feat: add note layout preference

docs/ABSTRACTIONS.md

@@ -607,7 +607,7 @@ No indexing step required — search runs directly against the filesystem.
 
 Per-vault settings stored locally and scoped by vault path:
 - Managed by `useVaultConfig` hook and `vaultConfigStore`
-- Settings: zoom, view mode, tag colors, status colors, property display modes, Inbox note-list column overrides, explicit organization workflow toggle
+- Settings: zoom, view mode, editor mode, note layout, tag colors, status colors, property display modes, Inbox/All Notes note-list column overrides, explicit organization workflow toggle
 - One-time migration from localStorage (`configMigration.ts`)
 
 ### AI Guidance Files

docs/ARCHITECTURE.md

@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ flowchart TD
 
 - **Sidebar** (150-400px, resizable): Top-level filters (All Notes, Changes, Pulse), collapsible type-based section groups, and a dedicated folder tree. The folder tree shows user-created folders plus default vault folders such as `attachments/` and `views/`; only the dedicated `type/` directory stays hidden because note types already have their own sidebar section. The folder tree supports inline folder creation and rename, exposes a right-click menu for rename/delete, and auto-expands ancestor folders when the current selection or rename target is nested. Type sections and folder rows also act as note drop targets: dropping a note on a type updates its `type:` frontmatter, while dropping it on a folder runs the same crash-safe move path as the command palette flow. Each type can have a custom icon, color, sort, and visibility set via its type document in `type/`.
 - **Note List / Pulse View** (200-500px, resizable): When a section group, filter, or saved view is selected, shows filtered notes with snippets, modified dates, status indicators, and per-context note-list controls. When `selection.kind === 'entity'`, the same pane enters **Neighborhood** mode: the source note is pinned at the top as a normal active row, outgoing relationship groups render first, inverse/backlink groups follow, empty groups stay visible with `0`, and duplicates across groups are allowed when multiple relationships are true. Plain click / `Enter` open the focused note without replacing the current Neighborhood, while Cmd/Ctrl-click and Cmd/Ctrl-`Enter` pivot the pane into the clicked note's Neighborhood. Saved views reuse the same sort and visible-column controls as the built-in lists, and those changes persist back into the view `.yml` definition (`sort`, `listPropertiesDisplay`). When Pulse filter is active, shows `PulseView` — a chronological git activity feed grouped by day.
-- **Editor** (flex, fills remaining space): Single note open at a time (no tabs — see ADR-0003). Breadcrumb bar with word count, BlockNote rich text editor with wikilink support, Markdown-compatible inline/display math rendering, markdown-safe formatting controls, and schema-backed fenced code block highlighting via `@blocknote/code-block`. Can toggle to diff view (modified files) or raw CodeMirror view. Decomposed into `Editor` (orchestrator), `EditorContent`, `EditorRightPanel`, `SingleEditorView`, with hooks `useDiffMode`, `useEditorFocus`, and `useEditorSave`, plus the `useRawMode`/`RawEditorView` pair for markdown source editing. Rich BlockNote input and raw CodeMirror input both route typed `->`, `<-`, and `<->` through the shared `src/utils/arrowLigatures.ts` resolver so arrow ligatures stay consistent across mode switches while escaped ASCII sequences remain literal. Navigation history (Cmd+[/]) replaces tabs.
+- **Editor** (flex, fills remaining space): Single note open at a time (no tabs — see ADR-0003). Breadcrumb bar with word count and note-layout toggle, BlockNote rich text editor with wikilink support, Markdown-compatible inline/display math rendering, markdown-safe formatting controls, and schema-backed fenced code block highlighting via `@blocknote/code-block`. Can toggle to diff view (modified files), raw CodeMirror view, or a wide-screen left-aligned note column while preserving the same readable max width. Decomposed into `Editor` (orchestrator), `EditorContent`, `EditorRightPanel`, `SingleEditorView`, with hooks `useDiffMode`, `useEditorFocus`, and `useEditorSave`, plus the `useRawMode`/`RawEditorView` pair for markdown source editing. Rich BlockNote input and raw CodeMirror input both route typed `->`, `<-`, and `<->` through the shared `src/utils/arrowLigatures.ts` resolver so arrow ligatures stay consistent across mode switches while escaped ASCII sequences remain literal. Navigation history (Cmd+[/]) replaces tabs.
 - **Inspector / AI Agent** (200-500px or 40px collapsed): Toggles between Inspector (frontmatter, relationships, instances, backlinks, git history) and AI Agent panel (the selected CLI agent with tool execution). The Sparkle icon in the breadcrumb bar toggles between them. Per-note `icon` is a suggested Inspector property and the command palette's "Set Note Icon" action opens that field directly. When viewing a Type note, the Inspector shows an **Instances** section listing all notes of that type (sorted by modified_at desc, capped at 50).
 
