Etu

Etu is a simple journaling tool that talks to the etu-backend API over gRPC (default: grpc.etu.timeclimbers.com).
It should be noted the main goal of Etu is to write interstitial journals. See https://betterhumans.pub/replace-your-to-do-list-with-interstitial-journaling-to-increase-productivity-4e43109d15ef for more on this topic.
Installation
Homebrew
brew tap icco/tap
brew install etu
Local Build
Dependencies: Go 1.25 or later, Task (optional).
git clone the repo
task build (or go build -o etu .)
- Run
./etu
Usage
Before running you need an API key for the etu-backend. You can:
- Put your API key in
~/.config/etu/config.json with keys api_key and optionally grpc_target (default: grpc.etu.timeclimbers.com:443), or
- Set the
ETU_API_KEY environment variable (and optionally ETU_GRPC_TARGET).
Example config file:
{
"api_key": "your-64-char-hex-api-key",
"grpc_target": "grpc.etu.timeclimbers.com:443"
}
Config and the "time since last post" cache live under ~/.config/etu/. Tag generation and storage are handled by the backend; see etu-backend for setup.
$ etu
Etu. A personal command line journal.
Usage:
etu [flags]
etu [command]
Available Commands:
create Create a new journal entry (attach images/audio via drag & drop in TUI or -i/--image, -a/--audio).
delete Delete a journal entry.
edit Edit a journal entry.
help Help about any command
last Output a string of time since last post.
list List journal entries, with an optional starting datetime.
search Search journal entries using fuzzy search.
stats Show journal stats (blips, tags, words written).
tags List all tags with usage counts.
timesince Output a string of time since last post.
Flags:
-h, --help help for etu
-v, --version version for etu
Use "etu [command] --help" for more information about a command.
Inspiration
Etu is the personification of time according to the Lakota.
Etu is inspired heavily by the work of @neauoire at wiki.xxiivv.com, Time Travelers, and the screenshots in the inspiration folder.
Other projects that inspired me:
History
I've rewritten this approximately seven times. Originally a location-based blogging app, then time tracking, wiki, journaling. Backends: Charm, SQLite, Notion, and now the etu-backend gRPC API.