Shelf V3 · out now
Saving isn't remembering.
Shelf is your mac's second memory. Screenshots, links, pdfs, notes and more: save them and shelf reads what's inside, connects them to the things they belong with, and brings them back when you describe what you remember.
No filenames. No folders. No account. Your library stays on your Mac.
Free · macOS 14+ · Apple Silicon & Intel · No account
Your Mac can finally remember.
The moment it clicks
You remember the thing. Shelf remembers where.
You saved something three months ago.
You don't remember where. You don't remember what it was called.
You barely remember why you saved it.
So describe it instead.
Settings screen, dark appearance
Screenshot · saved 14 August
- Meaning
- “dark interface” matched a UI screenshot, not a filename
- Words read
- OCR found “Appearance · Dark” inside the image
- Context
- Saved while you were reading about interface design
- When
- 14 August · last summer
Also nearby
Article
The quiet end of light mode
Read the same week
Note
Contrast notes for the settings screen
Reuses two phrases from that article
Screenshot
Sidebar spacing study
Captured in the same session
An illustration of how Shelf reads a search on your Mac. Not a live search.
That's the point.
Shelf isn't asking you to remember your organization system. Shelf remembers for you.
What changed in V3
From saved things to connected memories.
Most apps stop when you save something. Shelf doesn't.
When you save something, Shelf can understand what it is, connect it to related things and make it easier to rediscover later.
The more you save, the more useful your personal library becomes.
- SaveAnything, from anywhere, without a filing decision.
- UnderstandWords read, pages indexed, meaning captured, on your Mac.
- ConnectThe thing you saved meets the things it belongs with.
- RememberOlder items come back when they matter again.
- Find againSearch the idea. Shelf returns the thing.
Save
Save it. Don't think about it.
Copy it. Screenshot it. Drag it in. Save a link. Drop in a PDF. Write a note.
Shelf keeps it.
You can organize it later. Or never.
- Copy and it's kept
- Copied content is saved automatically.
- Screenshots and drops
- Take a shot, or drag files straight in.
- Any kind of thing
- Images, PDFs, links, videos and other files.
- Your volume
- Confirm each capture, work silently, or pause it.
- Links arrive whole
- Title, preview and an offline reading copy.
- Bookmarks keep their past
- Imported bookmarks retain their original dates.
Understand
You don't have to explain everything.
Shelf can understand what you save through capabilities such as OCR, semantic search, transcription, summaries and local indexing.
- A screenshotbecomes searchable
- A PDFbecomes discoverable
- Audio & videotranscribed on device, where supported
- A notebecomes connected to the rest of your library
Your memory shouldn't depend on perfect filing. Eleven of Shelf's twelve intelligent features run entirely on your Mac. Image variations are the exception: optional, off by default, and only with your own key.
Connect
The interesting part is what connects.
That screenshot might belong to a project. That project might connect to a note. That note might connect to an article. That article might remind you of something you saved months ago.
Screenshot
Pricing table, March research
Where the thread started
Project
Pricing rework
Open this week, same topic
Article
Seats vs. usage
Cited in the research note
Note
Yesterday's note
Reuses two phrases from the article
Older memory
A screenshot from last year
Same pricing model, captured then
Shelf helps surface those relationships. Every connection shows why it exists, and the ones you disagree with come apart.
Your memories stop being isolated files. They become a network of things you cared about.
Find
Remember the idea. Shelf finds the thing.
You don't remember the title. That's okay.
You remember: “that dark interface I saw last summer.”
Search that. Shelf helps you get there.
- Everything at once
- Screenshots, PDFs, articles, notes and transcripts.
- Words or meaning
- Full-text and semantic search, side by side.
- Narrow it down
- Filter by app, colour, tag or exact phrase.
- From anywhere
- One global shortcut, wherever you are on the Mac.
- Honest results
- Matches by meaning say so, with how long ago you saved it.
- Resume
- Articles by scroll, PDFs by page, videos by timestamp.
That's what remembering feels like.
Remember
The things you forgot can come back.
You saved something because it might matter someday.
Then life happened. You forgot.
Shelf didn't.
Old research. Half-finished ideas. Interesting articles. Inspiration. Things you meant to come back to.
Sometimes the best thing Shelf can do is remind you that you already found something worth remembering.
Every morning
Remember when you saved this?
You probably forgot about it. That's okay.
Shelf can bring old things back when they're worth another look.
Saved 214 days ago
Pricing notes from a call you barely remember having
Saved last summer
A dark interface you screenshotted for inspiration
Imported bookmark
An article you meant to read, still unread
Not a feed. Not engagement bait.
Just your own memory coming back.
Every suggestion carries its evidence: dates, activity, topic. When there isn't enough to say something useful, Shelf stays quiet.