 Panels are separated by `ResizeHandle` components that support drag-to-resize.
@@ -435,6 +435,7 @@ Per-vault UI settings stored locally per vault path (currently in browser/Tauri
 - `zoom`: Float zoom level (0.8–1.5)
 - `view_mode`: "all" | "editor-list" | "editor-only"
 - `editor_mode`: "raw" | "preview" (persists across note switches and sessions)
+- `note_layout`: "centered" | "left" (wide-screen note column alignment for rich and raw editors)
 - `tag_colors`, `status_colors`: Custom color overrides
 - `property_display_modes`: Property display preferences
 - `inbox.noteListProperties`: Optional Inbox-only property chip override for the note list

src/App.tsx

@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ import { planNewTypeCreation } from './hooks/useNoteCreation'
 import { useCommitFlow } from './hooks/useCommitFlow'
 import { useGitRemoteStatus } from './hooks/useGitRemoteStatus'
 import { useViewMode, type ViewMode } from './hooks/useViewMode'
+import { useNoteLayout } from './hooks/useNoteLayout'
 import { useEntryActions } from './hooks/useEntryActions'
 import { useAppCommands } from './hooks/useAppCommands'
 import { triggerCommitEntryAction } from './utils/commitEntryAction'
@@ -1044,6 +1045,7 @@ function App() {
   const diffToggleRef = useRef<() => void>(() => {})
 
   const { setViewMode, sidebarVisible, noteListVisible } = useViewMode(noteWindowParams ? 'editor-only' : undefined)
+  const { noteLayout, toggleNoteLayout } = useNoteLayout()
   const zoom = useZoom()
   const buildNumber = useBuildNumber()
 
@@ -1297,6 +1299,8 @@ function App() {
     onToggleInspector: handleToggleInspector,
     onToggleDiff: toggleDiffCommand,
     onToggleRawEditor: toggleRawEditorCommand,
+    noteLayout,
+    onToggleNoteLayout: toggleNoteLayout,
     onZoomIn: zoom.zoomIn, onZoomOut: zoom.zoomOut, onZoomReset: zoom.zoomReset,
     zoomLevel: zoom.zoomLevel,
     onSelect: handleSetSelection,
@@ -1502,6 +1506,8 @@ function App() {
               onContentChange={handleTrackedContentChange}
               onSave={handleTrackedSave}
               onRenameFilename={activeDeletedFile ? undefined : appSave.handleFilenameRename}
+              noteLayout={noteLayout}
+              onToggleNoteLayout={toggleNoteLayout}
               rawToggleRef={rawToggleRef}
               diffToggleRef={diffToggleRef}
               canGoBack={canGoBack}

src/components/BreadcrumbBar.test.tsx

@@ -306,3 +306,26 @@ describe('BreadcrumbBar — raw editor toggle', () => {
     expect(screen.getByRole('button', { name: 'Open the raw editor' })).toBeInTheDocument()
   })
 })
+
+describe('BreadcrumbBar — note layout toggle', () => {
+  it('shows the left-align layout action while centered', () => {
+    render(<BreadcrumbBar entry={baseEntry} {...defaultProps} noteLayout="centered" onToggleNoteLayout={vi.fn()} />)
+
+    expect(screen.getByRole('button', { name: 'Switch to left-aligned note layout' })).toBeInTheDocument()
+  })
+
+  it('shows the centered layout action while left-aligned', () => {
+    render(<BreadcrumbBar entry={baseEntry} {...defaultProps} noteLayout="left" onToggleNoteLayout={vi.fn()} />)
+
+    expect(screen.getByRole('button', { name: 'Switch to centered note layout' })).toBeInTheDocument()
+  })
+
+  it('calls onToggleNoteLayout when the layout button is clicked', () => {
+    const onToggleNoteLayout = vi.fn()
+    render(<BreadcrumbBar entry={baseEntry} {...defaultProps} noteLayout="centered" onToggleNoteLayout={onToggleNoteLayout} />)
+
+    fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole('button', { name: 'Switch to left-aligned note layout' }))
+
+    expect(onToggleNoteLayout).toHaveBeenCalledOnce()
+  })
+})

