Capra

Hey! Hope you're doing well.

So, I finally got around to giving Capra a proper try—you know, that native macOS Markdown notebook I mentioned. I've been bouncing between apps for notes, code snippets, and project documentation, and nothing ever felt quite right. Either they're subscription-based, or they lock your notes into some weird database, or they're just Electron apps pretending to be native. Capra promised plain .md files, native performance, and a clean interface. Figured I'd import my mess of existing notes and see if it could actually bring some order.

First impression: it's fast. Really fast. Launched instantly, the three-pane layout made sense immediately. I pointed it at my iCloud Drive folder where I keep all my Markdown files, and it populated the sidebar with my folder structure in seconds. Looked perfect. I clicked on a note from two years ago, made a quick edit, and... the changes didn't save. The little "Saved" indicator never appeared. I typed some more, clicked away, came back—all my edits were gone.

What I Tried First (And Why It Failed)

My first thought was that iCloud was being slow, or maybe there was a sync conflict. I checked iCloud Drive in Finder—the file was there, but its modification date hadn't changed. So Capra was reading the file fine, but couldn't write back to it. I tried a different folder outside iCloud, same issue. I restarted the app, rebooted my Mac, even checked if the files were somehow locked. Nothing.

I spent a good twenty minutes convinced the app was fundamentally broken for editing existing files. I could create new notes fine—those saved perfectly—but any existing file I opened was effectively read-only.

The "Aha!" Moment

After some frustrated digging in the app's preferences, I noticed a section called "File Management" with a checkbox: "Request Full Disk Access for External Drive Support." It was unchecked. I'm not using an external drive, but iCloud Drive, for permission purposes, is treated similarly. I clicked it, and Capra popped up the standard macOS dialog asking for Full Disk Access in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Full Disk Access.

This is a macOS sandboxing thing. Apps that want to modify files outside their own container—like your iCloud Drive folder—need explicit permission. As soon as I granted that and relaunched Capra, editing existing files worked instantly. Changes saved, timestamps updated, everything.

I found this page with the system requirements that mentioned the permission in the user comments: the resource I used. Would've saved me an hour if I'd checked there first.

What Actually Helped (The Stuff I Wish I'd Known First)

1. The file browser's "Show in Finder" option is useful for debugging. When a file wasn't saving, I right-clicked it in Capra and chose "Show in Finder." That immediately showed me the file's location and permissions. In my case, it was in iCloud Drive, which explained why the app needed extra access.
2. The version tracking is subtle but brilliant. Capra keeps a local cache of your notes and shows you if the file on disk has changed outside the app. After I fixed permissions, I could see exactly when iCloud synced changes from other devices.
3. The tag autocomplete saves so much time. I started tagging notes with #project/name style tags, and after typing #proj, it already knew what I meant. The tags are stored in the Markdown frontmatter, so they're portable too.

Once permissions were sorted, the app became exactly what I wanted. The live preview with code highlighting is gorgeous—I pasted a Python script and it looked better than in my code editor. The search is genuinely instant; I searched for a term across 500 notes and got results before I finished typing.

A Few Other Things I Noticed

• The dual-mode editing (source vs preview) can be split horizontally or vertically. I kept source on top, preview below, and watched my Markdown render as I typed. Great for catching formatting errors.
• Export to PDF respects all your formatting, including code blocks with syntax highlighting. I exported a meeting note with embedded tables and it looked professional enough to share with clients.
• It uses sandboxing by default for security, which is why it needed that Full Disk Access grant. Once granted, it remembers, and you don't have to think about it again.
• If you're curious about sandboxing, Apple's guide to App Sandbox explains why apps ask for these permissions. The CommonMark specification is also worth a read if you're into Markdown details.

Checklist For Next Time

1. If you're storing notes in iCloud, Dropbox, or any external folder, check System Settings > Privacy & Security > Full Disk Access first. Capra needs this to modify files outside its container.
2. Use the "Show in Finder" option to verify file locations when something isn't saving. It often reveals permission issues immediately.
3. Start with the dual-mode view (editor + preview) until you're comfortable with how your Markdown renders. Switch to single mode later for distraction-free writing.
4. Tags are more flexible than folders. Use them liberally—they sync across devices and survive any export.
5. The search is so fast it's worth learning the keyboard shortcut. I use it as my primary navigation now.

Anyway, I'm genuinely impressed. It's a focused tool that does one thing—manage plain-text Markdown notes—and does it beautifully. No subscriptions, no lock-in, just fast, native software. If you've been looking for a notes app that respects your data and your Mac, give it a shot. Just grant that Full Disk Access first.

Let me know if you try it—curious if you find the tagging as useful as I do.

Talk soon