Jonathan Franklin
Capture
A local-first app for thoughts, ideas and tasks, with optional AI tagging, board, list and graph views, and MCP integration.
Catch a thought now. Organise it without breaking your flow.
Capture is a local-first web app for thoughts, ideas and tasks. A keyboard shortcut opens a focused capture overlay, and an optional LLM assigns tags so you can save the thought without first deciding where it belongs.
Captures live in a local SQLite database and can be explored in a tag-grouped board, chronological list or interactive graph. An MCP endpoint also lets compatible AI agents add, search, edit, archive and delete captures.
Why I created it
Capturing an idea should take less effort than remembering it. I wanted a place to put a thought immediately, without choosing a folder, maintaining a rigid organisational system or signing up for another cloud service.
I built Capture around that separation: save first, organise afterwards. AI tagging handles some of the housekeeping, while search and different views help make the saved material useful later. Local storage keeps the data under my control, and MCP lets the same collection become part of an agent-assisted workflow rather than a separate notes silo.
Highlights
- Low-friction capture: a keyboard-driven overlay for quick entry, with a responsive interface for desktop and mobile.
- Optional AI organisation: automatic tags through an OpenAI-compatible endpoint, manual tags when preferred, and an inbox fallback if tagging fails. Saving is never blocked by the LLM.
- Multiple ways to browse: board, list and graph views, with live search across content and tags.
- Local-first storage: SQLite, no account required, and no LLM calls when auto-tagging is disabled. When enabled, capture text is sent to your configured endpoint, which can be self-hosted.
- Agent integration and background operation: MCP tools for working with captures, plus service installation on Linux, macOS and Windows.
Get involved
The repository includes setup instructions, contribution guidance and an issue tracker. Try it out, share feedback or contribute a change.