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jvim

Getting started — 5 minutes

This guide takes you from zero to a working vault in 5 minutes.

1. Install (1 min)

Section titled “1. Install (1 min)”
Terminal window
npm install -g @jhl_labs/jvim
jvim --version    # expect: jvim 0.5.x

If command not found, see install troubleshooting.

2. Create your first vault (30 sec)

Section titled “2. Create your first vault (30 sec)”
Terminal window
mkdir my-notes
jvim my-notes/

The file tree appears on the left (empty), editor on the right.

3. Write your first note (1 min)

Section titled “3. Write your first note (1 min)”

In the editor, press Ctrl+N (new file). Type a filename: welcome.md. Then write:

# Welcome


This is my first jvim note.


- [[ideas]] for things to write later
- #journal #setup

Press Ctrl+S. The status bar’s ● marker disappears — saved.

4. Navigate and search (1 min)

Section titled “4. Navigate and search (1 min)”
  • Ctrl+E — toggle to the file tree. j/k to move, Enter to open.
  • Ctrl+O — vault-wide fuzzy file finder.
  • Shift+F4 — search across all notes (full-text, tag:, and path: filters).
  • F2 — outline of the current document (heading jump).
▶ The first 5 minutes
cast

Demo recording in progress — coming in the next release.

slug: getting-started

5. Ask the AI (1 min)

Section titled “5. Ask the AI (1 min)”

F6 opens the AI overlay. Choose Ask, type a question, and jvim can use your semantic index as context before composing an answer with source notes.

You need an AI provider configured in providers.toml. See AI overlay for OpenAI-compatible cloud or local endpoint setup.

What next?

Section titled “What next?”