src/components/BreadcrumbBar.tsx

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { memo, useCallback, useEffect, useMemo, useRef, useState, type CSSProperties, type KeyboardEvent, type ReactNode } from 'react'
-import type { VaultEntry } from '../types'
+import type { NoteLayout, VaultEntry } from '../types'
 import { cn } from '@/lib/utils'
 import { formatShortcutDisplay } from '../hooks/appCommandCatalog'
 import { Button } from '@/components/ui/button'
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@ import {
   Star,
   CheckCircle,
   ArrowsClockwise,
+  TextAlignCenter,
+  TextAlignLeft,
 } from '@phosphor-icons/react'
 import { NoteTitleIcon } from './NoteTitleIcon'
 import { slugify } from '../hooks/useNoteCreation'
@@ -43,6 +45,8 @@ interface BreadcrumbBarProps {
   onArchive?: () => void
   onUnarchive?: () => void
   onRenameFilename?: (path: string, newFilenameStem: string) => void
+  noteLayout?: NoteLayout
+  onToggleNoteLayout?: () => void
   /** Ref for direct DOM manipulation — avoids re-render on scroll. */
   barRef?: React.Ref<HTMLDivElement>
 }
@@ -181,6 +185,29 @@ function RawToggleButton({ rawMode, onToggleRaw }: { rawMode?: boolean; onToggle
   )
 }
 
+function NoteLayoutAction({
+  noteLayout = 'centered',
+  onToggleNoteLayout,
+}: {
+  noteLayout?: NoteLayout
+  onToggleNoteLayout?: () => void
+}) {
+  if (!onToggleNoteLayout) return null
+
+  const isLeftAligned = noteLayout === 'left'
+  return (
+    <IconActionButton
+      copy={{ label: isLeftAligned ? 'Switch to centered note layout' : 'Switch to left-aligned note layout' }}
+      onClick={onToggleNoteLayout}
+      className={cn(isLeftAligned ? 'text-foreground' : 'hover:text-foreground')}
+    >
+      {isLeftAligned
+        ? <TextAlignLeft size={16} className={BREADCRUMB_ICON_CLASS} />
+        : <TextAlignCenter size={16} className={BREADCRUMB_ICON_CLASS} />}
+    </IconActionButton>
+  )
+}
+
 function FavoriteAction({ favorite, onToggleFavorite }: { favorite: boolean; onToggleFavorite?: () => void }) {
   return (
     <ToggleIconAction
@@ -498,6 +525,8 @@ function BreadcrumbActions({
   rawMode,
   onToggleRaw,
   forceRawMode,
+  noteLayout,
+  onToggleNoteLayout,
   showAIChat,
   onToggleAIChat,
   inspectorCollapsed,
@@ -519,6 +548,7 @@ function BreadcrumbActions({
         onToggleDiff={onToggleDiff}
       />
       {!forceRawMode && <RawToggleButton rawMode={rawMode} onToggleRaw={onToggleRaw} />}
+      <NoteLayoutAction noteLayout={noteLayout} onToggleNoteLayout={onToggleNoteLayout} />
       <AIChatAction showAIChat={showAIChat} onToggleAIChat={onToggleAIChat} />
       <ArchiveAction archived={entry.archived} onArchive={onArchive} onUnarchive={onUnarchive} />
       <DeleteAction onDelete={onDelete} />

src/components/Editor.css

@@ -204,6 +204,22 @@
   width: 100%;
 }
 
+.editor-content-layout--left .editor-content-wrapper {
+  margin-left: clamp(16px, 6%, 96px);
+  margin-right: auto;
+}
+
+.raw-editor-codemirror {
+  max-width: var(--editor-max-width, 760px);
+  width: 100%;
+  margin: 0 auto;
+}
+
+.editor-content-layout--left .raw-editor-codemirror {
+  margin-left: clamp(16px, 6%, 96px);
+  margin-right: auto;
+}
+
 /* --- Note Icon Area --- */
 .note-icon-area {
   display: flex;
@@ -322,3 +338,11 @@
     padding: 12px 0;
   }
 }
+
+@container editor (max-width: 900px) {
+  .editor-content-layout--left .editor-content-wrapper,
+  .editor-content-layout--left .raw-editor-codemirror {
+    margin-left: auto;
+    margin-right: auto;
+  }
+}

