Can Vimwiki use Markdown files?

Yes: set 'syntax': 'markdown', 'ext': '.md' on the wiki in g:vimwiki_list. [[wikilinks]], the diary, lists and tags work; :Vimwiki2HTML does not, since only the native syntax ships a converter (see :h vimwiki-option-custom_wiki2html). Set g:vimwiki_global_ext = 0 or Vimwiki treats every .md on the machine as a wiki page.

Does Vimwiki have backlinks?

:VimwikiBacklinks (also :VWB) searches all files of the current wiki for links to the current page and lists them; it does not maintain an index. tnotes keeps backlinks live in an overlay (alt+enter on a line without a link) and in the backlinks field of tnotes ls --json.

Is there a CLI for Vimwiki notes?

No. Vimwiki is Vim commands and mappings; the closest is vim -c or a headless Neovim running Vimscript. Because the notes are plain files, a terminal tool that understands [[links]] can index the same directory: tnotes ls --json --dir ~/vimwiki returns id, title, tags, links and backlinks per note.

compare / vimwiki

tnotes vs Vimwiki

A personal wiki inside Vim: linked text files with their own syntax, a diary, todo lists and HTML export, for people who already live in Vim.

tnotes

terminal app · macOS, Linux · MIT · free · v1.3.0

Vimwiki

editor plugin · Anywhere Vim 7.3+ or Neovim runs (Linux, macOS, Windows, BSD) · MIT · Free

Vimwiki has been the Vim answer to a personal wiki since 2008. You register one or more wikis in g:vimwiki_list, press <Leader>ww to open the index, put the cursor on a word and press Enter to turn it into a [[link]], press Enter again to create and open the page, Backspace to come back. Pages are plain text with one of three syntaxes (its own, Markdown, MediaWiki); the native syntax gets the full feature set including :Vimwiki2HTML export, Markdown is second-best supported and has no built-in HTML converter.

Beyond links it has a diary (<Leader>w<Leader>w for today), checkbox lists with partial-completion states ([.], [o], [X]), tables that align themselves, folding, :VimwikiBacklinks, :VimwikiRenameFile that rewrites links, and :tag-one:tag-two: tags with omni-completion and :VimwikiSearchTags. Development is slow and maintainers few, which the README says openly; the plugin is stable rather than moving.

tnotes covers the link-and-tag core with a different interface: a two-pane TUI with mouse support, #tags parsed from the text, link completion after [[, backlinks in an overlay, and a CLI that returns JSON. It edits with edtui’s vim keys, which is a subset of Vim, not Vim. Vimwiki users who try it usually keep both on the same directory.

Feature comparison

Feature	tnotes	Vimwiki
Storage format	✓ plain .md files, folders are directories	✓ .wiki files by default; .md with syntax = 'markdown', ext = '.md'
Runs in the terminal	✓ TUI (ratatui) plus a headless CLI	✓ it is Vim
[[Wikilinks]]	✓ [[Title]] with completion; rewritten on rename	✓ [[link]], [[link\|description]], [[dir/page]], [[page#anchor]]
Backlinks	✓ overlay + `backlinks` in JSON	✓ :VimwikiBacklinks searches the wiki for links to the current page
#tags	✓ #tag and nested #work/project, parsed from text	~ :tag: syntax, not #tag; needs a .tags metadata file (:VimwikiRebuildTags)
Headless CLI	✓ ls, search, cat, new, append, write, trash, restore	✗ Vim commands only; scriptable with vim -c or a headless nvim
JSON output for scripts / agents	✓ --json on every command	✗
Live reload on external edits	✓ file watcher; dirty tabs keep their text	✗ Vim's own autoread / :checktime
Vim keys	✓ vim or emacs keys (edtui)	✓
Mouse support	✓ click, double-click, right-click menus, drag	~ whatever Vim gives you with set mouse=a
Sync	~ any file sync: git, Syncthing, iCloud, Dropbox	~ plain files: git, Syncthing, anything
Encryption	~ encrypt the folder: FileVault, gocryptfs	~ encrypt the directory yourself
Mobile app	✗ files sync to any mobile Markdown editor	✗ files sync to any mobile editor
Plugins	✗	~ no plugin API; it is itself a Vim plugin, extend with Vimscript
Open source	✓ MIT, Rust	✓ MIT, Vimscript

