Main point of this post: Joplin+Syncthing initial setup can be a pain. First set up sync folder (the target folder for Joplin File System) on Syncthing. Then take main device offline (no sync). Then point Joplin towards target File System location on all devices, then enable encryption with same Master Pass on all devices. Finally write a test note on main device (where you might have other old notes imported from other services), then hit sync, then fire up Syncthing on main device to broadcast newest test file. Hit sync on all devices, disable fail-safe temporarily for first setup if prompted. If test is successful, import any old notes to main device and enjoy life as a certified hacker.

Background: So I am technologically handicapped, meaning the extent of my knowledge is limited to reading blogs or articles, with no coding experience. I have used Syncthing for a long time for music and ebooks syncing, and for a short period for Obsidian, but it always bothered me that Obsidian isn't FOSS or encrypted even though it's cool. Only recently discovered Joplin has encryption capabilities so I decided to dive in.

But first, I had to make the process harder for myself so I took out my dusty old 10 year old Dell laptop and installed Ubuntu (to support touchscreen), my first ever Linux experience. With the help of Gemini (dumb, I know) I got Syncthing and Joplin working on it. After 2 days of struggling to get the Sync to work without conflicts, I finally did it WOOHOO. Totally a hacker, that's me.