src/components/Editor.tsx

@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import '@blocknote/mantine/style.css'
 import 'katex/dist/katex.min.css'
 import { uploadImageFile } from '../hooks/useImageDrop'
 import { DEFAULT_AI_AGENT, type AiAgentId } from '../lib/aiAgents'
-import type { VaultEntry, GitCommit, NoteStatus } from '../types'
+import type { VaultEntry, GitCommit, NoteLayout, NoteStatus } from '../types'
 import type { NoteListItem } from '../utils/ai-context'
 import type { FrontmatterValue } from './Inspector'
 import { ResizeHandle } from './ResizeHandle'
@@ -73,6 +73,8 @@ interface EditorProps {
   onSave?: () => void
   /** Called when the user explicitly renames the filename from the breadcrumb. */
   onRenameFilename?: (path: string, newFilenameStem: string) => void
+  noteLayout?: NoteLayout
+  onToggleNoteLayout?: () => void
   canGoBack?: boolean
   canGoForward?: boolean
   onGoBack?: () => void
@@ -299,6 +301,8 @@ function EditorLayout({
   rawModeContent,
   rawLatestContentRef,
   onRenameFilename,
+  noteLayout,
+  onToggleNoteLayout,
   isConflicted,
   onKeepMine,
   onKeepTheirs,
@@ -353,6 +357,8 @@ function EditorLayout({
   rawModeContent: string | null
   rawLatestContentRef: React.MutableRefObject<string | null>
   onRenameFilename?: (path: string, newFilenameStem: string) => void
+  noteLayout?: NoteLayout
+  onToggleNoteLayout?: () => void
   isConflicted?: boolean
   onKeepMine?: (path: string) => void
   onKeepTheirs?: (path: string) => void
@@ -412,6 +418,8 @@ function EditorLayout({
               rawModeContent={rawModeContent}
               rawLatestContentRef={rawLatestContentRef}
               onRenameFilename={onRenameFilename}
+              noteLayout={noteLayout}
+              onToggleNoteLayout={onToggleNoteLayout}
               isConflicted={isConflicted}
               onKeepMine={onKeepMine}
               onKeepTheirs={onKeepTheirs}
@@ -467,6 +475,7 @@ export const Editor = memo(function Editor(props: EditorProps) {
     vaultPath, noteList, noteListFilter,
     onToggleFavorite, onToggleOrganized, onDeleteNote, onArchiveNote, onUnarchiveNote,
     onContentChange, onSave, onRenameFilename,
+    noteLayout, onToggleNoteLayout,
     onFileCreated, onFileModified, onVaultChanged,
     isConflicted, onKeepMine, onKeepTheirs,
     flushPendingRawContentRef,
@@ -527,6 +536,8 @@ export const Editor = memo(function Editor(props: EditorProps) {
       rawModeContent={rawModeContent}
       rawLatestContentRef={rawLatestContentRef}
       onRenameFilename={onRenameFilename}
+      noteLayout={noteLayout}
+      onToggleNoteLayout={onToggleNoteLayout}
       isConflicted={isConflicted}
       onKeepMine={onKeepMine}
       onKeepTheirs={onKeepTheirs}

src/components/RawEditorView.tsx

@@ -373,7 +373,7 @@ export function RawEditorView({ content, path, entries, onContentChange, onSave,
       <RawEditorYamlErrorBanner error={pendingChanges.yamlError} />
       <div
         ref={containerRef}
-        className="flex flex-1 min-h-0"
+        className="raw-editor-codemirror flex flex-1 min-h-0"
         data-testid="raw-editor-codemirror"
         aria-label="Raw editor"
       />

src/components/editor-content/EditorContentLayout.test.tsx

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import { describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
 import { EditorContentLayout } from './EditorContentLayout'
 
 vi.mock('../BreadcrumbBar', () => ({
-  BreadcrumbBar: () => <div data-testid="breadcrumb-bar" />,
+  BreadcrumbBar: ({ noteLayout }: { noteLayout?: string }) => <div data-testid="breadcrumb-bar" data-note-layout={noteLayout} />,
 }))
 
 vi.mock('../ArchivedNoteBanner', () => ({
@@ -63,6 +63,8 @@ function createModel(overrides: Record<string, unknown> = {}) {
     onEditorChange: vi.fn(),
     isDeletedPreview: false,
     rawLatestContentRef: { current: null },
+    noteLayout: 'centered',
+    onToggleNoteLayout: vi.fn(),
     forceRawMode: false,
     showAIChat: false,
     onToggleAIChat: vi.fn(),
@@ -99,4 +101,11 @@ describe('EditorContentLayout', () => {
     expect(container.querySelector('.animate-pulse')).not.toBeNull()
     expect(screen.queryByTestId('title-field-input')).not.toBeInTheDocument()
   })
+
+  it('marks the editor content root and breadcrumb with the note layout preference', () => {
+    const { container } = render(<EditorContentLayout {...createModel({ noteLayout: 'left' })} />)
+
+    expect(container.firstElementChild).toHaveClass('editor-content-layout--left')
+    expect(screen.getByTestId('breadcrumb-bar')).toHaveAttribute('data-note-layout', 'left')
+  })
 })

src/components/editor-content/EditorContentLayout.tsx

@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import type React from 'react'
+import { cn } from '@/lib/utils'
 import { DiffView } from '../DiffView'
 import { BreadcrumbBar } from '../BreadcrumbBar'
 import { ArchivedNoteBanner } from '../ArchivedNoteBanner'
@@ -28,6 +29,8 @@ type BreadcrumbActions = Pick<
   | 'onArchiveNote'
   | 'onUnarchiveNote'
   | 'onRenameFilename'
+  | 'noteLayout'
+  | 'onToggleNoteLayout'
 >
 
