[Proposal] Mobile app for iOS & Android

[alhaymex]

Overview

This has come up before in #368 (iOS) and #230 (Android). I'd like to propose a concrete path forward: a first-party mobile app living as apps/mobile in the monorepo, built with React Native / Expo.

ZenNotes architecture (packages/shared-domain, packages/bridge-contract, packages/app-core, apps/server) already cleanly separates domain logic, bridge contracts, and host shells. A React Native mobile app can seamlessly fit into this structure as apps/mobile.

Key Highlights & Architectural Fit

1. Monorepo Integration (apps/mobile)

• Reuses 100% of @zennotes/shared-domain (frontmatter parsing, tasks engine, CSV database logic, custom themes).
• Extends @zennotes/bridge-contract (ZenBridge) with mobile capabilities.

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Key ideas

Storage & offline access

• Local vault on-device for offline-first editing.
• Remote server connection to self-hosted apps/server instances for users who already run the web stack.

Editor

• Encapsulate CodeMirror 6 in a WebView to preserve full editor parity with desktop and web including Vim motions, live preview, syntax highlighting, and math/diagram rendering.
• Smart Vim handling: auto-enable Vim keybindings when a hardware keyboard is detected (iPad + Magic Keyboard); default to standard touch editing on phones with a slim formatting toolbar above the soft keyboard.

Touch-first navigation

• Replace the desktop multi-pane layout with mobile patterns: drawer navigation, bottom tabs, swipe gestures, and bottom sheet context menus.
• Native share extension (iOS Share Sheet / Android Intent) for quick capture without opening the full app.

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Suggested phased approach

To keep PRs reviewable and avoid a single massive contribution:

1. Phase 1 - Scaffold apps/mobile in the monorepo with Expo, wire workspace imports.
2. Phase 2 - Mobile bridge implementations (local file I/O + remote HTTP/WS).
3. Phase 3 - Core navigation and note list UI.
4. Phase 4 - CodeMirror 6 WebView editor integration + keyboard toolbar.
5. Phase 5 - Tasks, databases, quick capture, and feature parity polish.

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I'm happy to take direction on framework choices and architectural details. Would you be open to a Phase 1 PR that scaffolds apps/mobile in the monorepo?

[orssdev]

Yes an Android app would be great!

[wedgen]

iOS app already created., perhaps this should be split into 2 separate issues?