Knap: Fast Notes

Instant search for your notes

Only for Mac

$9.99

Mac

Knap is a fast reader and editor for a folder of Markdown files you already have. There is no import step, no library, and no database. You point Knap at a folder and it reads the .md and .txt files inside it, then writes plain Markdown back into the same folder. Delete Knap and every note stays exactly where it was. SEARCH IS THE WHOLE INTERFACE Type and the list narrows as you go. In the author's folder of 7,124 notes Knap builds its index in 310 milliseconds at launch and answers a search in about two, so results move between keystrokes instead of after them. Every word has to match, in the title or the body. A word starting with # matches tags only. Return opens the top match, or creates a note named after what you typed when nothing matches. IT LIVES ON THE KEYBOARD Knap has no Dock icon. It waits in the menu bar until you press Option-Space (or a key you configure), and the same keys put it away. • Type to search titles and bodies at once • Up and Down move through results without leaving the field • Return opens the match, or creates a note from your search • Command-E switches between the preview and the editor • Command-F finds inside a note, Command-G for the next match • Command-[ and Command-] go back and forward through what you have read • Escape clears the search, or leaves the editor WHAT IT UNDERSTANDS Wiki links between notes, with a backlinks list at the foot of each one. Nested tags. Task lists you tick in the preview, which rewrite the file. Tables, footnotes, callouts, highlights, and fenced code with syntax highlighting. Images and PDFs render inline, and clicking an image opens Quick Look. THE EDITOR Plain text by default, with smart lists that continue a bullet, a number, or a checkbox when you press Return. Paste or drop an image and it lands in an attachments folder beside the note. Renaming a note offers to rewrite the links pointing at it, and shows you which ones first. Vim keys are available and off until you switch them on: normal, insert, and visual-line modes, with the motions and operators you reach for without thinking. IF YOU HAVE AN OBSIDIAN VAULT Knap doesn't need Obsidian to work, but it is built to play nicely with it if you use it. It resolves wiki links by the same rules a vault does, understands nested tags, callouts, embeds, highlights, comments, block ids, and frontmatter, and ignores .obsidian out of the box. It writes no database, no sidecar files, and no metadata folder of its own. Edit a note in another app and Knap notices immediately; if you had unsaved edits it keeps yours and tells you rather than choosing for you. Command-Shift-O hands the note to Obsidian when you want a graph, a canvas, or a plugin. Obsidian is made by Dynalist Inc., which has no affiliation with Knap. PRIVATE BY CONSTRUCTION Knap is sandboxed. It reads the one folder you pick and no other part of your Mac. There are no accounts, no servers, no analytics, no crash reporting, and no telemetry, so there is nothing to opt out of. Requires macOS 15 or later. Universal, for Apple silicon and Intel.

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Highlights take their color the way Obsidian does: start a ==highlight== with a red, orange, yellow, green, blue, or purple circle or square emoji and it shows in that color in the preview, the editor, and search snippets. The note list's context menu has Copy Path, which copies the note's full path. Pressing Esc in the search field now clears the search as well as the selected note.

Version 1.0.2

The developer, Beau Gunderson, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .

  • Data Not Collected

    The developer does not collect any data from this app.

    Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More

    Accessibility

    The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More

    Information

    Seller
    Beau Gunderson
    Size
    1.4 MB
    Category
    Productivity
    Compatibility
    Requires macOS 15.0 or later.
    • Mac
      Requires macOS 15.0 or later.
    Languages
    English
    Age Rating
    4+
    Copyright
    © 2026 Beau Gunderson
  • Developer Website
  • Privacy Policy

    • Supports

    • Family Sharing

      Up to six family members can use this app with Family Sharing enabled.