Traditional note applications demand too much space and friction: they require dedicated main windows, clutter your Dock, or force you into a browser tab. Native Sticky notes, on the other hand, quickly sprawl into a messy constellation across your desktop.
Pocket Stack takes inspiration from a physical desktop organizer:
- Quietly docked at screen edges: Your notes rest tucked at the screen border (Bottom, Left, or Right) until you need them.
- Fluid transitions: Hovering the edge fans out your note stack; hovering a tab shows an instant live preview; clicking detaches it into a focused floating window.
- Zero distraction: As an accessory app (
LSUIElement), it lives ambiently on your desktop without an intrusive Dock icon or interrupting your active workspace.
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🎴 Edge-Docked Deck & NoteFan:
- Multi-state interaction: Rest (unobtrusive edge tabs), Fan (stacked colored cards showing titles), Preview (seamless hover preview), and Floating Window (draggable scratchpad).
- Supports Bottom, Left, and Right screen edges across one or all connected displays.
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✍️ Typora-Style Live Markdown:
- True WYSIWYG live rendering powered by TextKit 2.
- Full support for GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM), syntax-highlighted code blocks, LaTeX math formulas, checklists, tables, and images.
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🎙️ Realtime Dual-Engine Dictation:
- Apple On-Device Speech: 100% offline, zero latency, completely private.
- Gemini Live AI: Streaming real-time transcription via WebSocket PCM audio for enhanced accuracy.
- Transcribes text directly at your cursor in the active editor.
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🔒 Local-First & AES-GCM Encrypted:
- All data is stored locally in SQLite running in WAL mode.
- Note bodies are encrypted with a random 256-bit AES-GCM key managed in Apple Keychain.
- No tracking, telemetry, or remote transmission without your consent.
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📦 Flexible Import & Export:
- Import and export individual Markdown files, plain text, combined master documents, or Apple
.stickiesJSON archives.
- Import and export individual Markdown files, plain text, combined master documents, or Apple
- macOS 14.0 (Sonoma) or newer.
- Download the latest release from the Releases page.
- Drag Pocket Stack.app to your
/Applicationsfolder. - Open the app. Pocket Stack will appear as an ambient deck along your screen edge.
Or build directly from source using Xcode 16+ (see Building & Development).
| Action | Shortcut / Gesture | Description |
|---|---|---|
| New Note | ⌥⌘N |
Instantly creates a new note card in your deck |
| All Notes / Library | ⌥⌘A |
Opens your library search and archived notes |
| Archive Note | ⌥⌘L |
Archives the currently focused note |
| Reveal Deck | Hover Screen Edge |
Fans out note tabs showing color and title |
| Quick Peek | Hover Note Tab |
Expands note into a live content preview |
| Detach Note | Drag Tab |
Pulls the tab out into a free-floating desktop window |
| Dismiss / Rest | Click Outside |
Neatly retracts the fan back to the screen border |
For developers, contributors, and deep-dive technical references:
- Architecture & Security Overview — Layered Clean Architecture, SQLite WAL mode, AES-GCM Keychain storage, and TextKit 2 integration.
- Voice Dictation Setup — Apple SpeechAnalyzer vs Gemini Live streaming setup and Keychain key configuration.
- Building & Development — Toolchain requirements, Xcode schemes, command-line builds, sandboxing, and distribution.
- Deck Terminology — UI terminology, geometry conventions, and layout rules for NoteFan and previews.
The deck interaction model and foundational layout concepts are derived from Noty, available under the MIT License. The third-party license notice is preserved in Pocket Stack/Resources/THIRD-PARTY-NOTICES.txt.
Distributed under the MIT License. Feel free to use, study, and build upon it!