# Minder is a mind mapper for elementary OS with more import formats than export decisions

> Minder is a Vala and GTK application for creating mind maps, with automatic tree layout, LaTeX typesetting, notes, tables and an unusually long list of import and export formats. It fits a Linux user who wants a native mind mapper that reads the file formats their notes and outlines are already in, and it does not fit a Windows or macOS user without the Flatpak.

**phase1geo/Minder** — Mind-mapping application for Elementary OS

- Repository: https://github.com/phase1geo/Minder
- Stars: 1,213 · Forks: 88
- Language: Vala
- License: GPL-3.0
- Published: 2026-10-19 · Updated: 2026-10-19 · Language: en
- Canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/phase1geo-minder

## Written for elementary OS, and the build shows it

Minder is a mind-mapping application for elementary OS, and the primary language is Vala, which is the language elementary's own applications are written in.

That is visible in the build. The source dependency list includes libgranite-7-dev, which is elementary's own widget library, and libgtk-4-dev, and the repository carries an elementary/ directory along with an elementary-theme.patch and a flathub/ directory, so the project ships a theme integration for the desktop environment it was designed for rather than only a generic GTK application.

The build system is Meson with Vala, and there is a vapi/ directory for the Vala API bindings. The build tooling is a mix of modern and older pieces, with meson.build and meson/, a debhelper dependency for Debian packaging, a po/ directory for translations, an app script that wraps the build and install steps, and install_manifest.txt.

The application is available as a Flatpak through Flathub at com.github.phase1geo.minder, through the elementary OS AppCenter, and as native packages for Arch, Void, Fedora, Debian and Ubuntu. The README is careful about which of those are official, saying the Flatpak versions are officially supported by the developers of Minder, and that the distribution packages may not be the latest versions, so install those at your own discretion.

The last push was on 2026-10-15 and the release history shows 2.0.9 from 2026-04-19, 2.0.8 from 2026-04-05 and 2.0.7 from 2026-04-04.

## The import list is the feature, and it is very long

The overview's most remarkable line is the import and export list, because it reveals what the author thinks mind map files should be interoperable with.

Import is supported from OPML, FreeMind, Freeplane, PlainText and Markdown in formatted form, Mermaid in mindmap form, Outliner, Portable Minder, the filesystem, and XMind formats.

Export goes to CSV, FreeMind, Freeplane, JPEG, BMP, SVG, WebP, Markdown, Mermaid, Mermaid Mindmap, OPML, Org-Mode, Outliner, PDF, PNG, PlainText, the filesystem, XMind and yEd formats. There is also printer support.

That list is a practical argument. The common complaint about mind mapping tools is that a map created in one becomes a photograph in the next, and the way to avoid that is to support everyone else's format on the way in and on the way out. Minder covers the mainstream interchange formats in both directions, and Org-Mode and yEd are the two that suggest the author actually uses those tools.

Note that the format list is asymmetric in a useful way. Markdown, PlainText and the filesystem are import formats that are also export formats, which means a map can round-trip through a plain text representation without losing the tree structure, and the same is true of the XMind and FreeMind families.

## Nodes carry notes, tasks, tables and LaTeX, not just text

The node model is richer than a label, and that is where a mind mapper stops being a diagram tool.

You can add notes, tasks, images and editable tables to nodes. You can add node-to-node connections with optional text and notes, so relationships between ideas are first-class objects rather than drawn arrows. And nodes can be stylised, along with callouts, links and connections, to add more meaning and improve readability, with style settings that can be saved and reused within and across open mind maps.

There is also organising vocabulary: stickers, tags, callouts and node groups to call out and visibly organise information. Colourised node branches, which is the standard way a map conveys hierarchy by branch, are supported.

The LaTeX support is specific. Inline LaTeX expressions are typeset to scalable SVG using $...$ or $$...$$ delimiters. Scalable matters here, because a rasterised formula in a node is unreadable when the map is exported to PDF or zoomed in the editor, and SVG output is a format Minder already supports. The build dependency for this is a LaTeX installation providing latex, amsmath, amssymb and dvisvgm, and dvisvgm is the path from DVI to SVG, so the toolchain is the standard one for that conversion.

## The map is keyboard driven and the layout is automatic

The first feature line says you can quickly create visual mind-maps using the keyboard and automatic layout, and the second says you can choose from many tree layout choices.

Automatic layout is the difference between a mind mapper and a diagram editor. You type a node, press a key, and the tree reflows so the structure stays readable, which means the tool is usable at the speed of thinking. A developer sketching an architecture or a student brainstorming a topic needs the tree to rearrange itself, not to be hand-positioned.

The layout choice is what makes that usable for more than one mental model. A right-growing tree suits a hierarchy, a radial tree suits a mind map, and a bilateral tree suits a comparison. The overview mentions a brainstorming interface where you quickly brainstorm ideas and worry about where those ideas belong in the mind map later, which is the workflow the author considers primary.

Around that there is a set of navigation and editing features that sound ordinary but are the ones people actually miss. Zoom in, or focus mode to focus on certain ideas, or zoom out to see the bigger picture. Quick search of node and connection titles and notes, including filtering options. Unlimited undo and redo of any change, which matters when the node model is this rich. Automatic and manual saving. Multiple mind maps open at once with tabs.