✓ yes · ~ partial or via the file system · ✗ no

Choose Vimwiki if

You want the full Vim editing model, your own mappings, and every Vim plugin you already use; tnotes’ vim keys are edtui’s subset (insert, normal, u, ctrl+r, ., /), not Vim.
Native-syntax features matter: HTML export, self-aligning tables, [.]/[o] partial checkboxes, header-level folding.
A diary (<Leader>w<Leader>w for today, <Leader>w<Leader>i to regenerate the index) and tag search across the wiki, all from Vim’s command line.
You need it on Windows, BSD, or a server where you can install a Vim plugin but not a new binary.

Choose tnotes if

You want a headless interface for scripts and agents: tnotes search --json, cat, new, append, write have no Vimwiki counterpart.
You prefer a sidebar, tabs, mouse clicks and right-click menus over :VimwikiUISelect and the location list.
You want #tags in the text (including nested #work/project) and [[Title]] links resolved by title, without a .tags index to rebuild.
Live reload when another device or a script changes a file, with conflict copies instead of Vim’s swap-file prompt.

Using Vimwiki and tnotes together

Both tools edit plain Markdown, so they can share a directory. Configure a Markdown wiki with the .md extension and restrict Vimwiki to registered paths so it does not claim every Markdown file on the system:

let g:vimwiki_list = [{'path': '~/Documents/notes/', 'syntax': 'markdown', 'ext': '.md'}]
let g:vimwiki_global_ext = 0

tnotes ~/Documents/notes          # same directory as a tnotes root
vim -c VimwikiIndex               # or <Leader>ww inside Vim

How the two overlap on the same files:

[[link]] is the same characters in both. Vimwiki resolves [[Weekly plan]] to the file Weekly plan.md relative to the current page; tnotes resolves by note title (first line, case-insensitive), then by file stem, and names new files as a slug of the title (# Weekly plan becomes weekly-plan.md). Links that both tools follow are the ones written as the file stem: [[weekly-plan]]. Links by title work in tnotes only, and following one in Vimwiki creates a second file.
[[link|description]]: Vimwiki follows link and shows description. tnotes documents [[Note title]] only; whether it strips the |description part when resolving is not documented, so treat aliased links as Vimwiki-only until you have tested it.
Renames: :VimwikiRenameFile rewrites links across the wiki; tnotes rewrites [[old title]] when a note’s first line changes. Each tool’s rename is visible to the other as ordinary file changes.
Tags: Vimwiki’s :tag-one:tag-two: and tnotes’ #tag do not see each other. The .tags metadata file Vimwiki writes is dot-prefixed, so tnotes ignores it.
diary/ shows up as a folder in tnotes. tnotes keeps trashed notes under .Trash/ in the root; Vimwiki’s search and backlink commands may still scan that directory.
tnotes reloads a clean tab when Vim writes the file; Vim needs set autoread or :e to pick up a tnotes write or a tnotes append. Vim’s swap file will prompt if both edit the same note at once.

FAQ

? Can Vimwiki use Markdown files?: Yes: set 'syntax': 'markdown', 'ext': '.md' on the wiki in g:vimwiki_list. [[wikilinks]], the diary, lists and tags work; :Vimwiki2HTML does not, since only the native syntax ships a converter (see :h vimwiki-option-custom_wiki2html). Set g:vimwiki_global_ext = 0 or Vimwiki treats every .md on the machine as a wiki page.
? Does Vimwiki have backlinks?: :VimwikiBacklinks (also :VWB) searches all files of the current wiki for links to the current page and lists them; it does not maintain an index. tnotes keeps backlinks live in an overlay (alt+enter on a line without a link) and in the backlinks field of tnotes ls --json.
? Is there a CLI for Vimwiki notes?: No. Vimwiki is Vim commands and mappings; the closest is vim -c or a headless Neovim running Vimscript. Because the notes are plain files, a terminal tool that understands [[links]] can index the same directory: tnotes ls --json --dir ~/vimwiki returns id, title, tags, links and backlinks per note.

Sources

Vimwiki facts checked on 2026-09-22 against: