siyuan

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Table of Contents

• 💡 Introduction
• 🔮 Features
• 🏗️ Architecture and Ecosystem
• 🗺️ Roadmap
• 🚀 Download Setup
  • App Market
  • Installation Package
  • Package Manager
  • Docker Hosting
  • Kubernetes Hosting
  • Unraid Hosting
  • TrueNAS Hosting
  • Test Channels
• ⌨️ Command-line Interface
• 🏘️ Community
• 🛠️ Development Guide
• ❓ FAQ
  • How does SiYuan store data?
  • Does it support data synchronization through a third-party sync disk?
  • Is SiYuan open source?
  • How to upgrade to a new version?
  • What if some blocks (such as paragraph blocks in list items) cannot find the block icon?
  • What should I do if the data repo key is lost?
  • Do I need to pay for it?
• 🙏 Acknowledgement
  • Contributors

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💡 Introduction

SiYuan is a privacy-first personal knowledge management system, supporting fine-grained block-level reference and Markdown WYSIWYG.

To learn more, read the online user guide or join the SiYuan English Discussion Forum.

🔮 Features

Most features are free, even for commercial use.

• Content block
  • Block-level reference and two-way links
  • Custom attributes
  • SQL query embed
  • Protocol siyuan://
• Editor
  • Block-style
  • Markdown WYSIWYG
  • List outline
  • Block zoom-in
  • Million-word large document editing
  • Mathematical formulas, charts, flowcharts, Gantt charts, timing charts, staves, etc.
  • Web clipping
  • PDF Annotation link
• Export
  • Block ref and embed
  • Standard Markdown with assets
  • PDF, Word and HTML
  • Copy to WeChat MP, Zhihu and Yuque
• Database
  • Table view
• Flashcard spaced repetition
• AI writing and Q/A chat via OpenAI API
• Tesseract OCR
• Multi-tab, drag and drop to split screen
• Template snippet
• JavaScript/CSS snippet
• Android/iOS/HarmonyOS App
• Docker deployment
• API
• Community marketplace

Some features are only available to paid members, for more details please refer to Pricing.

🏗️ Architecture and Ecosystem

Project	Description	Forks	Stars
lute	Editor engine
chrome	Chrome/Edge extension
bazaar	Community marketplace
dejavu	Data repo
petal	Plugin API
android	Android App
ios	iOS App
harmony	HarmonyOS App
riff	Spaced repetition

🗺️ Roadmap

• SiYuan development plan and progress
• SiYuan changelog

🚀 Download Setup

It is recommended to give priority to installing through the application market on desktop and mobile, so that you can upgrade the version with one click in the future.

App Market

Mobile:

• App Store
• Google Play
• F-Droid

Desktop:

• Microsoft Store

Installation Package

• B3log
• GitHub

Package Manager

siyuan

siyuan-note

Docker Hosting

Overview

The easiest way to serve SiYuan on a server is to deploy it through Docker.

• Image name b3log/siyuan
• Image URL

File structure

The overall program is located under /opt/siyuan/, which is basically the structure under the resources folder of the Electron installation package:

• appearance: icon, theme, languages
• guide: user guide document
• stage: interface and static resources
• kernel: kernel program

Entrypoint

The entry point is set when building the Docker image: ENTRYPOINT ["/opt/siyuan/entrypoint.sh"]. This script allows changing the PUID and PGID of the user that will run inside the container. This is especially relevant to solve permission issues when mounting directories from the host. The PUID (User ID) and PGID (Group ID) can be passed as environment variables, making it easier to ensure correct permissions when accessing host-mounted directories.

Use the following parameters when running the container with docker run b3log/siyuan:

Note: Since v3.7.0, the serve subcommand must be passed explicitly (e.g. docker run b3log/siyuan serve --workspace=...). Run docker run --rm b3log/siyuan serve --help to see all serving options.