A theme system is built in and customizable, and the README claims gorgeous animations, which is an unusual thing to claim about a Vala GTK application and is either a strength or a risk depending on your taste.

## Building from source means a LaTeX toolchain and a Flatpak SDK

The install section lists the dependencies in full, and it is a long list, which is the honest cost of a Vala and GTK application with LaTeX typesetting.

The build tools are ninja-build, python3-pip, python3-setuptools, meson, valac and debhelper. The libraries are libcairo2-dev, libgranite-7-dev, libgtk-4-dev, libxml2-dev, libgee-0.8-dev, libarchive-dev, libgtksourceview-5-dev, libmarkdown2-dev, librsvg2-dev, libjson-glib-dev, libwebp-dev, the webp-pixbuf-loader, and a LaTeX installation providing latex, amsmath, amssymb and dvisvgm, meaning texlive.

The libraries explain the feature list. libarchive handles the import and export of the archive-based formats, librsvg2 and libwebp handle the SVG and WebP exports, libmarkdown2 handles the Markdown support, libgee gives the GObject introspection bindings, and libgtksourceview is the text view used for the editable notes and text areas inside nodes.

The build script wraps the whole thing. To install from source, run sudo ./app install and then run the application from your application launcher or from the command line with ./app run. For debugging with gdb on that build, run ./app debug. Alternatively, you can install the elementary OS Flatpak using ./app elementary or the Flathub Flatpak using ./app flathub, and once the Flatpak has been built, run it with ./app run-flatpak, which needs flatpak and flatpak-builder installed along with the required Sdk and Platform flatpaks.

The Flatpak route is the recommended one, and it is also the only one the developers officially support, which makes the choice easy for most people.

## Where Minder is the wrong tool

The first wrong-tool case is a Windows or macOS user without Flatpak. The native packages listed are for Linux distributions, and the Flathub build is the officially supported path. A macOS user with Flatpak installed can run it, but the project is not built for that platform and the README does not describe it as a target.

The second is a team that needs a commercial mind mapping product. Minder is a GPL-3.0 project, and the features it offers are the open source ones. There is no collaboration, no presentation mode beyond what the app provides, no enterprise sync, and no vendor support contract. For an organisation that buys a mind mapping licence for a reason, that reason is not here.

The third is a LaTeX-averse user on a minimal system. The dependency list includes a full LaTeX installation for the inline formula typesetting, and on a machine without texlive the build either fails or the feature is unavailable. The LaTeX support is one of the nicer touches in the feature list and it is also the heaviest dependency in it.

The fourth is a scale question the README does not address. The feature list mentions unlimited undo and redo of any change, and automatic layout with many tree layout choices, and a quick search across node and connection titles and notes. None of that says how a map with thousands of nodes behaves, and there is no performance documentation to check. A mind map that is a research artefact rather than a diagram needs to be opened in something else eventually anyway, and the export list is the practical answer.

## Conclusion

Minder fits a Linux user, particularly on elementary OS, who wants a native mind mapper that opens the formats their existing notes and outlines use and can export to PDF and SVG. It does not fit a team that needs a commercial mind mapping tool with a vendor support contract, and the README is explicit that only the Flatpak versions are officially supported by the developers. Before installing, read the dependency list, since a source build needs a LaTeX installation with latex, amsmath, amssymb and dvisvgm alongside the GTK 4 and Granite development packages.

## FAQ

### How do I install Minder?

The recommended route is the Flatpak from Flathub at com.github.phase1geo.minder, or through the elementary OS AppCenter. Native packages exist for Arch, Void, Fedora, Debian and Ubuntu, but the README states the Flatpak versions are the ones officially supported by the developers.

### What file formats can Minder import and export?

Import covers OPML, FreeMind, Freeplane, PlainText and formatted Markdown, Mermaid mindmap, Outliner, Portable Minder, the filesystem and XMind. Export covers CSV, FreeMind, Freeplane, JPEG, BMP, SVG, WebP, Markdown, Mermaid, Mermaid Mindmap, OPML, Org-Mode, Outliner, PDF, PNG, PlainText, the filesystem, XMind and yEd.

### Does Minder support LaTeX?

Yes. Inline LaTeX expressions are typeset to scalable SVG using $...$ or $$...$$ delimiters. The build requires a LaTeX installation providing latex, amsmath, amssymb and dvisvgm, which means texlive, along with the GTK 4, Granite, Cairo and other development packages.

### How do I build Minder from source?

Run sudo ./app install, then launch the application from the application launcher or with ./app run, and use ./app debug to debug with gdb. You can also build the elementary OS or Flathub Flatpak with ./app elementary or ./app flathub and run it with ./app run-flatpak, which requires flatpak and flatpak-builder.

## Sources

- [Issues](https://github.com/phase1geo/Minder/issues)
- [License: GPL-3.0](https://github.com/phase1geo/Minder/blob/master/LICENSE)
- [phase1geo/Minder on GitHub](https://github.com/phase1geo/Minder)
- [README](https://github.com/phase1geo/Minder/blob/master/README.md)
- [Releases](https://github.com/phase1geo/Minder/releases)

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Hysen Labs editorial analysis, written from the project's own repository and release notes. Cite the canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/phase1geo-minder