Does Shelf need an internet connection?

No. Saving, indexing, OCR, transcription, search and connections all run on your Mac. Fetching a link's page or preview needs the internet, as does the optional image variations feature.

Does Shelf sync between Macs?

No. Shelf is a single-Mac, local-first app with no sync server. To move your library you use export and encrypted backups.

Is there an iPhone or Windows version?

Not today. Shelf is a native macOS app.

Platform

Your Mac remembers.

Shelf is a native macOS app. Saving happens where you already are: at the top of the screen, without leaving what you were doing.

Free, on macOS 14 and later, on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs. No account.

Download Shelf See how it works

01 · The problem

Capture has to be faster than the thought.

If saving something takes more than a second, you stop doing it, and the thing is gone.

02 · The old way

A web app in another tab.

Anything that lives in a browser tab asks you to switch context, sign in, and upload. That is three reasons not to bother.

03 · Shelf

Capture at the top of the screen.

Drag to the top: Move anything to the top of the screen and it lands in Shelf. Notch or no notch, Shelf adapts to the Mac in front of you.
Keyboard: Open, save and search without touching the trackpad.
Screenshots: Captured images are read and indexed as you keep them.
Files and links: PDFs, images, documents, web pages and notes.
Local index: Your library is stored and searched on the machine.
Offline: Saving, reading, connecting and searching work with no connection.

04 · Memory

Understanding happens on device.

OCR, transcription, summaries, topics, connections and search all run on your Mac using local processing.

Image variations are the single optional exception: off by default, and only with your own key.

05 · Requirements

What you need.

macOS14 and later.

ChipsApple Silicon and Intel.

AccountNone. There is no sign-up and no login.

PriceFree.

Questions

Straight answers.

Does Shelf need an internet connection?: No. Saving, indexing, OCR, transcription, search and connections all run on your Mac. Fetching a link's page or preview needs the internet, as does the optional image variations feature.
Does Shelf sync between Macs?: No. Shelf is a single-Mac, local-first app with no sync server. To move your library you use export and encrypted backups.
Is there an iPhone or Windows version?: Not today. Shelf is a native macOS app.

Put it on your Mac.

Download Shelf V3 and save the next thing from the top of your screen.

Download Shelf

Free. macOS 14 and later, Apple Silicon and Intel. No account.

Keep reading

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.

Download the latest version →Version 3.0 · macOS 14+