• --workspace: Specifies the workspace folder path, mounted to the container via -v on the host
• --accessAuthCode: Specifies the lock screen password

More parameters can be found using --help. Here’s an example of a startup command with the new environment variables:

First set AuthCode to your own strong password (use export AuthCode='your-strong-password' in Bash; Compose can also read a .env file in the same directory). The example stops with an error if the value is unset or empty.

docker run -d \
  -v workspace_dir_host:workspace_dir_container \
  -p 6806:6806 \
  -e PUID=1001 -e PGID=1002 \
  b3log/siyuan \
  serve \
  --workspace=workspace_dir_container \
  --accessAuthCode="${AuthCode:?Set AuthCode}"

• PUID: Custom user ID (optional, defaults to 1000 if not provided)
• PGID: Custom group ID (optional, defaults to 1000 if not provided)
• workspace_dir_host: The workspace folder path on the host
• workspace_dir_container: The path of the workspace folder in the container, as specified in --workspace
  • Alternatively, it's possible to set the path via the SIYUAN_WORKSPACE_PATH env variable. The commandline will always have the priority, if both are set
• accessAuthCode: Lock screen password (please be sure to modify, otherwise anyone can access your data)
  • Alternatively, it's possible to set the lock screen password via the SIYUAN_ACCESS_AUTH_CODE env variable. The commandline will always have the priority, if both are set
  • To disable the lock screen password set the env variable SIYUAN_ACCESS_AUTH_CODE_BYPASS=true
• OIDC can replace the lock screen password as the required Docker access authentication. Set SIYUAN_OIDC_ENABLED=true, SIYUAN_OIDC_PROVIDER (custom, google, microsoft, or github), SIYUAN_OIDC_CLIENT_ID, and the provider-specific values below. GitHub uses its OAuth 2.0 user API adapter; the other providers use OpenID Connect discovery and ID Token validation. An invalid enabled configuration stops Docker startup when no lock screen password is available
  • SIYUAN_OIDC_ISSUER_URL: Issuer URL required by the custom and microsoft providers; Microsoft must use a tenant-specific issuer such as https://login.microsoftonline.com/<tenant-id>/v2.0
  • SIYUAN_OIDC_CLIENT_SECRET: Optional client secret for OpenID Connect providers; required by the GitHub OAuth adapter. Every authorization-code flow also uses PKCE
  • SIYUAN_OIDC_SCOPES: Comma- or space-separated scopes; openid is always included
  • SIYUAN_OIDC_REDIRECT_URL: Public HTTPS callback URL ending in /api/system/oidc/callback, required for remote browser access
  • SIYUAN_OIDC_ALLOW_ALL: Explicitly grant SiYuan administrator access to every identity authenticated by the provider
  • SIYUAN_OIDC_CLAIM_RULES: JSON array of claim rules used when allow-all is disabled, for example [{"claim":"email","operator":"equals","values":["[email protected]"]},{"claim":"email_verified","operator":"equals","values":["true"]}]; values within a rule use OR, while rules use AND
  • Native mobile apps use the fixed callback URI siyuan:/oidc-callback; register it exactly as written. Mobile configuration verification uses this callback before saving. Custom providers, Microsoft, and GitHub can be used only when their application registration accepts this callback URI. Google does not accept this private-use URI for its Android client type, so Google login is limited to browser and desktop flows
• SIYUAN_LANG: Interface language (optional, defaults to en if unset in Docker). Accepts BCP 47 tags like zh-CN/zh-TW/en/ja/pt-BR; legacy underscore values like zh_CN/en_US are also accepted for backward compatibility. Omit it if you want the language chosen in Settings to persist across restarts; if set, it is applied on every startup and overrides the saved setting
  • Alternatively, use the --lang command-line parameter. If both are set, the command-line takes priority

To simplify things, it is recommended to configure the workspace folder path to be consistent on the host and container, such as having both workspace_dir_host and workspace_dir_container configured as /siyuan/workspace. The corresponding startup command would be:

First set AuthCode to your own strong password (use export AuthCode='your-strong-password' in Bash; Compose can also read a .env file in the same directory). The example stops with an error if the value is unset or empty.

docker run -d \
  -v /siyuan/workspace:/siyuan/workspace \
  -p 6806:6806 \
  -e PUID=1001 -e PGID=1002 \
  b3log/siyuan \
  serve \
  --workspace=/siyuan/workspace/ \
  --accessAuthCode="${AuthCode:?Set AuthCode}"

Docker Compose

For users running SiYuan with Docker Compose, the environment variables PUID and PGID can be passed to customize the user and group IDs. Here's an example of a Docker Compose configuration:

First set AuthCode to your own strong password (use export AuthCode='your-strong-password' in Bash; Compose can also read a .env file in the same directory). The example stops with an error if the value is unset or empty.

version: "3.9"
services:
  main:
    image: b3log/siyuan
    command: ['serve', '--workspace=/siyuan/workspace/', '--accessAuthCode=${AuthCode:?Set AuthCode}']
    ports:
      - 6806:6806
    volumes:
      - /siyuan/workspace:/siyuan/workspace
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      - TZ=${YOUR_TIME_ZONE}    # A list of time zone identifiers can be found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tz_database_time_zones
      - PUID=${YOUR_USER_PUID}  # Customize user ID
      - PGID=${YOUR_USER_PGID}  # Customize group ID

In this setup:

• PUID and PGID are set dynamically and passed to the container
• If these variables are not provided, the default 1000 will be used

By specifying PUID and PGID in the environment, you avoid the need to explicitly set the user directive (user: '1000:1000') in the compose file. The container will dynamically adjust the user and group based on these environment variables at startup.

User Permissions

In the image, the entrypoint.sh script ensures the creation of the siyuan user and group with the specified PUID and PGID. Therefore, when the host creates a workspace folder, pay attention to setting the user and group ownership of the folder to match the PUID and PGID you plan to use. For example:

chown -R 1001:1002 /siyuan/workspace

If you use custom PUID and PGID values, the entrypoint script will ensure that the correct user and group are created inside the container, and ownership of mounted volumes will be adjusted accordingly. There’s no need to manually pass -u in docker run or docker-compose as the environment variables will handle the customization.

Hidden port

Use an NGINX reverse proxy to hide port 6806. Please note:

• Configure the WebSocket reverse proxy for /ws
• Preserve the original Host header, including the port, for both regular requests and /ws. In NGINX, configure proxy_set_header Host $http_host; in both proxy locations. Using $host drops non-standard ports (such as 8443), which can cause Origin validation to fail, leaving the page stuck on the logo with repeated reloads, API responses of 401, or failed WebSocket connections

Note

• Be sure to confirm the correctness of the mounted volume, otherwise the data will be lost after the container is deleted
• Do not use URL rewriting for redirection, otherwise there may be problems with authentication, it is recommended to configure a reverse proxy
• If you encounter permission issues, verify that the PUID and PGID environment variables match the ownership of the mounted directories on your host system

Limitations

• Does not support desktop and mobile application connections, only supports use on browsers
• Export to PDF, HTML and Word formats is not supported
• Import Markdown file is not supported

Kubernetes Hosting

The HelmForge SiYuan chart is community-maintained by HelmForge, uses the official b3log/siyuan image, and is not an official SiYuan chart. Please report chart issues to HelmForge.

Prepare Helm, kubectl, and a Kubernetes cluster with a default StorageClass that can provision a 10Gi ReadWriteOnce volume, then run the following commands:

helm repo add helmforge https://repo.helmforge.dev
helm repo update
helm install siyuan helmforge/siyuan --namespace siyuan --create-namespace --wait
kubectl -n siyuan get secret siyuan-siyuan-auth -o go-template='{{index .data "access-code" | base64decode}}{{"\n"}}'
kubectl -n siyuan port-forward service/siyuan-siyuan 6806:6806

Open http://localhost:6806 and enter the generated lock screen password. Keep this password secure; it is distinct from the API token. The names above assume the default chart values and release name siyuan.

For remote access, use a dedicated HTTPS hostname and an Ingress controller that proxies WebSockets on /ws, without URL rewriting. Configure ingress and allow the controller's namespace through networkPolicy.ingressFrom; the default policy allows same-namespace ingress and DNS egress only. Add explicit egress rules for cloud sync or other external services. See the chart guide and production example for TLS, existing Secrets, and storage configuration.

• One workspace, one writer: Never scale replicas or mount the same workspace in another running instance, even with ReadWriteMany storage. The chart uses Recreate, so upgrades stop the old writer before starting the new one and cause downtime.
• Persistence: The complete workspace is mounted at /siyuan/workspace. The chart retains its generated PVC on uninstall by default; deleting the namespace or PVC can still destroy data. Reuse a retained or restored claim with persistence.existingClaim.
• Backups and upgrades: Gracefully stop the writer before backing up the complete workspace, or use an application-consistent backup procedure. A copy of the live SQLite index alone is insufficient. Securely preserve authentication Secrets, encryption keys, and encrypted-notebook recovery passwords, and test restores into a separate PVC. Back up before upgrades and review storage-format changes: Helm rollback does not undo data migrations.