At home on macOS
It lives where your Mac lives.
Shelf isn't another workspace you have to constantly open. It's there when you need it. Move anything to the top of your screen and it's in Shelf, notch or no notch.
- Capture from anywhere.
- Search with a shortcut.
- Browse with your keyboard.
- Quick Look with Space.
- Drag things back out.
- Keep working.
Shelf stays out of the way until you need to remember something.
Not another app. A memory layer.
A native macOS app. Built for macOS 14 and later, on Apple Silicon and Intel.
Local-first by design
Your memories are yours.
- No account.
- No social graph.
- No engagement feed.
- No analytics.
- No reason for us to know what you saved.
Your personal library should feel personal.
Privacy Report: network request ledger
- Local files
- Your library lives on your Mac, as files.
- Export any time
- Markdown, JSON, or your original files.
- Encrypted backups
- AES-GCM, with a key stretched from your password.
- FileVault status
- Shelf tells you whether your disk is encrypted.
- Recorded before sent
- Network requests are logged, then shown as receipts.
- Erase what it learned
- Clear learned preferences whenever you like.
Privacy shouldn't require trust when it can provide proof.
Connected, on your terms
Your memory can come with you.
Shelf can connect with compatible tools through its local API and MCP support.
- Claude
- Your AI assistant can work with the things you've saved.
- Cursor
- Bring your personal references into your development workflow.
- Raycast
- Capture and retrieve without leaving your keyboard.
- Local API
- Build your own workflows around your memory.
Your memory stays yours.
You decide what gets to use it.
Why Shelf
There are a lot of places to save things.
- Bookmarkssave links.
- Notessave thoughts.
- Folderssave files.
- Read-later appssave articles.
- Clipboard appssave things you copied.
But your life doesn't happen in separate categories.
A screenshot can lead to an idea. An idea can lead to an article. An article can become a project. A project can become something you remember six months later.
Shelf connects the things you care about. That's the difference.
And yes, it does a lot more.
Everything below is the same idea, wearing different clothes.
- Capture
- Screenshots · Clipboard · Links · Files · Notes · Bookmark import
- Understand
- OCR · Semantic search · Transcription · Summaries · Local indexing
- Explore
- Connections · Canvas · Visual browsing · Tags · Filters · Spotlight
- Create
- Notes · Quick Paste · Snippet triggers · Article, PDF and video readers
- Own
- Local-first storage · Export · Encrypted backups · Privacy controls
Questions
- What is Shelf?
- Shelf is a local-first memory layer for your Mac. It saves what you keep, understands it, connects related things and helps you find them again.
- Do I need to organise everything?
- No. That's the point. Save first, from the top of your screen or a shortcut, and Shelf helps you find it later. There are no folders to maintain.
- Does Shelf work offline?
- Yes. Saving, indexing, OCR, transcription, search and connections all run on your Mac, so Shelf keeps working with no connection. Fetching a link's page or preview needs the internet, as does the optional image variations feature.
- Does my data leave my Mac?
- No. Your library is stored locally and there is no account or sync server. Eleven of the twelve intelligent features run entirely on-device; image variations are optional, off by default, and use your own key.
- Can I search by meaning?
- Yes. Shelf runs full-text and semantic search side by side, so you can search for the idea instead of the exact words. Results say when they matched by meaning.
- Can Shelf connect related things?
- Yes. Shelf links items by topic, session, place and idea, forms collections when enough things belong together, and shows the evidence behind every connection so you can undo the ones you disagree with.
- Can I export my data?
- Any time. Export to Markdown, JSON, CSV, HTML, plain text or the original files, and make encrypted backups that are verified before restore.
- Does Shelf sync?
- No. Shelf is a single-Mac, local-first app with no sync server. To move your library you use export and encrypted backups.
- Does Shelf require an account?
- No. There is no sign-up and no login. Download it and start saving.
- How much does Shelf cost?
- Shelf is free, on macOS 14 and later, on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.
What if your Mac remembered?
The things you saved. The ideas you forgot. The research you thought you'd lost. The screenshot you knew you'd seen somewhere.
They're still there. You just need a better way back.
Give your Mac a memory.
Free · macOS 14+ · Apple Silicon & Intel · No account
Local-first. Private by design. Yours to keep.
Shelf V3 is out now
Shelf V3 is the current build. Shelf does not use automatic updates, so download the latest build here and install it over your current version.
This is intentional. Shelf is built around a local-first, privacy-focused philosophy. An automatic updater requires additional background processes, network connections, update infrastructure, and another system with permission to modify the app. We prefer to keep Shelf’s network footprint and background activity as small as possible.
Manual updates keep the process explicit: Shelf only checks the internet when a feature actually needs it, and you decide when a new version is downloaded and installed.