One script tag, works on anything

Any site. One script tag. Mark it up.

Drop red-pen.js into any page (a static site, an SPA, a client's half-finished homepage) and a red pen appears in the corner. Pin typed notes to anything on the page. Nothing to host, nothing to sign up for.

One file, 79 KB, zero dependencies. If a browser can load the page, Red Pen can mark it up.

How it works

From tag to notes in under a minute

This is the simplest surface in the family, on purpose. If you can edit an HTML file, you are done.

Add the tag

Copy red-pen.js next to your pages and add one <script> tag. That is the install, start to finish.

The pen appears

A small red button shows up in the corner of the page. Click it and the overlay wakes up.

Pin to any element

Click any element, type the note, set a type and priority. Press j to jump to the next open pin on the page.

Export or sync

Notes live in the browser's storage. Export them as JSON to share, or connect the Hub to keep everything on one board.

Serverless

No backend. No build step.

The other surfaces plug into a platform. This one plugs into HTML, which means it plugs into everything.

Works on anything

Jekyll, Hugo, Astro, a React SPA, a 2009 hand-written homepage. If it renders in a browser, it works.

One file, zero deps

A single 79 KB script with zero dependencies. It never goes through npm or a bundler, and you can read the whole thing in view source.

Notes stay in the browser

Everything persists to local storage, per site. Export and import as JSON whenever you want a copy.

Export and import

Every note downloads as one JSON file. Back it up, hand it to a teammate, or import it on another machine.

Status, priority, replies

Typed notes, low/normal/high priority, Open / In Progress / Resolved, threaded replies. When a pin's element goes missing, a counted banner says so and a filter shows you only the orphans. Nothing is deleted for you.

Gone when you say so

Remove the tag and Red Pen is gone without a trace. Nothing was installed, nothing phones home.

The red wire

Every page feeds the Hub

When you are marking up several sites at once, each page sends its notes to the Red Pen Hub, one local board that sees all of them.

your-site.com

Drop-in script
Red Pen Hublocal board
landing-page2 open
docs-site1 open
client-mockup4 open

The Hub runs on your own machine, and it also rescues notes out of browser storage into something permanent. Nothing in it counts projects, so the number you connect is up to your disk.

Put a red pen on any page

Every part of the script is free, permanently: pinning, workflow, export. Nothing is reserved for a version you have to buy.

The red button in the corner of this page is the drop-in script itself. Go pin something.

FAQ

Questions

Do I need a server or a database?

No. The script is self-contained and notes persist to the browser's local storage. You host nothing and configure nothing.

What happens if I clear my browser data?

Local storage goes with it, so export your notes to JSON now and then, or connect the Hub, which keeps a permanent copy on your machine.

Can my client leave notes too?

Yes. Anyone viewing the page with the script on it gets the pen. Notes are per-browser, so have them export their JSON and send it over; import merges it into your set.

How do I remove it before launch?

Delete the script tag. It wrote no database rows and left no markup behind, and you have no account to close.

Does it phone home or track anything?

No. The script makes no external requests at all. Your notes never leave the browser unless you export them or push them to your own local Hub.