The Docker hosting limitations also apply: browser use only, no desktop or mobile application connections, no PDF/HTML/Word export, and no Markdown file import.

Unraid Hosting

Note: First run chown -R 1000:1000 /mnt/user/appdata/siyuan in the terminal

Template reference:

Web UI: 6806
Container Port: 6806
Container Path: /siyuan/workspace
Host path: /mnt/user/appdata/siyuan
PUID: 1000
PGID: 1000
Publish parameters: serve --accessAuthCode=******(Lock screen password)

TrueNAS Hosting

Note: First, run the commands below in the TrueNAS Shell. Please update Pool_1/Apps_Data/siyuan to match your dataset path.

zfs create Pool_1/Apps_Data/siyuan
chown -R 1001:1002 /mnt/Pool_1/Apps_Data/siyuan
chmod 755 /mnt/Pool_1/Apps_Data/siyuan

Navigate to Apps - DiscoverApps - More Options (on top right, besides Custom App) - Install via YAML

Template reference:

Before deploying, fill in your own strong password after SIYUAN_ACCESS_AUTH_CODE= below; do not leave it empty.

services:
  siyuan:
    image: b3log/siyuan
    container_name: siyuan
    command: ['serve', '--workspace=/siyuan/workspace/']
    ports:
      - 6806:6806
    volumes:
      - /mnt/Pool_1/Apps_Data/siyuan:/siyuan/workspace  # Adjust to your dataset path 
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      - SIYUAN_ACCESS_AUTH_CODE=
      - TZ=America/New_York  # Replace with your timezone if needed
      - PUID=1001
      - PGID=1002

Test Channels

Select Beta or Alpha in Settings - About - Update channel to receive prereleases. Beta includes stable, RC, and Beta releases; Alpha includes all releases. Test channels require access to GitHub.

⌨️ Command-line Interface

The built-in CLI provides direct access to workspace data — no running server required.

The CLI does not support operations on encrypted notebooks. Unlock and access them through the dedicated in-app workflow.

Quick Start

# List all notebooks
siyuan notebook list -w ~/SiYuan

# Full-text search with JSON output
siyuan search "keyword" -w ~/SiYuan -f json

# Search inside asset files (PDF/Word/Excel/txt etc.)
siyuan search "phrase" --asset -w ~/SiYuan
siyuan search "phrase" --asset --ext pdf --ext docx -w ~/SiYuan

# Export a document as Markdown
siyuan export md --id <block-id> -w ~/SiYuan

Available Commands

Category	Commands
Notebooks & Documents	notebook, document, dailynote — CRUD and daily notes
Content	block, attr, outline — block read/write, attributes, outline
Metadata	tag, bookmark, template — tags, bookmarks, template snippets
Queries	search, sql — full-text, semantic, asset-content, and SQL queries
References	ref — backlinks and mentions
Import/Export	export, import, inbox — Markdown, HTML, preview, Word, .sy.zip, Data, cloud inbox
Data Management	repo, history, sync — snapshots, versions, cloud sync
Utilities	asset, file — resources and file system
Database	database — attribute view management
Server	serve — start the kernel HTTP server
Workspace & System	workspace, system — list, inspect, system info

Run siyuan --help for the full command tree. Use -f json (default is -f table) for script-friendly output. Most mutating commands also support --dry-run to preview changes without applying them.

Installation

The CLI binary is <install-dir>/resources/kernel/SiYuan-Kernel, invoked via the siyuan command.

