Obby

AI notes, without the noise.

Write, organise and work with your notes
using the model you want.

Download for macOS View on GitHub

Open source · Native macOS · Markdown-first

Built for thinking

Your notes,
without the noise.

Obby is a native macOS notes app built around normal files. Write notes, organise folders, search your work and ask AI questions — without plugin mazes or proprietary formats.

Obby on macOS showing an Enzymes note, ordinary folders and the AI assistant

Normal files

Ordinary Markdown files. Normal folders and attachments. A workspace you already know how to use.

AI that can act

Search, organise and edit notes through controlled tools, when you ask. More than a conversation beside your work.

Your model

Run a local model through Ollama or connect a supported provider. The choice stays with you.

02 / At home on macOS

Room for your thoughts.

A native app.
Just the things you need.

The real Obby app with a Biology sample note and AI assistant — 01 — Your notes, folders and assistant in one place.

Notes editorScreenshot coming soon

02 — A little less between you and your writing.

AI & memoryScreenshot coming soon

03 — Help with your notes, with context you can inspect.

A quieter workspace

Not another
AI sidebar.

Obby’s assistant works with your actual notes through a controlled tool layer. Find a thought, read the relevant notes, create a new one, or ask for an edit.

01Find and read the notes that matter.

02Create, edit and organise when asked.

03Read supported attachments, including PDFs.

File actions stay inside your notes folder. Deletion always asks for confirmation. Available actions depend on your model’s capabilities.

05 / Yours, all the way down

Delete Obby.
Keep your notes.

Your notes folder is the source of truth. Obby doesn’t lock your writing inside a proprietary database.

Open your files in Finder, Obsidian, VS Code or any Markdown editor. They’re still yours when Obby is gone.

An ordinary folder on your Mac

Obby/
├── School/
│   └── Biology/
│       ├── Enzymes.md
│       └── Revision.md
├── Projects/
└── Attachments/

No export required. No way out needed.

06 / Behind the app
A technical report

Simplicity and Beyond

The Design and Construction of Obby, a Local-First Notes Assistant with Selective, Self-Maintaining Memory

I documented the architecture, mistakes, testing and design decisions behind Obby in a technical report.

View on GitHub

Report link coming soon.

07 / No black box

Built in the open.

Native Swift and SwiftUI. Open source under Apache 2.0. Read the code, build it yourself, or help make it a little better.

View source on GitHub

Download for macOS GitHub

Apple silicon · macOS 13 or later

First launch may require confirmation in
System Settings → Privacy & Security.