Thorg (Thought Organizer)
Welcome to Thorg!
Thorg is a VSCode plugin for knowledge management using hierarchical markdown files with frontmatter metadata, called notes. Local-first and built for scale with a multi-threaded Kotlin server handling core logic. Compatible with the Dendron plugin. Currently adding stronger search functionality (see Thorg Highlighted Commands). All current exposed functionality is free.
How to install Thorg
Pre-Requisites
You are ok with missing functionality
We are filling in missing functionally to ergonomically run as standalone but for now we also recommend running Dendron next to Thorg for some of functionality.
You have a few hundred megabytes of RAM to spare
- Why: We run a JVM service thorgServer to power Thorg's functionality. This enables more advanced search filtering commands like Quick Search, In Subtree, Visited Since.
- By default, Thorg server starts with 1GB allocated to Java max heap space. You can lower this in the configuration (see thorg.startupSetup.serverMaxHeapSpaceMB - VSCode Config).
- Note: We have successfully run a 10,000 note test workspace (with 80MB of notes) with only 512MB max heap allocated.
- Also note that while the default max heap space is set to 1GB, this does not mean JVM/ThorgServer will use the full 1GB--it can operate with much less RAM.
Installation steps
Install Thorg directly from the VS Code Marketplace:
- Open VS Code
- Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X)
- Search for "Thorg"
- Click Install
Or install via CLI:
code --install-extension thorgapp.thorg-vscode
Or visit: Thorg on VS Code Marketplace
For manual VSIX installation (advanced), see How to install VSIX file as VSCode Plugin.
Previous S3 releases (archive): Previous Thorg Releases (Archive)
Highlighted commands
The following commands (and more) are available to try out now:
Commands
Search Without Hierarchy Filtering
- Quick Search All - Search across all notes through quick pick interface (including searching note content).
- Quick Search, Visited Since - Search filtered to notes that have been visited since a specified time.
- Quick Search, Updated Since - Search filtered to notes that have been updated since a specified time.
Search With Hierarchy Filtering
- Quick Search In Subtree - Similar to quick search all, but filtered to only the notes that are descendants of the currently focused note.
- Quick Search, In Subtree, Visited Since - Search with subtree filter, limited to notes that have been visited since a specified time.
- Quick Search, In Subtree, Updated Since - Search with subtree filter, limited to notes that have been updated since a specified time.
Next: Setup Shortcuts
Once you have checked out the highlighted commands, look at Setup of Thorg Shortcuts to set up your shortcut schema in an ergonomic and quickly accessible way.
How to reach out
For Discussions - Discord
For Bugs and Detailed Feature Requests - Submit GitHub Issue
For General Questions - Try LLM First, Then Discord
First, try chatting with an LLM using the documentation as Thorg Documentation As Context for LLM.
Then head to Thorg Discord Server.
For Official Correspondence
Thorg's view on Data
Your data is your data. You own your data.
We do NOT have access to your notes. All note data is stored locally, and you retain full ownership and control.
When we start collecting anonymized app usage data (not note data), we will provide a way to opt out.
Don't let your knowledge be stuck in proprietary format.
Transparent Data Model means you have full access to all the data Thorg creates and uses, without obfuscation.
This goes beyond simply exporting to common formats—which often omit critical details. Instead, you have direct access to 100% of the raw data that Thorg creates, exactly as Thorg uses it.
We aim to store data in open, human-readable formats (example: non-encoded JSON), making it easy to inspect, parse, and manage.
When custom formats are needed for performance, we keep them in text format and document them thoroughly so you can parse them easily if desired. Example: Visit history file Content Format.
Where to find Thorg-created data
Besides the Frontmatter added to each Note, the main places to look for Thorg-created data are:
Clarification
Transparent Data Model does NOT mean your data is accessible to anyone but you. It means you can understand what the data is. See You Own Your Data.
Children
Backlinks