Noggin

A second brain for WordPress. Create notes, link them together, find anything instantly.

Description

Noggin turns your WordPress site into a personal knowledge base. Create notes, link them together, and never lose a thought again.

Simple by design. No complex setup, no learning curve. Just start writing.

Features

• Notes – A dedicated post type for your thoughts and ideas
• Link notes together – Use the toolbar button or type [[ to link to other notes
• Backlinks – See what notes link to the current note in the sidebar
• Search – Find any note instantly from the link popup
• Your data – Everything stays in your WordPress database, fully exportable

How to Link Notes

Option 1: Toolbar button Click the link icon in the editor toolbar, search for a note, and click to insert.

Option 2: Type [[ Just type [[ anywhere in your note and start typing to search. Press Enter to insert the link.

Both methods work the same way. Use whichever feels natural.

Built for WordPress

Noggin is 100% Gutenberg-native. No shortcodes, no classic editor required. It works with the modern WordPress you already know.

Installation

1. Upload the plugin files to /wp-content/plugins/noggin, or install directly through the WordPress plugins screen
2. Activate the plugin through the 'Plugins' screen
3. Start creating notes! You'll find "Noggin" in your admin sidebar

For developers:

If installing from source, run once: ./bin/setup or npm run setup (installs Composer + npm deps and builds). See BUILD.md for full instructions.

When using the REST API with an API key, prefer the Authorization: Bearer header; passing the key in ?noggin_key= can leak into server logs and referrers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to configure anything?

No. Noggin works immediately after activation. Create your first note and start writing.

Can other people see my notes?

By default, published notes are visible on the frontend of your site at /notes/your-note-title/. You can keep notes private by saving them as drafts or setting them to private.

Can I export my notes?

Yes. Notes are standard WordPress posts. You can export them using WordPress's built-in export tool (Tools → Export).

Does it work with page builders?

Noggin is designed for the Gutenberg editor. It requires WordPress 6.0+ with the block editor enabled.

What happens if I deactivate the plugin?

Your notes remain in your database as a custom post type. If you reactivate Noggin, they'll be right where you left them.

Screenshots

1. Writing a note with linked references to other notes
2. The backlinks panel showing what notes link to the current note
3. Quick note search with [[ autocomplete
4. The Noggin dashboard widget showing recent notes

Changelog

1.5.0

• Note editor: broader CSS selectors so both View and Preview controls in the header are hidden across WordPress versions

1.4.0

• Dependencies: @wordpress/scripts updated to ^31.3.0; Composer dependencies updated (PHPUnit, symfony/finder)

1.3.0

• Security: Bearer preference documented in readme; return_to and activation redirects documented as validated/same-origin; rate-limit and search cache transient failures logged
• Stability: All Notes list capped via filter noggin_notes_list_per_page_max (default 100); optional health DB check via filter noggin_health_check_db
• Ease of use: Note-link popover aria-live region and aria-labels for screen readers; "Check your connection and try again." when search fails; Connect to AI Copy button focused when new key is shown
• Docs: IMPROVEMENT_IDEAS.md updated to reflect all items implemented

1.2.0

• Note editor: hide View / View note and Preview buttons in the header so the UI stays note-focused
• Note editor: calmer canvas background, readable max-width (720px), and improved line-height for the writing area

1.1.0

• Link popover: positions correctly near the caret when typing [[ or @, and near the selection when using the toolbar “Link to note” button
• Link popover and hover preview: use stock WordPress block-editor styling so they match the rest of the editor UI
• Link popover: shifts to stay in view when near the bottom or right edge of the screen

1.0.1

• Connect to AI: “Key created” success notice when a new API key is shown; confirm before regenerating key; “How to use” panel; clearer first-time copy
• Note-link popover: empty-state hint for new users (“Create one from sidebar or + New Note”); “Try again” button when search fails; keyboard hint (↑↓ to move, Enter to pick)
• Backlinks panel: “Try again” button when loading fails

1.0.0

• Initial release
• Notes custom post type with Gutenberg support
• Note linking via toolbar button and [[ syntax
• Backlinks sidebar panel with context
• Dashboard widget with note count and recent notes
• Admin bar quick add button
• Inline note creation from link popup

Upgrade Notice

1.5.0

Note editor: View and Preview buttons in the header are now reliably hidden across WP versions.

1.4.0

Dependency updates: @wordpress/scripts 31.x and Composer packages.

1.3.0

Security, stability, and ease-of-use improvements: Bearer preference in readme, list cap and health DB check filters, screen reader and connection-hint improvements in note-link popover, focus Copy when new key shown.

1.2.0

Note editor: View/Preview buttons hidden in the header; calmer layout and readable line length.

1.1.0

Link popover now appears in the right place (near cursor or selection) and uses stock WordPress styling.

1.0.1

UX improvements: clearer Connect to AI flow (key-created notice, confirm before regenerate, How to use), empty-state and error-recovery in note-link popover and backlinks.

1.0.0

Initial release of Noggin.