Local Markdown notes for macOS

Notes that stay yours.

Moldavite keeps every note as a Markdown file on your Mac, with local search and a built-in bridge for the AI tools you choose.

Apple Silicon and Intel Mac · Free and MIT licensed

Moldavite opening notes with the quick switcher and moving into graph view Moldavite editor with a Forge sidebar and calendar timeline
An 18-second tour through a Forge.
Start here

Install

Choose the path that fits your Mac.

Both routes install the same signed and notarized app.

Homebrew

One command

The cask installs Moldavite and links its binary onto your PATH.

brew install --cask mauropereiira/moldavite/moldavite
View the Homebrew tap

Disk image

Download the DMG

Open the latest release, download the macOS disk image, and move the app to Applications.

Open the latest release

Updates are verified inside the app before installation.

Your files

Your notes are just files.

A Forge is a folder you can open in Finder. Git and other Markdown tools can use it too.

Forge

One folder holds the whole workspace

Daily, weekly, and standalone notes live beside images and templates. Each Forge keeps its own plugins and local search index.

Markdown

Every note remains readable

Notes use plain Markdown with optional YAML frontmatter. Moldavite preserves frontmatter keys from other tools when it saves.

Atomic saves

Each write lands as a complete file

Moldavite writes a temporary file, flushes it, applies owner-only permissions, and renames it into place.

A Forge can live in iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Syncthing, or git. Disk changes reload clean notes, while active edits get a clear conflict choice and a preserved copy.

Switch between separate Forges from the sidebar.
Write in the editor while Markdown stays on disk.

Connect your AI

Give your tools a local way in.

The app binary includes an MCP server. It runs as a local process and reads the active Forge through seven narrow tools.

MCP setup
claude mcp add moldavite -- moldavite --mcp

The Homebrew cask puts moldavite on your PATH. Settings also provides client-specific snippets with the full app path.

Companion project

Start with the skills pack

The companion pack gives skill-capable AI clients practical workflows for a Moldavite Forge. Each skill works with the same local file model.

MCP tools

Four reads. Three controlled writes.

Write access stays off until you enable it in AI & Agents settings.

Access Tool What it does
Read list_notes Lists note paths and locked-note placeholders.
Read read_note Reads one unlocked note by its validated Forge path.
Read search_notes Runs keyword search or the ready local semantic index.
Read get_backlinks Finds notes that link to a selected note.
Write create_note Creates a new Markdown note without overwriting a file.
Write write_note Replaces the body of an existing unlocked note.
Write append_to_daily_note Appends Markdown to a daily note and creates it when needed.

Locked notes are refused. Client paths are validated before every file operation.

File-capable agents can use a Forge directly. One action in Settings writes an AGENTS.md with the folder rules and a .gitignore for app-managed data.

See the agent setup

Inside the app

A clear view of the work.

Real screens from the current macOS app.

Moldavite editor with a Forge sidebar, open note, and calendar timeline
Editor A Forge with folders, linked mentions, and the calendar timeline visible.
Moldavite keyword search results beside an open note
Search Keyword results show matching snippets beside the open note.
Moldavite graph view showing linked notes across a Forge
Graph This sample Forge maps 18 notes and 60 links.
Moldavite AI and Agents settings with semantic search and MCP controls
AI & Agents Semantic search, MCP setup, and the write-access switch share one panel.
Write

Rich editing, Markdown shortcuts, tabs, slash commands, templates, and images.

Return

Daily and weekly notes, quick switching, a timeline, and read-only calendars.

Protect

Locked notes, seven-day trash, manual encrypted archives, and safe Obsidian import.

Maintain

Signed updates arrive quietly and show the release notes after installation.

Plugins

Each plugin gets a small sandbox.

Plugins run in separate Web Workers. Every useful capability crosses a bridge that Moldavite controls.

Per-plugin worker

Code starts with a narrow runtime.

There is no DOM, raw app IPC, or browser network API inside the worker. Commands and editor insertion use the host bridge. App notifications do too.

With permission

Read unlocked note metadata and Markdown.

Exact hosts

Ask the host to make HTTPS requests to approved domains.

Private secrets

Use a plugin-specific namespace in the macOS Keychain.

Current boundary

General note writes and custom panels sit outside the plugin API.

Privacy

Every network call is listed.

Moldavite has no account system, hosted notes service, analytics, or telemetry. These are the six ways the app can reach the network.

  1. 01

    Update check

    GitHub receives a request for the signed release manifest after launch and once a day.

  2. 02

    Plugin registry

    GitHub receives a registry request only when you open the community browser.

  3. 03

    Semantic model

    Hugging Face receives one model-file request after you opt in. Note data stays local.

  4. 04

    Google Calendar

    Google receives an access token and date range while a read-only account is connected.

  5. 05

    Approved plugin requests

    A plugin can reach exact HTTPS hosts that appear on its permission sheet.

  6. 06

    WordPress publishing

    The first-party plugin sends the selected note to the site you configured when you publish.

Apple Calendar stays inside macOS EventKit. Locked notes use AES-256-GCM encryption and remain outside search, plugins, and MCP tools.

Read the complete privacy policy

Free and open source

Start with a folder on your Mac.

Keep your Markdown files on your Mac. Connect more tools when they fit your work.