 function EditorLoadingSkeleton() {
@@ -128,6 +131,8 @@ function ActiveTabBreadcrumb({
       onArchive={bindPath(actions.onArchiveNote, path)}
       onUnarchive={bindPath(actions.onUnarchiveNote, path)}
       onRenameFilename={actions.onRenameFilename}
+      noteLayout={actions.noteLayout}
+      onToggleNoteLayout={actions.onToggleNoteLayout}
     />
   )
 }
@@ -228,18 +233,23 @@ export function EditorContentLayout(model: EditorContentModel) {
     isDeletedPreview,
     rawLatestContentRef,
     rawModeContent,
+    noteLayout,
   } = model
+  const rootClassName = cn(
+    'flex flex-1 flex-col min-w-0 min-h-0',
+    noteLayout === 'left' ? 'editor-content-layout--left' : 'editor-content-layout--centered',
+  )
 
   if (!activeTab) {
     return (
-      <div className="flex flex-1 flex-col min-w-0 min-h-0">
+      <div className={rootClassName}>
         {isLoadingNewTab && showEditor && <EditorLoadingSkeleton />}
       </div>
     )
   }
 
   return (
-    <div className="flex flex-1 flex-col min-w-0 min-h-0">
+    <div className={rootClassName}>
       <ActiveTabBreadcrumb
         activeTab={activeTab}
         barRef={breadcrumbBarRef}
@@ -263,6 +273,8 @@ export function EditorContentLayout(model: EditorContentModel) {
           onArchiveNote: model.onArchiveNote,
           onUnarchiveNote: model.onUnarchiveNote,
           onRenameFilename: model.onRenameFilename,
+          noteLayout: model.noteLayout,
+          onToggleNoteLayout: model.onToggleNoteLayout,
         }}
       />
       <EditorChrome

src/components/editor-content/useEditorContentModel.ts

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import type React from 'react'
 import { useRef } from 'react'
 import type { useCreateBlockNote } from '@blocknote/react'
-import type { NoteStatus, VaultEntry } from '../../types'
+import type { NoteLayout, NoteStatus, VaultEntry } from '../../types'
 import { useEditorTheme } from '../../hooks/useTheme'
 import { deriveEditorContentState } from './editorContentState'
 
@@ -40,6 +40,8 @@ export interface EditorContentProps {
   rawModeContent?: string | null
   rawLatestContentRef?: React.MutableRefObject<string | null>
   onRenameFilename?: (path: string, newFilenameStem: string) => void
+  noteLayout?: NoteLayout
+  onToggleNoteLayout?: () => void
   isConflicted?: boolean
   onKeepMine?: (path: string) => void
   onKeepTheirs?: (path: string) => void

src/hooks/commands/viewCommands.ts

@@ -1,8 +1,16 @@
 import { APP_COMMAND_IDS, getAppCommandShortcutDisplay } from '../appCommandCatalog'
 import type { CommandAction } from './types'
 import type { ViewMode } from '../useViewMode'
+import type { NoteLayout } from '../../types'
 import { requestNewAiChat } from '../../utils/aiPromptBridge'
 
+const NOTE_LAYOUT_COMMAND_LABELS: Record<NoteLayout, string> = {
+  centered: 'Use Left-Aligned Note Layout',
+  left: 'Use Centered Note Layout',
+}
+
+const noop = () => {}
+
 interface ViewCommandsConfig {
   hasActiveNote: boolean
   activeNoteModified: boolean
@@ -10,6 +18,8 @@ interface ViewCommandsConfig {
   onToggleInspector: () => void
   onToggleDiff?: () => void
   onToggleRawEditor?: () => void
+  noteLayout?: NoteLayout
+  onToggleNoteLayout?: () => void
   onToggleAIChat?: () => void
   zoomLevel: number
   onZoomIn: () => void
@@ -20,10 +30,21 @@ interface ViewCommandsConfig {
   noteListColumnsLabel: string
 }
 
