DraftSidenotes.
Margin notes for the web.
Pin thoughts, questions, and links to the exact paragraph that sparked them. Local-first, sync when you want, shared only if you decide to.
The craft of writing
Writing well is rewriting well. The first draft exists so you have something to argue with.
Good prose is invisible — readers shouldn't notice the sentences, only what the sentences carry.
A short paragraph after a long one is a kind of breath. Use it when the reader needs air.
Three steps, nothing hidden.
Install, annotate, review. That's it.
- STEP 01
Right-click, annotate
Select any paragraph and add a note. The selection becomes the anchor; your note pins beside it.
- STEP 02
Notes live in the margin
Next time you visit the page, notes appear in the side gutter. Hover an anchor to jump to the note.
- STEP 03
Export, or don't
Nothing leaves your browser unless you turn on sync. Export to Markdown or plain text anytime.
Built around restraint.
Anchored notes
Each note is pinned to a text selection, not a coordinate. Layout changes don't break them.
Local by default
Notes sit in IndexedDB. No account needed, no telemetry, no third parties.
Works on any page
Essays, docs, PRs, Wikipedia — anywhere you can select text, you can drop a sidenote.
Tags and search
Free-form tags and a fast fuzzy search across every note you've ever written.
Export to Markdown
One click exports every note on a page as Markdown, with source links intact.
Private collections
Group notes into private collections. Share individual collections as read-only links.
What we touch.
A short list, and a reason for each one. Nothing is collected, sold, or shared with third parties. Notes stay on your device unless you explicitly enable sync.
- activeTab
So Draft can read the paragraph you're selecting when you create a note.
- storage
To keep notes in your browser's local IndexedDB. Nothing leaves the machine unless you enable sync.
- scripting
To inject the side gutter UI into pages where you've created notes. Disabled on domains you blocklist.
The idea
Web pages weren’t designed for thinking, they were designed for reading. Draft Sidenotes adds a small margin — yours — without touching the original page.
What makes it different
Most web-annotation tools fall into one of two traps: they ask you to create an account before they do anything useful, or they upload your notes to their servers “just in case.” Draft does neither.
- No account. Install, annotate, done.
- No server. Notes live in your browser’s IndexedDB. Sync is opt-in.
- Open data. Export to Markdown anytime. Your notes, your bytes.
Why “sidenotes”?
Because margin notes are the most honest form of reading. They happen while you read, not after. Draft keeps that rhythm — a right-click away, then out of sight until you come back.
What's changed.
BETA Private collections
- Group notes into collections and share read-only links.
- New keyboard shortcut (⌘⇧N) to create a note from selection.
- Export now preserves note ordering.
NEW Tags and search
- Tag notes with free-form strings.
- Fuzzy search across all your notes.
NEW
- First private beta.
- Notes anchored to text selections rather than XPath — survives layout changes.
- Mar 28, 2026Draft Sidenotes — announcing the Chrome extension