pwdNote

What is a .pwdnote.enc file?

A .pwdnote.enc file is the encrypted project note file created by pwdnote. It stores ciphertext, not readable plaintext, so it contains no human-readable content on its own.

The pwdnote.enc file is designed to live next to your code. Because it cannot be read without the local key, you can commit it to Git safely — these are Git-friendly encrypted notes that travel with your repository.

To open or edit it, install pwdnote and run commands like:

$ pwdnote
$ pwdnote edit
$ pwdnote read

That is all you need to know about how to open a .pwdnote.enc file: the pwdnote CLI handles decryption locally with your key.

Motivation

pwdnote started as a simple way to keep personal project notes close to my code, without worrying about accidentally committing plaintext secrets or overcomplicating the workflow.

Features

• CLI note-taking
• Encrypted by default
• Project-local notes
• Git-friendly
• Works from nested directories
• Lightweight
• Local-first

Example

$ pwdnote init
$ pwdnote edit
$ pwdnote
$ pwdnote add "Remember to rotate AWS credentials"

Security

• Notes are encrypted on disk.
• Git stores ciphertext, not readable plaintext.
• The encryption key stays local.

Note: pwdnote is not a password manager. It keeps your project notes private, not your credentials.

Configuration

As of v0.3.0, pwdnote supports:

• Lightweight TOML configuration.
• Custom initial note template.
• Editor override.
• Optional auto-gitignore behavior.
• Future key backends may be added.

VS Code extension

A VS Code extension for pwdnote is currently in progress. The goal is to make .pwdnote.enc files open as readable encrypted project notes directly inside VS Code, while the pwdnote CLI remains the encryption engine.

FAQ

• Can I commit .pwdnote.enc? Yes. It holds only ciphertext, so committing it to Git is safe.
• How do I open a .pwdnote.enc file? Install pwdnote and run pwdnote, pwdnote edit, or pwdnote read.
• Is pwdnote a password manager? No. It keeps your project notes private, not your credentials.