the Shortcuts link in the app footer (which is where the desktop startup toggle and hotkey rebinding live):

• Views: Ctrl+1 List · Ctrl+2 Kanban · Ctrl+3 Compact.
• Formatting (in the editor): Ctrl+B bold · Ctrl+I italic · Ctrl+U underline.
• Global (desktop app only): Ctrl+Alt+N new note · Ctrl+Alt+W show / hide.

Writing a note

Notes are rich text that round-trips to Markdown. The editor toolbar gives you:

• Text styles: bold Ctrl+B, italic Ctrl+I, underline Ctrl+U, and strikethrough.
• Headings: H1, H2, H3.
• Lists: bullet, numbered, and checkable task lists.
• Links: add or remove a link on the selected text.
• Color: text color and highlight.

Edits autosave as you type — there's no save button. The note's title comes from the first line.

Organizing your notes

• Search — the search box in List and Compact filters your notes by title and text as you type.
• Tags — tags are namespaced as namespace:value (for example status:todo or project:wren). Add them in the editor; a tag without a colon is treated as uncategorized.
• Kanban grouping — the Kanban board builds its columns from a tag namespace, so status:todo / status:doing / status:done become three columns. Drag a card to a new column to change its value in that namespace.
• Colors — give a note one of seven colors to scan your list faster:
  • Default
  • Slate
  • Amber
  • Red
  • Green
  • Rose
  • Purple

Where your notes live

Your notes are plain .md files (Markdown with a little front-matter for title, color, and tags) — readable in any editor, yours to keep. By default they're stored locally on your computer:

• On your computer (default) — Wren writes the files straight into a folder you pick, using your browser's File System Access. Nothing leaves your machine. This is how Wren works out of the box.
• Cloud sync via Google Drive (optional, experimental) — you can turn this on to keep your notes in a "Wren Notes" folder in your own Drive (scope drive.file, so Wren only ever touches files it created) and reach them across devices. It's still experimental: sync may not be fully reliable across devices yet, so local storage stays the recommended default.

Wren starts on local storage. You can turn on the experimental Cloud sync — and switch back to local — from the storage chip in the app shell. Full detail on what's stored and what isn't is in the privacy policy.

Get Wren

• Web app (PWA) — open wren.buildwithbaker.io and use the Install button (or your browser's install option) to add it like an app. Works offline.
• Desktop app (Windows) — the native window with the always-on-top pin and floating stickies. Download it here.

Both share the same notes folder, so use whichever fits the moment.