GrindNotes
Apple Silicon Native · Swiss Modern Craft

Offline is peace.
Pure thought, kept local.

The quiet tactile focus of a fine hardbound notebook, paired with the silent speed of Apple Silicon. A local-first Markdown companion free from cloud conflicts and account lock-in.

Coming Soon to Mac App Store
Apple Silicon (M-Series) · macOS 13+
  • No Cloud Lock-in
  • Zero Telemetry
  • SQLite FTS5 Core
  • Tauri v2 + Pure Vanilla
Interactive Preview · Themes

01_Local_First_Peace.md

Tools should be so pure and quiet that you forget they are even there.

Your data stays in a sandboxed application container on your Mac. No accounts, no external sync servers. Backups are exported when you choose, where you choose.

  • Local Retrieval — Fast on-device SQLite FTS5 search
  • Decoupled BYOC — Edits and external backups stay decoupled
  • Minimal Dependencies — Lean Pure Vanilla + Rust Core
  • Offline Peace — Zero telemetry, strict Apple Sandbox compliance

Decoupled Storage Architecture:

grindnotes/ ├── container/ │ ├── SQLite database ← Notes, metadata, FTS5 index │ └── assets/ ← Sandboxed Local Assets └── chosen export folder ← Markdown + assets
01_Local_First_Peace.md
42 lines | 128 words
Tauri v2 Rust Core SQLite FTS5 Pure Vanilla JS Apple Sandbox Compliant No App Telemetry

Architecture Philosophy

Why we said goodbye to
real-time cloud sync.

Real-time file sync can introduce file contention, synchronization delays, and conflicting copies. GrindNotes adopts Decoupled BYOC (Bring Your Own Cloud) to separate fast local SQLite editing from user-managed point-in-time exports.

GrindNotes Architecture

Decoupled BYOC & SQLite Container

Fast reads and writes in an internal sandboxed SQLite database. iCloud, Dropbox, and external drives serve purely as on-demand export/import destinations.

  • Active editing is isolated from external cloud backup
  • Embedded SQLite FTS5 with BM25 ranking algorithm
  • Fully compliant with macOS App Sandbox isolation
  • Export portable Markdown with relative asset paths at any time
Conventional Cloud-Locked Notes

Direct Cloud Sync Folder

Directly editing files inside an OS cloud-sync folder couples the writing experience to provider state and can create conflicting copies when multiple devices edit simultaneously.

  • Active editing and synchronization touch the same files
  • Concurrent device edits can create conflicting copies
  • Responsiveness can vary with folder and provider state
  • Continuity can depend on an external service

Core Capabilities

Silencing everything
except your thinking.

Instead of distracting you with noisy notifications and complex features, GrindNotes follows 6 principles of quiet, durable craftsmanship.

01 // INSTANT RETRIEVAL

SQLite FTS5 Full-Text Engine

Search notes and assets on your Mac with embedded SQLite FTS5 and BM25 relevance scoring. Jump to any thought via ⌘O Quick Switcher.

  • Local Full-Text Search
  • BM25 Ranking
  • Zero External Indexers
02 // NORMALIZATION

Smart Paste & Clean Copy

Pasting rich HTML automatically strips harmful scripts and messy styling, converting clipboard content into clean, semantic Markdown.

  • Rich HTML to Markdown
  • Zero Garbage Styles
03 // DURABILITY

Pure Vanilla Architecture

Free from frontend framework churn and Node.js runtime dependencies. Built with Vanilla JavaScript and Rust for responsive use and long-term maintainability.

  • No Framework Fatigue
  • Tauri v2 + Rust Core
04 // SECURITY & PRIVACY

Apple Sandbox & Offline Peace

Operates within macOS App Sandbox boundaries and accesses external folders only after explicit selection. No background network services, telemetry, or tracking; user-opened links use the default browser.

  • macOS App Sandbox
  • Zero Telemetry
  • No Account Required
05 // RICH RENDERING

Offline Math & Diagrams

KaTeX, Mermaid, and Chart.js are embedded locally. Render complex mathematical equations and structural flowcharts without an internet connection.

  • Local KaTeX Math
  • Mermaid Diagrams
  • Zero CDN Fetch
06 // DISTRACTION FREE

Toolbar-Free Zen Editor

No toolbars cluttering your visual field. Formatting is invoked cleanly via natural Markdown syntax or intuitive Slash Commands (/).

  • Slash Commands (/)
  • Keyboard-First UX
  • Pure Focus Canvas

System Requirements & Specs

Uncompromising
Technical Specs.

A native binary built exclusively to harness the raw power of Apple Silicon.

Platform Target Exclusively optimized for Apple Silicon (M-Series) Macs
Supported OS macOS 13.0 or later
Core Architecture Tauri v2 + Rust Core + SQLite Embedded (FTS5)
Frontend Stack Modern Vanilla JavaScript + Semantic CSS (Zero frontend framework dependencies)
Storage & Data Security Sandboxed local SQLite database + Manual BYOC export (.md + assets)
Visual Themes System, Light, Paper, Notebook, and Dark
Telemetry & Privacy No app telemetry, external trackers, advertising SDKs, or automatic cloud sync
Tools do not become wiser by doing more.
The quieter they are, the deeper you think.

GrindNotes is not an all-in-one productivity suite trying to manage your life. It is designed to do exactly one thing with uncompromising elegance: capture your thoughts quietly and protect them locally on your Mac.

The quiet tactility of fine stationery, brought to your Apple Silicon workspace.

Write. Own. Breathe.

Step away from cloud sync noise and return to pure thought.

Coming Soon to Mac App Store