Everything you need, nothing you don't.

FoldNotes is a markdown notes app built for people who think in structure. It runs natively on Mac and iOS, stores everything as plain .md files in iCloud Drive, and has a set of features designed for writers, developers, and anyone who takes notes seriously.

Folding

The core feature. Any heading or indented block can be collapsed with a single click. Fold an entire section to focus on what you’re working on, or fold everything to see your document’s outline.

• Headings at any level (H1 through H5) fold their contents
• Indented lists, tasks, and block quotes fold by nesting level
• Code blocks fold as a unit
• Fold state is saved per document and restored when you reopen

Inline Tasks

Tasks aren’t a separate system — they live right in your notes.

• Four states: not started [ ], in progress [/], done [x], cancelled [-]
• Add metadata inline: due:2026-05-01, priority:high
• Task circle in the note list shows progress at a glance
• Inspector panel groups tasks by status, priority, or due date
• Each task has a stable UUID for deep linking

Manual Sort

Sort your notes by hand and the order sticks per tag. Switch to #novel/manuscript and chapters appear in narrative order. Switch to #novel/research and your source material appears in its own arrangement.

• Drag-to-reorder works on Mac, iPad, and iPhone
• Applies to one tag at a time — a specific tag like #novel/manuscript, not a parent tag that combines several sub-tags
• Each tag remembers its own order independently
• Saved to front matter and synced via iCloud — your arrangement appears on every device
• Daily notes are excluded automatically
• Doesn’t apply to All Notes or rule-driven views (saved searches, Favourites, Untagged) — those are derived lists, not curated ones

For writers, this turns the note list into a scene list. For PKM and research, it lets you arrange notes by relevance to the current thread of thought.

Regex Search macOS & iPad

Toggle the global search field into regular-expression mode and run patterns directly against every note’s body. Compile errors are flagged inline; the result list updates live.

• Saved-pattern library — name your hard-won regexes and reload them with one click
• The library syncs across devices via iCloud
• Search-scope only (no replace) — by design, so a one-character mistake can’t propagate
• Useful examples ship in the docs: missing-priority tasks, empty headings, embedded URLs, TODO/FIXME markers

iPhone keeps the simpler Spotlight-style search — regex typing on a soft keyboard isn’t where you want to live.

iCloud Sync

Your notes are plain markdown files stored in iCloud Drive. No proprietary database, no vendor lock-in.

• Create and edit on Mac, pick up where you left off on iPhone or iPad
• Files are readable by any text editor
• Front matter stores metadata (tags, task IDs) without polluting the document

Tags and Backlinks

• Inline #tags anywhere in your text — the sidebar collects them automatically
• Customise tags with icons and colours
• [[Backlinks]] connect notes to each other
• A references panel shows every note that links to the current one

Gallery View (macOS)

See your notes as visual cards in a waterfall layout.

• Filter by favourites, open tasks, recent changes, tags, or custom queries
• Sort by date modified, date created, title, or due date
• Group by tag
• Scale the cards from 50% to 120% — everything on the card scales together, so 50% packs the most notes on screen for a birds-eye sweep, while 120% gives large, easy-reading previews. Combine with the pane width (columns) to dial in exactly the density you want
• Click a card to open it alongside the gallery

Focus Modes

Strip away distractions and focus on your writing.

• Typewriter scrolling — keeps the cursor centred on screen
• Paragraph focus — dims everything except the current paragraph
• Sentence focus — dims everything except the current sentence
• Parts of speech — highlights nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in different colours

Daily Notes

One-tap daily note creation. Each day gets its own file in the .daily/ folder with a calendar in the sidebar for quick navigation.

Database Views

Query your notes like a database. Build custom views with filters, sorting, computed columns, and grouping — all driven by your notes’ metadata.

CLI and MCP

FoldNotes is scriptable and AI-ready.

• fn command-line tool (macOS) — list, search, create, edit, and manage notes and tasks from the terminal. Pipe it into scripts, cron jobs, or shell aliases.
• MCP (Model Context Protocol) server — lets AI assistants like Claude read your notes, search your collection, and work with your tasks directly. Your notes become context for AI without leaving your machine.

And More

• Markdown preview with live rendering
• Collection graph showing connections between notes
• Custom themes
• Command palette for quick actions
• Keyboard shortcuts for everything
• Template system for new notes
• Image attachments
• Full-text search across your collection
• URL scheme for deep linking from other apps and Shortcuts