@Mentions
NoteCove supports powerful @mention features for both dates and people, making it easy to reference dates and collaborate with others.
Date Mentions
Quickly insert dates into your notes using natural language keywords.
Date Keywords
Type @ followed by a date keyword:
- @today - Inserts today’s date (e.g., 2026-01-28)
- @yesterday - Inserts yesterday’s date
- @tomorrow - Inserts tomorrow’s date
- @date - Opens a native date picker to select any date
All date keywords resolve to ISO format dates (YYYY-MM-DD) when inserted.
Date Chips
Dates in YYYY-MM-DD format appear as clickable chips:
- Visual styling: Dates are highlighted for easy identification
- Edit dates: Click any date to open the date picker and change it
- Keyboard navigation: Tab through dates in your document
Use Cases
Date mentions are perfect for:
- Meeting notes: “Meeting scheduled for @tomorrow”
- Deadlines: “Project due @date”
- Journal entries: “@today - Completed the @mentions feature”
- Task tracking: “Review PR by @tomorrow”
User Mentions
Mention people in your notes to reference collaborators, assign tasks, or simply acknowledge contributions.
Mentioning Users
- Type
@in your note - Start typing a name or @handle
- Select from the suggestion list
- The mention appears as a chip with the person’s name
Mention Suggestions
When you type @, you’ll see:
- Your profile: If you’ve set up your @handle
- Other users: People who have accessed the same storage directory
- Date keywords: Quick date insertion options
Suggestions are filtered as you type, matching both names and @handles.
User Profiles
Each user mention includes:
- Display name: The person’s full name
- @handle: Their unique username
- Profile ID: Unique identifier for tracking across devices
Mention Popover
Click any user mention to see details:
- Avatar: Colored circle with initial
- Display name and @handle
- “Find notes mentioning this person”: Search for all mentions of this user
The search button allows you to quickly find all notes where someone is mentioned.
Setting Up Your Profile
To appear in mention suggestions and identify yourself in shared notes:
On Desktop
- Open Settings (
Cmd+,/Ctrl+,) - Go to the User Settings section
- Enter your Name (e.g., “Alice Smith”)
- Enter your @handle (e.g., “alice”)
- Only letters, numbers, and underscores
- Maximum 20 characters
- Must be unique in your storage directory
On iOS
- Open Settings
- Scroll to User Settings (at the top)
- Enter your Name and @handle
Your profile information is saved locally and synced through your storage directory.
Profile Presence
When you use NoteCove, your profile presence is automatically written to your storage directory:
- Profile file:
{storage-directory}/profiles/{your-profile-id}.json - Contains: Name, @handle, device info, last updated timestamp
- Syncs automatically: Other users see your profile on their devices
- Privacy: Only users with access to your storage directory see your profile
Profile presence enables:
- Mention suggestions: Other users can @mention you
- Collaboration tracking: See who’s working in shared notes
- Identity: Consistent profile across all your devices
Mention Search
Find notes mentioning specific people or containing dates:
Search by User
- Click a user mention chip → “Find notes mentioning this person”
- Or type
@handlein the global search - All notes mentioning that user appear in results
Search by Date
Type dates in YYYY-MM-DD format in search to find:
- Notes created on that date
- Notes containing that date
- Meeting notes scheduled for that date
Platform Support
| Feature | Desktop | iOS |
|---|---|---|
| Date keywords | ✅ | ✅ |
| Date picker | ✅ | ✅ (native) |
| Date chips | ✅ | ✅ |
| User mentions | ✅ | ✅ |
| Mention suggestions | ✅ | ✅ |
| Profile setup | ✅ | ✅ |
| Mention popover | ✅ | ✅ |
| Mention search | ✅ | ✅ |
| Profile presence sync | ✅ | ✅ |
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Action | macOS | Windows/Linux |
|---|---|---|
| Insert mention | @ | @ |
| Navigate suggestions | ↑↓ | ↑↓ |
| Select suggestion | Enter | Enter |
| Dismiss suggestions | Escape | Escape |
| Open date picker (@date) | Enter | Enter |
| Edit date chip | Click | Click |
| View mention details | Click | Click/Tap |
| Search mentions from popup | Click | Click/Tap |
Privacy & Control
Your profile information stays under your control:
- Local storage: Profile data stored only in your storage directories
- No cloud servers: NoteCove never uploads your profile to external servers
- Sync control: Only syncs through your chosen cloud storage
- Delete anytime: Remove your profile by clearing your @handle in Settings
Tips & Best Practices
Choosing a @handle
- Keep it short: Easy to type and remember
- Use lowercase: Handles are case-insensitive but lowercase is convention
- Be consistent: Use the same handle across all storage directories
- Make it unique: Avoid conflicts with team members
When to Use Mentions
Date mentions are great for:
- Scheduling and deadlines
- Meeting notes and agendas
- Project milestones
- Journal entries
User mentions are ideal for:
- Task assignments
- Feedback requests
- Credit and attribution
- Collaboration tracking
Mention Etiquette
When mentioning others:
- Be specific: Mention people directly involved
- Add context: Explain why you’re mentioning them
- Follow up: Use mention search to check if they’ve responded
- Respect privacy: Don’t over-mention or spam
Technical Details
CRDT Sync
Like all NoteCove features, mentions use CRDTs:
- Conflict-free: Multiple users can add mentions simultaneously
- Offline support: Add mentions offline, sync later
- Guaranteed consistency: All devices see the same mentions
Troubleshooting
No users appear in suggestions
Possible causes:
- No @handle set: Set your @handle in Settings
- No other users: Others need to access the storage directory at least once
- Sync delay: Profile presence files may not have synced yet
Solutions:
- Set up your @handle in Settings
- Ask collaborators to open the storage directory
- Wait a few moments for file sync to complete
- Check profile presence files in
{SD}/profiles/
Mention not appearing as chip
Possible causes:
- Not properly inserted: Mention may be plain text
- Sync issue: Note may not have synced yet
- Old note format: Note created before mentions feature
Solutions:
- Re-insert the mention using
@autocomplete - Wait for sync to complete
- Edit and re-save the note
Date picker not opening on iOS
Possible causes:
- Wrong keyword: Must type
@dateexactly - Keyboard interference: iOS keyboard may block popup
Solutions:
- Ensure you select
@datefrom the suggestions - Dismiss keyboard and try again