Build a study system you understand.

Kiritsu works without an account. On first launch it creates a local SQLite workspace in your operating system’s application-data directory.

1. Add a material

Open Library, create a book, course, article, video, or custom material, then describe its unit range when useful.

2. Give it structure

Add sections and nest them to match the real source. A section may use a different unit kind from its material.

3. Connect a topic

Create a topic and link it to the sections that teach or practice that concept.

4. Record the work

Start from Focus Space or add a manual activity. Progress and analytics update from the activity history.

Local-first means local responsibility.

Create a backup before making large changes or moving to another computer.

A material is the source you are studying. Sections form an arbitrarily deep tree, so a textbook can contain parts, chapters, lessons, exercises, or any structure you need.

Units and progress

Set a start and end unit when progress can be measured as a span. The start must not exceed the end. Overlapping sibling spans are allowed because real materials overlap, but Kiritsu warns you before saving.

Progress is derived from logged activity rather than typed into a percentage field. Reordering or nesting sections changes presentation without falsifying the history.

Topics

Topics connect the same concept across different sections. When you choose a linked section while logging or focusing, Kiritsu preselects its topic when possible. A section may link to more than one topic.

Quick actions

Right-click materials, sections, and topics for common actions. Sections can also be dragged to reorder, nested onto another section, or dropped at the tree root to become standalone again.

Workflow cards represent concrete study tasks. Create your own columns, reorder cards vertically, and drag cards between columns. Each column scrolls independently so the board remains within the window.

Completing a card

Moving a card into the completion column can register the completed work in the activity log. Moving it back out prompts before reversing that completion-derived progress, protecting the activity history from accidental edits.

Focus groups

Use focus groups to collect the cards you want available in Focus Space. The right-click menu provides the same movements when drag and drop is inconvenient.

Choose a material, section, topic, or workflow card before starting. Use standard Pomodoro, a custom focus-and-break cycle, or a freeform stopwatch.

Pomodoro

Structured focus and break intervals.

Custom Pomodoro

Choose your own focus and break duration.

Freeform

Count upward until the work is finished.

The timer continues in the background and while Kiritsu is minimized to the tray. Sounds and desktop notifications can announce focus and break transitions. Closing can minimize to tray when enabled; use Exit from the tray menu to quit fully.

Practice sessions

Finishing normal or review practice always opens a result modal for attempted and correct counts. These values feed accuracy and review history, so enter them before completing the session.

Interruptions

Interruption +1 increments the session’s interruption count without stopping the timer. It is an honest annotation for later reflection, not a punishment or a change to the session duration.

Kiritsu schedules two independent tracks: Study for understanding and exposure, and Practice for retrieval or application. Reviews are derived by replaying relevant activity history, so editing an activity deterministically updates what comes next.

Working the queue

Open the review queue, select a due item, complete the work, then record the outcome. Optional daily limits help keep the queue realistic; they are strongly recommended when spaced repetition is central to your routine.

Use the rating that describes the result, not the effort you hoped to give. Practice accuracy is recorded separately through attempted and correct counts.

Manual sessions and Focus Space completions become append-friendly activity records. Existing records retain edit tracking so corrections remain distinguishable from original history.

Correcting history

Edit an activity when its duration, association, or practice result is wrong. Delete only when the event did not happen. Derived progress, schedules, and analytics are recalculated from the corrected history.

Reading analytics

Use the 7-day view for daily rhythm, 30 and 90 days for trends, and the yearly view for long-term consistency. Study-time groups follow calendar periods so dense timelines remain readable at every window size.

Full backup

Use Settings, Data safety, then Create backup for the most complete restorable snapshot. To move computers, install Kiritsu on the new machine and choose Restore backup.

JSON export and import

JSON is the readable, portable representation of your library, topics, workflow, activities, and related settings. Export it for inspection or migration, and import through Data safety. Kiritsu validates the file before replacing data.

Start fresh

Erase workspace and start fresh permanently removes current study data after a confirmation modal. Create and verify a backup first. Appearance and application preferences may be managed separately from study records.

Recommended routine

Keep at least two backup copies, with one outside the computer running Kiritsu. Test restoration occasionally.

Choose light, dark, or system appearance; control timer sounds and notifications; enable automatic update checks; and decide whether closing the window minimizes to the tray.

Command palette

Open the command palette for fast navigation and common actions. Type to filter, use the arrow keys to move, press Enter to run, and Esc to close.

Updates and privacy

Kiritsu makes no network requests for accounts, telemetry, advertising, or study synchronization. The only exception is the user-controlled GitHub update check. Signed updates are verified before installation.