+function buildNoteLayoutCommand(noteLayout: NoteLayout, onToggleNoteLayout?: () => void): CommandAction {
+  return {
+    id: 'toggle-note-layout',
+    label: NOTE_LAYOUT_COMMAND_LABELS[noteLayout],
+    group: 'View',
+    keywords: ['layout', 'note', 'column', 'wide', 'left', 'centered', 'reading'],
+    enabled: Boolean(onToggleNoteLayout),
+    execute: onToggleNoteLayout ?? noop,
+  }
+}
+
 export function buildViewCommands(config: ViewCommandsConfig): CommandAction[] {
   const {
     hasActiveNote, activeNoteModified,
-    onSetViewMode, onToggleInspector, onToggleDiff, onToggleRawEditor, onToggleAIChat,
+    onSetViewMode, onToggleInspector, onToggleDiff, onToggleRawEditor, noteLayout = 'centered', onToggleNoteLayout, onToggleAIChat,
     zoomLevel, onZoomIn, onZoomOut, onZoomReset,
     onCustomizeNoteListColumns, canCustomizeNoteListColumns, noteListColumnsLabel,
   } = config
@@ -35,6 +56,7 @@ export function buildViewCommands(config: ViewCommandsConfig): CommandAction[] {
     { id: 'toggle-inspector', label: 'Toggle Properties Panel', group: 'View', shortcut: getAppCommandShortcutDisplay(APP_COMMAND_IDS.viewToggleProperties), keywords: ['properties', 'inspector', 'panel', 'right', 'sidebar'], enabled: true, execute: onToggleInspector },
     { id: 'toggle-diff', label: 'Toggle Diff Mode', group: 'View', keywords: ['diff', 'changes', 'git', 'compare', 'version'], enabled: hasActiveNote && activeNoteModified, execute: () => onToggleDiff?.() },
     { id: 'toggle-raw-editor', label: 'Toggle Raw Editor', group: 'View', keywords: ['raw', 'source', 'markdown', 'frontmatter', 'code', 'textarea'], enabled: hasActiveNote && !!onToggleRawEditor, execute: () => onToggleRawEditor?.() },
+    buildNoteLayoutCommand(noteLayout, onToggleNoteLayout),
     { id: 'toggle-ai-panel', label: 'Toggle AI Panel', group: 'View', shortcut: getAppCommandShortcutDisplay(APP_COMMAND_IDS.viewToggleAiChat), keywords: ['ai', 'agent', 'chat', 'assistant', 'contextual'], enabled: true, execute: () => onToggleAIChat?.() },
     { id: 'new-ai-chat', label: 'New AI chat', group: 'View', keywords: ['ai', 'agent', 'chat', 'assistant', 'new', 'fresh', 'conversation', 'reset'], enabled: true, execute: requestNewAiChat },
     { id: 'toggle-backlinks', label: 'Toggle Backlinks', group: 'View', keywords: ['backlinks', 'references', 'links', 'mentions', 'incoming'], enabled: hasActiveNote, execute: onToggleInspector },

src/hooks/useAppCommands.ts

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import { useCommandRegistry } from './useCommandRegistry'
 import type { CommandAction } from './useCommandRegistry'
 import { useKeyboardNavigation } from './useKeyboardNavigation'
 import { useMenuEvents } from './useMenuEvents'
-import type { SidebarSelection, SidebarFilter, VaultEntry } from '../types'
+import type { NoteLayout, SidebarSelection, SidebarFilter, VaultEntry } from '../types'
 import { requestAddRemote } from '../utils/addRemoteEvents'
 import type { NoteListFilter } from '../utils/noteListHelpers'
 import type { ViewMode } from './useViewMode'
@@ -38,6 +38,8 @@ interface AppCommandsConfig {
   onToggleInspector: () => void
   onToggleDiff?: () => void
   onToggleRawEditor?: () => void
+  noteLayout?: NoteLayout
+  onToggleNoteLayout?: () => void
   activeNoteModified: boolean
   onZoomIn: () => void
   onZoomOut: () => void
@@ -135,6 +137,8 @@ type CommandRegistryCoreActions = Pick<
   | 'onToggleInspector'
   | 'onToggleDiff'
   | 'onToggleRawEditor'
+  | 'noteLayout'
+  | 'onToggleNoteLayout'
   | 'onToggleAIChat'
 >
 type CommandRegistryVaultActions = Pick<
@@ -378,6 +382,8 @@ function createCommandRegistryCoreConfig(
     onToggleInspector: config.onToggleInspector,
     onToggleDiff: config.onToggleDiff,
     onToggleRawEditor: config.onToggleRawEditor,
+    noteLayout: config.noteLayout,
+    onToggleNoteLayout: config.onToggleNoteLayout,
     onToggleAIChat: config.onToggleAIChat,
   }
 }

src/hooks/useCommandRegistry.test.ts

@@ -25,6 +25,8 @@ function makeConfig(overrides: Record<string, unknown> = {}) {
     onToggleInspector: vi.fn(),
     onToggleDiff: vi.fn(),
     onToggleRawEditor: vi.fn(),
+    noteLayout: 'centered',
+    onToggleNoteLayout: vi.fn(),
     onToggleAIChat: vi.fn(),
     onOpenVault: vi.fn(),
     activeNoteModified: false,
@@ -260,6 +262,29 @@ describe('useCommandRegistry', () => {
     expect(findCommand(result.current, 'toggle-raw-editor')?.enabled).toBe(false)
   })
 
