Skelly, the Skerry puffin, standing on his rock

Local-first · Encrypted · Yours

Notes that never leave the rock.

Skerry keeps your notes as plain Markdown files you own, and seals any of them with a key only you hold. No account. No server. No one to ask for your words back.

macOS and iOS. One email when it lands, nothing else.

On disk

Yours on your disk

Every note is a plain file in a folder you control. Delete Skerry and your notes are still there, readable in any editor.

Sealed

Sealed with your key

AES-256-GCM encryption where the title, the file name, and the body all become ciphertext. Not even the name on disk gives it away.

Open

Nothing to lock in

No proprietary database and no sync you cannot leave. Back up with any tool that copies files.

What it does

Everything a notes app should, none of the leash.

01

Markdown that stays out of the way

Live highlighting, syntax that hides around the cursor, tap-to-check task lists, and wiki links between notes.

02

Find it instantly

Full-text search and a jump-to-anything palette across every note, from the first keystroke.

03

Encrypt a note or lock it

Choose ciphertext with a passphrase, or a simple gate behind Face ID when you only need a lock.

04

Backup on your terms

Folder snapshots to iCloud Drive, a NAS, or anywhere in Files. Browsable copies, no archive to unpack.

05

Export and print

Markdown, HTML, Rich Text, or PDF, or copy straight to the clipboard. Print from your phone.

06

One format, forever

An open, documented file format any future app can read. The format is the contract, not the app.

The moat

An encrypted note gives up nothing.

Seal a note and the file becomes an opaque envelope. Its title, tags, dates, and body are encrypted together, the file takes a random name, and it drops out of the search index. On a synced drive or a stolen backup, all anyone learns is that a note exists.

  • AES-256-GCM with a PBKDF2-derived key
  • Passphrase held in the Keychain behind Face ID
  • Title and file name are ciphertext, not just the body
  • No plaintext ever written for a sealed note
ferry-notes → on disk
---
id: 7A0E38D2-4CBB-4E30-9A57-2A9F3D1B6C11
encrypted: true
---

c2FsdG5vbmNlY2lwaGVydGV4dGFuZHRhZ2Jhc2U2NGtl
eXNhbmRzZWNyZXRzc3RheW9ubGx5b25kaXNr...

Coming soon

Be there when Skerry lands.

No spam, no account. One note from Skerry when it is ready to stand on.