• Windows: the installer automatically adds the kernel directory to PATH, so siyuan works out of the box. The Microsoft Store edition (3.8.7+) registers the siyuan.exe app execution alias on Windows 10 1607 (build 14393) or later. After installing or updating, open a new terminal and run siyuan --help

  siyuan --help
  
  # Check which command is being used
  Get-Command siyuan -All
  where.exe siyuan
  

  If the command is unavailable, check that the SiYuan app execution alias is enabled in Windows and %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\WindowsApps is in PATH. The commands above show command resolution; multiple SiYuan editions or PATH order may select another executable

  If you created the old siyuan.cmd shim, first verify the Store alias directly with & "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Microsoft\WindowsApps\siyuan.exe" --help, then optionally remove the shim: Remove-Item "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Microsoft\WindowsApps\siyuan.cmd"

• macOS: create a symlink after installing:

  ln -s /Applications/SiYuan.app/Contents/Resources/kernel/SiYuan-Kernel /usr/local/bin/siyuan
  

• Linux: create a symlink after installing:

  ln -s <install-dir>/resources/kernel/SiYuan-Kernel /usr/local/bin/siyuan
  

🏘️ Community

• English Discussion Forum
• User community summary
• Awesome SiYuan

🛠️ Development Guide

See Development Guide.

❓ FAQ

How does SiYuan store data?

The data is saved in the workspace data folder:

• assets is used to save all inserted assets
• emojis is used to save emoji images
• snippets is used to save code snippets
• storage is used to save query conditions, layouts and flashcards, etc.
• templates is used to save template snippets
• widgets is used to save widgets
• plugins is used to save plugins
• public is used to save public data
• Notebook folders contain the document data. Ordinary notebooks store .sy documents as JSON; encrypted notebooks store them as ciphertext.

Does it support data synchronization through a third-party sync disk?

Data synchronization through third-party synchronization disks is not supported, otherwise data may be corrupted.

Although it does not support third-party sync disks, it supports connecting with third-party cloud storage (Members' privileges).

Is SiYuan open source?

SiYuan is completely open source, and contributions are welcome:

• User Interface and Kernel
• Android
• iOS
• HarmonyOS
• Chrome Clipping Extension

For more details, please refer to Development Guide.

How to upgrade to a new version?

• If installed via app store, please update via app store
• If it is installed with the desktop installation package on Windows or macOS, you can enable the option of Settings - About - Automatically download update installation package, so that SiYuan will automatically download the latest version of the installation package and prompt to install
• If it is installed by manual installation package, please download the installation package again to install

You can Check update in Settings - About - Current Version, or pay attention to Official Download or GitHub Releases to get the new version.

Note: Keep your workspace outside the installation directory; updating SiYuan clears files in the installation directory.

What if some blocks (such as paragraph blocks in list items) cannot find the block icon?

The block icon is omitted for the first sub-block under the list item. You can move the cursor into this block and trigger its block menu with Ctrl+/ .

What should I do if the data repo key is lost?

The data repo key protects snapshots and sync data. It is separate from the encrypted-notebook master password and key backups. Resetting the data repo cannot recover a lost master password or replace matching encryption key backups.

Before resetting, exit SiYuan normally and back up the complete workspace. If you have encrypted notebooks, also keep separate, matching encryption key backups and confirm that the master password works. Delete old cloud sync directories and snapshots only after the new sync completes, data is verified, and recovery materials are safely preserved.

• If the data repo key is correctly initialized on multiple devices previously, the key is the same on all devices and can be retrieved in Settings - Account & Sync - Data repo - Data repo key - Copy key string

• If it has not been configured correctly before (for example, the keys on multiple devices are inconsistent) or all devices are unavailable and the key string cannot be obtained, you can reset the key by following the steps below:

  1. Exit SiYuan normally and back up the complete workspace; for encrypted notebooks, also preserve matching encryption key backups and the master password
  2. Settings - Account & Sync - Data repo - Data repo key - Reset data repo
  3. Reinitialize the data repo key. After initializing the key on one device, other devices import the key
  4. Use a new cloud sync directory; delete the old directory only after the new sync completes, data is verified, and recovery materials are safely preserved
  5. Delete old cloud snapshots only after the new sync completes, data is verified, and recovery materials are safely preserved

Do I need to pay for it?

Most features are free, even for commercial use.

Member's privileges can only be used after payment, please refer to Pricing.

🙏 Acknowledgement

The birth of SiYuan is inseparable from many open source projects and contributors. Please refer to the project source code kernel/go.mod, app/package.json and project homepage.

The growth of SiYuan is inseparable from user feedback and promotion. Thank you, everyone, for your help with SiYuan ❤️

Contributors

Welcome to join us and contribute code to SiYuan together.