Mind Map View

Mind Map View turns a markdown file into an editable node map. The source file stays plain markdown: one # root heading and a 2-space-indented bullet tree. The visual board, outline, context menu, keyboard operations, and drag operations all write back to that same file.

Where mind maps appear

There are two mind map surfaces:

• Note Tray view mode - the active note can switch from editor/preview to the inline mind map surface. Use Mod+Shift+M or the command palette action Toggle Mind Map View.

• Mind Map provider (core.mindmap-board) - a dedicated frame provider for keeping a specific .md mind map open beside other work. It supports the chrome layout switcher with mindmap and outline layouts.

Use the Note Tray view mode when you are actively drafting a note. Use the dedicated provider when a mind map should stay visible while you edit another note in a split frame.

Create a mind map

Open the command palette with Mod+K and run Mind Map Setup. The setup dialog can create the required frontmatter and root heading:

---
type: mindmap
---

# Mind Map
- Topic 1
- Topic 2
- Topic 3

The setup command has no default shortcut; bind mindmapSetup in Settings -> Shortcuts if you use it often.

Setup previews the exact markdown candidate before writing. It preserves supported frontmatter, normalizes line endings, and refuses prose, skipped heading levels, multiple roots, unsupported label codecs, or malformed encoded labels. Cancel, validation errors, and a failed write leave the original file unchanged.

Markdown format

A mind map file is a normal markdown file with YAML frontmatter, a single root heading, and a tight bullet list.

---
type: mindmap
---

# Main Topic
- Branch A
  - Leaf A1
  - Leaf A2
    - Sub-leaf A2a
- Branch B
  - Leaf B1

Rules:

• The frontmatter field type: mindmap marks the file as a mind map.

• The single # heading is the root node.

• Every non-root node is a - bullet.

• Child depth is represented by exactly 2 spaces per level.

• The tree is tight: blank lines terminate the parsed tree.

• The serializer keeps this canonical shape and does not write UI-only state into the markdown.

Legacy files with mindmap: true frontmatter still open. The next write normalizes them to type: mindmap.

Layouts

The workspace's Mode control switches between the visual map and the Outline tree. In map mode, Settings exposes three accepted placements:

The placement sketches show the intended anchor and traversal shape (the spacing is schematic, not a pixel measurement):

Free                 Vertical                    Horizontal

      [A]             [Root]                     [Root]
       /                 |                    [A]  [B]  [C]
[Root]                   [A]                    |    |    |
       \                  |                   [A1] [B1] [C1]
        [B]              [A1]
                         |
                        [A2]

The dedicated Mind Map provider also exposes the following two layouts through the frame chrome layout switcher:

In map mode, Node width can be Free (each node grows to its label with no cap), Max width (content width capped at a configurable maximum), or Fixed width (every node has exactly the configured width). Max width accepts 180–800px and Fixed width accepts 180–360px, both in 10px steps and including the root. The slider and number field appear only for Max width and Fixed width; Free is useful when long labels should remain on one line. In Outline mode, Settings contains Comfortable/Compact density and the Structure guides toggle. Map-only placement and width controls are not shown in Outline.

Zoom

Use the mouse or trackpad wheel over the map to zoom toward the pointer. To tune the amount of zoom produced by each gesture, open Settings → Mind Map → Wheel Zoom Sensitivity. The default 1.0× keeps the standard response; lower values make wheel zoom gentler and higher values make it faster. The setting applies to wheel zoom only—keyboard zoom and the Fit/100% controls keep their fixed steps.

Keyboard shortcuts

Every action in the board-level table is configurable in Settings → Shortcuts → Mind Map. The listed keys are the defaults; where two are shown, the second preserves the earlier zudotext alias.

The app-level shortcut Mod+Shift+M toggles the active Note Tray leaf between edit mode and mind map mode.

Editing model

Create then type

Adding a node creates a UI-only pending node and immediately focuses its label editor. The markdown file is updated only when you commit a non-empty label. Press Escape or blur an empty pending node to cancel it.

