Example shelf
Local-first reading
The arguments that shaped how Shelf treats your data.
Why this exists
Not a manifesto. Just the pieces I keep returning to when someone asks why the library stays on your Mac.
The shelf
Kept, with a reason.
Article
Local-first software
The origin of most of the vocabulary in this argument.
PDF
On-device inference notes
The practical limits, honestly stated.
Note
What we will never upload
Kept short so it stays true.
Publishing shelves from the Mac app is still being built. This page shows the shape a published shelf will take.
Other shelves
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.