Local-first visual workspace for notes, handwriting, PDFs, and spatial thinking.
Think. Sketch. Write. Build.
A unified digital workspace combining structured notebook hierarchy, pressure-aware vector ink, PDF annotation, and an infinite canvas — keeping all data stored locally on your device.
Most note apps force an annoying compromise: you either get rigid linear documents locked in someone else's cloud, or an unconstrained whiteboard that gets messy fast.
Panvas bridges structured notebooks and infinite canvases into a single, distraction-free environment. You get the depth of hierarchical notebooks with rich text and vector inking, alongside a spatial diagramming canvas and PDF workbench — with zero mandatory cloud accounts, zero telemetry lock-in, and full ownership of your local files.
✦ Structured notebooks: Full workspace hierarchy (Workspace → Folder → Notebook → Section → Page) with rich-text editing, paper templates, and multi-layer drawing.
✦ Natural handwriting & ink: Pressure-aware vector pen engine, palm rejection, stroke smoothing, smart erasing, and precision ruler tools.
✦ PDF annotation: In-place PDF viewer with vector ink markup, text highlights, and high-fidelity annotated PDF export powered by pdf-lib.
✦ Infinite visual canvas: Spatial diagramming powered by Excalidraw, integrated with custom Panvas cards and visual note objects.
✦ Sticky notes / images / voice notes: Floating sticky notes, image cropping and placement, and embedded voice notes pinned directly to pages.
✦ Search / trash / backup: Fast client-side search across titles and page contents, soft-delete trash recovery, and full JSON workspace backup export/import.
✦ Local-first storage: Desktop files live directly on your disk in human-readable JSON and binary assets.
| Structured Notebooks & Ink | Spatial Canvas |
|---|---|
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| PDF Annotation Workbench | Ink Gestures & Stationery |
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- Panvas v0.1.0 (64-bit): Download
Panvas-0.1.0-Setup.exefrom the GitHub Releases portal. - SHA-256 Checksum Verification: Verify the downloaded installer against the official checksum published in
SHA256SUMS.txt:Note: The initial v0.1.0 installer is unsigned while the code signing pipeline is established. If Windows SmartScreen prompts on launch, click "More info" → "Run anyway".Get-FileHash Panvas-0.1.0-Setup.exe -Algorithm SHA256 # Verified SHA-256: 9d4cfcded4e3b76d8880ab4948901de0c56e2595dc793b5eb2433c4430158edd
- Browser App: Launch panvas.vercel.app/app to use Panvas directly in Chromium, Firefox, or Safari (stored in origin-scoped IndexedDB).
Your data stays on your machine:
- Desktop: Workspaces, pages, and media attachments are saved directly to
Documents/Panvas/(or a custom root folder configured in Settings). Writes use an atomic queue with retry logic to avoid corruption. - Web: Workspaces are saved to origin-scoped IndexedDB via Dexie.
- Cloud Sync: Google Drive sync is release-gated and disabled by default. When enabled, your local machine remains the primary source of record.
For complete data schemas and persistence flow, see docs/ARCHITECTURE.md and docs/STORAGE_AND_PERSISTENCE.md.
Prerequisites: Node.js 20 or 22 LTS, npm, and Git.
# 1. Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/sumitahmed/Panvas.git
cd Panvas
# 2. Install dependencies
npm ci
# 3. Start local development
# Web / Vite dev server (open http://localhost:5173/app)
npm run dev
# Desktop / Electron app
npm start
# 4. Run tests and type checks
npm run typecheck
npm test
npm run buildSee CONTRIBUTING.md for detailed development workflows and debugging guidelines.
flowchart LR
User[User Input] --> UI[React UI & Canvas]
UI --> Engine[Notebook & Inking Engines]
Engine --> Repos[Repository Layer]
Repos -->|Desktop| IPC[IPC Bridge] --> Files[(Documents/Panvas/)]
Repos -->|Web| Dexie[(IndexedDB Storage)]
The renderer coordinates the user interface and domain logic. Filesystem access is strictly isolated through Electron's contextBridge and validated IPC handlers.
Detailed references:
- docs/ARCHITECTURE.md — Subsystem boundaries and execution flow
- docs/DATA_MODEL.md — Entity models and schemas
- docs/SYSTEM_DESIGN.md — Inking and canvas coordinate systems
Panvas is free, open-source software built for the community. Contributions are very welcome!
- Report a Bug — Found an issue? Let us know with steps to reproduce.
- Request a Feature — Share ideas for improvements or new capabilities.
- Contributor Roadmap — See planned areas where community help is most valuable.
- Contributing Guidelines — Read before opening pull requests.
- Code of Conduct — Our community standards.
- v0.1.x: Stability hardening, stylus gesture polish, responsive layout refinements, and test expansion.
- Future: Native macOS & Linux packaging, mobile companion app, handwriting recognition enhancements, and additional sync providers (e.g. OneDrive).
Read the detailed roadmap in docs/ROADMAP.md.
Panvas is free and open source. If you find Panvas useful, you can support the project by:
- Giving the repository a ⭐ on GitHub
- Reporting bugs and suggesting features
- Contributing code, tests, or documentation
(Note: No financial sponsorship or donation channels are active at this time.)
Please report security vulnerabilities privately via GitHub Security Advisories. For our vulnerability disclosure process, see SECURITY.md.
Panvas is licensed under the MIT License.
Third-party notices and licenses are listed in THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md.