While a label is being edited, plain Enter commits the label and Alt/Option+Enter inserts a newline at the caret (or replaces the selection with one newline). The editor preserves blank lines and internal newlines. The serializer stores a multiline label on one physical markdown line using the declared mindmap-label-codec: base64url-v1; the parser decodes it back to the exact label. A literal codec marker is encoded too, so labels cannot inject headings, bullets, or frontmatter. Mod+Enter enters edit mode from the board, while the structural Mod+Arrow keys remain available when the editor is not active.

Structural shortcuts are Tab/O (child), Enter/A (sibling), Alt/Option+Enter (sibling above), Shift+Enter (main node), Alt/Option+Tab (insert parent), Shift+Tab (outdent), Mod+ArrowUp/Down (reorder), and Mod+ArrowLeft/Right (outdent/indent). The context menu and the touch action bar expose the same operations and disable actions at tree boundaries.

The Theme, Mode, and Settings controls are the only workspace control surface. Theme selects a branch/root palette and connector weight; Mode chooses Map or Outline; Settings owns placement, width, density, guides, and wheel-zoom sensitivity. On narrow viewports the panels become contained full-screen dialogs, preserve focus on close, and keep controls at least 44×44px without horizontal scrolling.

Context menu

Right-click a node in either layout, or use the keyboard context-menu key on the focused node. The node menu includes:

• Add child

• Add sibling

• Edit

• Fold / Unfold

• Delete

Root-only constraints are enforced in the menu: the root cannot be deleted and cannot receive a sibling.

Drag and reorder

In the visual layout, drag a node onto another node to re-parent it, or between siblings to reorder it. The board shows a drop preview and the layout animates to the new structure after the operation commits.

Fold badges

Collapsed branches show a small fold badge with the hidden-descendant count. Its transparent hit target is at least 44×44px. In Free mode the badge follows the remembered branch side; in Vertical and Horizontal it is always on the outward right edge, clear of the incoming left connector. Activating the badge expands the branch. Fold state is persisted as frame UI state for the dedicated provider, but never in the markdown file.

Find in map

Press Mod+F to search node labels. Matching nodes are highlighted, next/previous controls cycle through matches, and jumping to a hidden match automatically unfolds its ancestors.

Focus mode

Press F to dim everything outside the selected subtree. Focus mode is a session view aid; it does not change the markdown file or persisted frame state.

Visual behavior

The visual layout is measured and deterministic. Max widths are bounded by the configured value, Free widths have no cap, and Fixed widths include the root. Free first-level branches are assigned to stable left/right sides, the root stays centered, and tapered bezier connectors animate from the previous layout to the next one. Structured placements use orthogonal paths throughout, including animation, and respect reduced-motion settings.

Branch colors use the app color-scheme tokens; there is no separate mind-map color system. Long labels wrap inside Max/Fixed node bounds so connector geometry and node positions stay predictable; Free nodes grow to fit their labels.

Persistence

• Markdown content stores the tree only.

• The global AppSettings mind-map theme is shared by every open map pane and is saved through the global settings store.

• The global AppSettings mind-map wheel-zoom sensitivity is shared by every open map pane and is saved through the global settings store.

• Dedicated Mind Map provider frame props own the loaded file path, active Map/Outline layout, and collapsed node ids. Placement, width mode/value, Outline density, and structure guides are stored in AppSettings.mindmap.viewStateByPath, keyed by the workspace-relative note path, so two frames showing one note converge on the same settings. A note without an entry falls back to its frame's leaf state.

• Note Tray owns its per-leaf viewMode, including mindmap, in the Note Tray instance cache. Its map controls are local to that pane unless a host supplies the controlled frame state.

• Pan/zoom position, focused node, find query, and focus mode are session-only.

Complete example

---
type: mindmap
---

# Product Strategy 2026
- Market Research
  - Customer Interviews
    - Enterprise Segment
    - SMB Segment
  - Competitor Analysis
    - Feature Comparison
    - Pricing Analysis
- Product Development
  - Q1 Features
    - Authentication Overhaul
    - Dashboard Redesign
  - Q2 Features
    - API v2
    - Mobile App
- Go-to-Market
  - Launch Plan
    - Beta Program
    - Press Release
  - Marketing
    - Content Strategy
    - Social Media

See also

• Mind maps guide - workflow examples for planning with mind maps.

• @takazudo/mindmap-parser - parser and serializer package reference.

• @takazudo/mindmap-board - React board package reference.