Koru for Linux: a free, offline notes app, as a nightly build

What is the Linux nightly build?

Linux has no stable release of Koru yet. What is available is the nightly: a pre-release built from the newest code and published on GitHub, at most a few times a day. It has the newest changes, and it has rough edges.

Each new nightly replaces the previous one on the release page. Once installed, a nightly finds, verifies and installs its own updates.

What's in the current build?

What works on Linux?

The Linux nightly is the same Koru as on Windows and macOS, apart from the gaps listed further down. It includes:

• Imports. Bring in your notes from Evernote (.enex), Notion, OneNote, Google Docs, Markdown and TextBundle.
• Device-to-device sync. Free, peer-to-peer sync between your own devices, including a Windows PC or a Mac, end-to-end encrypted and with no account.
• The MCP server. koru-mcp ships in the folder you extract, so Claude and other MCP clients can read and edit your notes.
• Terminal tabs. Run a shell or a coding agent such as Claude Code in a tab beside your documents.

• Import your notes →

How do I install Koru on Linux?

1. Download the Linux nightly from this page. It is a .tar.gz archive.
2. Make a folder of its own for Koru and extract the archive into it. The archive has no top-level folder, so extracting it anywhere else scatters its files.
3. Run ./koru from that folder. There is no account to create.

To check the download first, compare its SHA-256 checksum with the one on this page, or check its minisign signature, the .minisig file beside it.

There is no desktop launcher yet. To start Koru from your app menu, add a .desktop file by hand for now.

What do I need to run Koru on Linux?

• A 64-bit PC. The nightly is built for x86_64 only. There is no ARM build yet.
• X11 or XWayland. Koru draws through X11. On a Wayland desktop such as GNOME it runs under XWayland.
• No account and no connection. After the download, Koru needs neither.

How does the nightly update itself?

An installed nightly checks the nightly release for newer builds. Each build is signed, and Koru verifies the signature before it installs one. If a new build fails to start after installing, Koru rolls back to the previous one.

The nightly keeps its data in a folder of its own, apart from any other Koru you run.

What isn't on Linux yet?

This is a preview, so expect rough edges. Not on Linux yet:

• Voice input. Koru Voice is not on Linux yet.
• Koru Cloud sign-in. Koru Cloud, the optional paid sync service, is not on Linux yet.
• The system keyring. Koru does not store credentials in it on Linux yet.
• A desktop launcher. There is no launcher or dock icon yet.
• Other packages. Only a tar.gz for now. No AppImage, .deb, .rpm or Flatpak has been announced.

Tell us what you need at hello@koru.do.

• Email us →
• See the roadmap →