Rust TUI mind-map (Excalidraw-in-terminal vibes) with movable nodes, notes, colors, undo/redo, autosave, search, and JSON persistence — all in your terminal.

Sketch project trees, CLI ideas, and scratch notes without leaving the keyboard. Maps are just JSON, so they version cleanly in git.

Then install the crate:

cargo install ponder

Update existing install:

cargo install ponder --force

Or build locally:

git clone https://github.com/fibnas/ponder
cd ponder
cargo run --release

• Mind maps as JSON
  • Create/open/save maps on disk.
  • Autosave with configurable interval and path.
• Fast node editing
  • Add/clone/delete nodes, move them freely, and jump to parent/child.
  • Per-node colors to visually group branches.
• Notes everywhere
  • Multi-line notes per node with a dedicated overlay editor.
  • Search across titles and notes.
• Comfortable navigation
  • Arrow-key navigation, Tab/Shift-Tab cycling, and directional selection.
  • Undo/redo history with bounded snapshots.
• TUI quality-of-life
  • Separate panes for canvas, selected node details, shortcuts, and messages.
  • Lightweight dependencies: ratatui + crossterm.

ponder         # new map
ponder map.json  # open or create specific file

• If the file exists → it is loaded
• If it does not → a new map is created and saved there when you hit s

• Canvas: mind map graph
• Selected: title, color, notes
• Shortcuts: keybinding cheat sheet
• Messages: status/toast area

• Quit: q
• Help: ?

• Move: arrows
• Next/Prev node: Tab / Shift-Tab
• Parent/Child: [ / ]

• Add child: a
• Clone subtree: c
• Delete subtree: d
• Move mode: m (arrows; hold Shift = bigger steps)
• Rename: t
• Edit notes: Enter (multi-line; Esc closes)
• Color cycle: k

• Open: o
• Save: s
• Save As: S
• New map: n

• Start search: /
• Cycle hits: Up / Down
• Jump: Enter
• Close: Esc

• Undo: u or Ctrl+Z
• Redo: r or Ctrl+Y

• Set autosave path: A
• Set autosave interval: I (seconds; 0 disables)
• Status bar shows:
  • autosave on/off
  • autosave path
  • last autosave time

Autosave writes normal JSON, which you can open with o.

Pretty-printed JSON:

• name
• root id
• next_id
• nodes[] containing:
  • id, title, note
  • color
  • position {x,y}
  • parent
  • children[]

This format is stable, readable, and git-friendly.

• Use colors to group topics or branches.
• Keep the root broad (“Projects”, “Roadmap”, “Research”).
• Use notes for details to keep the canvas clean.

• Sibling/root jumping
• Tagging + filtering
• Export formats
• Zoom presets

MIT — see LICENSE.