+  it('exposes a command palette action for the note layout preference', () => {
+    const onToggleNoteLayout = vi.fn()
+    const config = makeConfig({ noteLayout: 'centered', onToggleNoteLayout })
+    const { result } = renderHook(() => useCommandRegistry(config))
+    const cmd = findCommand(result.current, 'toggle-note-layout')
+
+    expect(cmd).toBeDefined()
+    expect(cmd!.group).toBe('View')
+    expect(cmd!.label).toBe('Use Left-Aligned Note Layout')
+    expect(cmd!.keywords).toContain('wide')
+
+    cmd!.execute()
+
+    expect(onToggleNoteLayout).toHaveBeenCalledOnce()
+  })
+
+  it('updates note layout command copy when left alignment is active', () => {
+    const config = makeConfig({ noteLayout: 'left' })
+    const { result } = renderHook(() => useCommandRegistry(config))
+
+    expect(findCommand(result.current, 'toggle-note-layout')?.label).toBe('Use Centered Note Layout')
+  })
+
   it('includes a New AI chat command that opens and resets the panel session', () => {
     const config = makeConfig()
     const dispatchSpy = vi.spyOn(window, 'dispatchEvent')

src/hooks/useCommandRegistry.ts

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import { useMemo } from 'react'
 import type { AiAgentId, AiAgentsStatus } from '../lib/aiAgents'
 import type { VaultAiGuidanceStatus } from '../lib/vaultAiGuidance'
-import type { SidebarSelection, VaultEntry } from '../types'
+import type { NoteLayout, SidebarSelection, VaultEntry } from '../types'
 import type { NoteListFilter } from '../utils/noteListHelpers'
 import type { ViewMode } from './useViewMode'
 import { buildNavigationCommands } from './commands/navigationCommands'
@@ -72,6 +72,8 @@ interface CommandRegistryConfig {
   onToggleInspector: () => void
   onToggleDiff?: () => void
   onToggleRawEditor?: () => void
+  noteLayout?: NoteLayout
+  onToggleNoteLayout?: () => void
   onToggleAIChat?: () => void
   activeNoteModified: boolean
   onCheckForUpdates?: () => void
@@ -101,7 +103,7 @@ export function useCommandRegistry(config: CommandRegistryConfig): import('./com
     activeTabPath, entries, modifiedCount,
     onQuickOpen, onCreateNote, onCreateNoteOfType, onSave, onOpenSettings, onOpenFeedback,
     onDeleteNote, onArchiveNote, onUnarchiveNote,
-    onCommitPush, onPull, onResolveConflicts, onSetViewMode, onToggleInspector, onToggleDiff, onToggleRawEditor, onToggleAIChat, onOpenVault, onCreateEmptyVault,
+    onCommitPush, onPull, onResolveConflicts, onSetViewMode, onToggleInspector, onToggleDiff, onToggleRawEditor, noteLayout, onToggleNoteLayout, onToggleAIChat, onOpenVault, onCreateEmptyVault,
     activeNoteModified,
     onZoomIn, onZoomOut, onZoomReset, zoomLevel,
     onSelect, onRenameFolder, onDeleteFolder,
@@ -169,7 +171,7 @@ export function useCommandRegistry(config: CommandRegistryConfig): import('./com
     }),
     ...buildViewCommands({
       hasActiveNote, activeNoteModified, onSetViewMode, onToggleInspector,
-      onToggleDiff, onToggleRawEditor, onToggleAIChat, zoomLevel, onZoomIn, onZoomOut, onZoomReset,
+      onToggleDiff, onToggleRawEditor, noteLayout, onToggleNoteLayout, onToggleAIChat, zoomLevel, onZoomIn, onZoomOut, onZoomReset,
       onCustomizeNoteListColumns, canCustomizeNoteListColumns, noteListColumnsLabel,
     }),
     ...buildSettingsCommands({
@@ -193,7 +195,7 @@ export function useCommandRegistry(config: CommandRegistryConfig): import('./com
     hasActiveNote, activeTabPath, isArchived, modifiedCount, activeNoteModified,
     onQuickOpen, onCreateNote, onCreateNoteOfType, onCreateType, onSave, onOpenSettings, onOpenFeedback,
     onDeleteNote, onArchiveNote, onUnarchiveNote,
-    onCommitPush, onPull, onResolveConflicts, onSetViewMode, onToggleInspector, onToggleDiff, onToggleRawEditor, onToggleAIChat, onOpenVault, onCreateEmptyVault, config.canAddRemote, config.onAddRemote,
+    onCommitPush, onPull, onResolveConflicts, onSetViewMode, onToggleInspector, onToggleDiff, onToggleRawEditor, noteLayout, onToggleNoteLayout, onToggleAIChat, onOpenVault, onCreateEmptyVault, config.canAddRemote, config.onAddRemote,
     onCheckForUpdates,
     onZoomIn, onZoomOut, onZoomReset, zoomLevel,
     onSelect, onRenameFolder, onDeleteFolder,

