Capd is a private, local-first macOS app for saving web pages, text selections, notes, links, and images into an on-Mac library with full-text search. It serves readers and researchers who want read-it-later capture with no account, no cloud sync, and no telemetry: six capture paths feed a local SQLite library, keyboard-first search covers pages, notes, and image text, and a CLI plus read-only MCP server extends it to terminal and AI-assistant workflows.[1][2]
Quick verdict
Solo Mac users who want a private capture library benefit most from Capd. Its strength is frictionless capture through a global hotkey, share sheet, menu-bar drops, and CLI feeding keyboard-first full-text search over pages, notes, and image text. The material constraint is platform lock-in: macOS 26 or later only, with no sync, no iOS app, and no sharing, so multi-device households should choose something else. If you are Mac-only and value privacy over portability, try Capd; if you live across devices, choose Raindrop.io instead.[1][2][3]
Key features
Six capture paths Capture from anywhere: a global hotkey works in any app, pages arrive through the macOS share sheet and Safari extension, the Services menu, drag-and-drop of links and images onto the menu bar, CLI and scripting input, plus browser bookmark import.[1]
Confirmation HUD Every save opens a small confirmation panel where a note can be added immediately, so context is captured at the moment of saving rather than reconstructed later.[1]
Full-text search Keyboard-first search spans titles, site names, notes, selections, and readable page content, with site, tag, and date filters to narrow results.[1]
Image OCR Text recognized inside saved images becomes searchable, so screenshots and photographed documents join the same index as pages and notes.[1]
On-device auto-tagging Built-in on-device tagging groups captures into a small vocabulary automatically, keeping manual organization effort near zero.[1]
Ask Cap answers Ask Cap answers natural-language questions from the best-matching captures with a citation link per claim, where Apple Intelligence is available.[1]
Full CLI The capd command covers add, get, search, export, import, open, and config with stable, scriptable JSON output and documented exit codes, plus Pinboard JSON import preserving titles, tags, and timestamps.[1]
Read-only MCP server The capd-mcp command exposes five tools including search and get so AI assistants can query the library with least privilege, complemented by a Raycast extension.[1]
Who will love it
Privacy-minded Mac readers: no account, no telemetry, and no cloud mean the library is a SQLite database and asset folders on your own disk.[1][2]
Keyboard-first researchers: hotkey capture, keyboard search with filters, CLI JSON output, and scripting suit terminal-friendly workflows.[1][2]
Pinboard users and local-first fans: JSON import and export keep data portable, Time Machine covers backup, and the MIT licence keeps the format honest.[1][2]
Who should avoid it
Multi-device users: no sync is planned, Capd is macOS-only, and no iOS or Windows versions are planned, so saves cannot follow you to other devices.[1][2]
Sharers and teams: there is no sharing or collaboration story, only a single-user local library.[1][2]
Stability-first archivists: v0.0.8 beta status with possible breaking changes means large irreplaceable archives should wait or keep a second copy via export.[1][2]
What the reports suggest
October 2026 public-record sample: author announcement on Swift forums and directory listings for a v0.0.8 beta with roughly seventy stars.
1 cited community source. Sample is a single author-attributed announcement thread plus directory listings; no independent Reddit or G2 firsthand reports were located within the research budget, so no satisfaction or prevalence claims are made.
What the reports suggest: the public record is an author announcement plus directory listings, consistent with a young beta, with no corroborated user evidence on reliability, upgrade breakage, or long library growth.[1]
Platform, cost, and data
Platform Requires macOS Tahoe 26 or later on Apple Silicon; Apple Intelligence is optional and gates the Ask Cap question-answering feature.[1]
Cost Free and MIT-licensed with no paid plan as of October 2026; the author accepts sponsorship.[1]
Data and portability Local SQLite library on disk with Time Machine backup and JSON plus Markdown export; duplicate captures fold into existing items and tracking parameters are stripped from URLs.[1][2]
Questions worth asking
What is the best Capd alternative for non-technical users?
Is Capd really no-code?
How much does Capd cost per month?
Can you self-host Capd?
Self-hosting does not apply to Capd: it is a local Mac app, not a service, so the library already lives on your disk in SQLite, with JSON and Markdown export for portability and Time Machine for backup.[1]
Sources and editorial review
Source research. Reviewed on October 9, 2026. Written by Sanjib Sah. AI assisted; reviewed by a human editor.
We have not run or tested this product.
October 2026 public-record sample: author announcement on Swift forums and directory listings for a v0.0.8 beta with roughly seventy stars. Sample is a single author-attributed announcement thread plus directory listings; no independent Reddit or G2 firsthand reports were located within the research budget, so no satisfaction or prevalence claims are made.
- Capd official site and documentation
official · Observed October 9, 2026
Official docs: six capture paths, search and organize features, privacy posture, and system requirements.
- jamiedavenport/capd repository README
official · Observed October 9, 2026
Repository README: MIT licence, install methods, CLI reference, MCP server, JSON contract, Raycast extension, Pinboard import.
- Capd official FAQ
official · Observed October 9, 2026
Official FAQ: free and open source, no sync planned, macOS-only, backup, export, duplicates, beta status.
- Capd announcement thread, Swift forums
community · Observed October 9, 2026
Author-attributed announcement thread; not an independent user report. Basis for the thin-sample community assessment.
- Best Bookmark Manager Apps in 2026, TalkBitz
published measurement · Observed October 9, 2026 · Published January 5, 2026
Third-party tested 2026 comparison used only for incumbent pricing context; not a Capd measurement.