src/hooks/useNoteLayout.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+import { describe, it, expect, vi, beforeEach } from 'vitest'
+import { renderHook, act } from '@testing-library/react'
+import { useNoteLayout } from './useNoteLayout'
+import { bindVaultConfigStore, getVaultConfig, resetVaultConfigStore } from '../utils/vaultConfigStore'
+
+describe('useNoteLayout', () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    resetVaultConfigStore()
+    bindVaultConfigStore(
+      { zoom: null, view_mode: null, editor_mode: null, note_layout: null, tag_colors: null, status_colors: null, property_display_modes: null },
+      vi.fn(),
+    )
+  })
+
+  it('defaults to centered note layout', () => {
+    const { result } = renderHook(() => useNoteLayout())
+
+    expect(result.current.noteLayout).toBe('centered')
+  })
+
+  it('loads persisted left note layout from vault config', () => {
+    resetVaultConfigStore()
+    bindVaultConfigStore(
+      { zoom: null, view_mode: null, editor_mode: null, note_layout: 'left', tag_colors: null, status_colors: null, property_display_modes: null },
+      vi.fn(),
+    )
+
+    const { result } = renderHook(() => useNoteLayout())
+
+    expect(result.current.noteLayout).toBe('left')
+  })
+
+  it('sets note layout and persists it to vault config', () => {
+    const { result } = renderHook(() => useNoteLayout())
+
+    act(() => result.current.setNoteLayout('left'))
+
+    expect(result.current.noteLayout).toBe('left')
+    expect(getVaultConfig().note_layout).toBe('left')
+  })
+
+  it('toggles between centered and left note layout', () => {
+    const { result } = renderHook(() => useNoteLayout())
+
+    act(() => result.current.toggleNoteLayout())
+    expect(result.current.noteLayout).toBe('left')
+
+    act(() => result.current.toggleNoteLayout())
+    expect(result.current.noteLayout).toBe('centered')
+  })
+})

src/hooks/useNoteLayout.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+import { useCallback, useEffect, useState } from 'react'
+import type { NoteLayout } from '../types'
+import { getVaultConfig, subscribeVaultConfig, updateVaultConfigField } from '../utils/vaultConfigStore'
+
+function isNoteLayout(value: string | null | undefined): value is NoteLayout {
+  return value === 'centered' || value === 'left'
+}
+
+function loadNoteLayout(): NoteLayout {
+  const stored = getVaultConfig().note_layout
+  return isNoteLayout(stored) ? stored : 'centered'
+}
+
+export function useNoteLayout() {
+  const [noteLayout, setNoteLayoutState] = useState<NoteLayout>(loadNoteLayout)
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    return subscribeVaultConfig(() => {
+      setNoteLayoutState(loadNoteLayout())
+    })
+  }, [])
+
+  const setNoteLayout = useCallback((layout: NoteLayout) => {
+    setNoteLayoutState(layout)
+    updateVaultConfigField('note_layout', layout)
+  }, [])
+
+  const toggleNoteLayout = useCallback(() => {
+    setNoteLayout(noteLayout === 'left' ? 'centered' : 'left')
+  }, [noteLayout, setNoteLayout])
+
+  return { noteLayout, setNoteLayout, toggleNoteLayout }
+}

src/types.ts

@@ -149,11 +149,15 @@ export interface AllNotesConfig {
   noteListProperties: string[] | null
 }
 
+/** Vault-scoped UI configuration stored locally per vault path. */
+export type NoteLayout = 'centered' | 'left'
+
 /** Vault-scoped UI configuration stored locally per vault path. */
 export interface VaultConfig {
   zoom: number | null
   view_mode: string | null
   editor_mode: string | null
+  note_layout?: NoteLayout | null
   tag_colors: Record<string, string> | null
   status_colors: Record<string, string> | null
   property_display_modes: Record<string, string> | null

src/utils/vaultConfigStore.ts

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ type SaveFn = (config: VaultConfig) => void
 type Listener = () => void
 
 const DEFAULT_CONFIG: VaultConfig = {
-  zoom: null, view_mode: null, editor_mode: null,
+  zoom: null, view_mode: null, editor_mode: null, note_layout: null,
   tag_colors: null, status_colors: null, property_display_modes: null,
   inbox: null,
 }