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PaperCache Logo

PaperCache

A floating markdown scratchpad for developers and power users.

Why PaperCache? I saw a cool tool called Antinote, but it was locked behind a paywall. I wanted something similar that was open source and fit my own workflow perfectly, so I built PaperCache to match it. It solved my problem, and I figured other people might have the exact same needs, so I made it completely free and open for everyone. Read the full story in our Core Philosophy.

Summon it with a hotkey. Jot. Dismiss. It stays out of your way until you need it.

What makes it different

  • Lives in the background — no dock icon, no window chrome. Press your hotkey, it appears on whatever screen your mouse is on. Click away, it vanishes.
  • Reactive math & variables — define /var x = 10, write x * 3 =, get 30. Change the variable, everything updates. Works across notes with /globvar.
  • Inline AI — type /ai <prompt>, press enter, get the answer inserted directly into your note. No sidebar, no context switch.
  • Auto-highlights hex colors, dates, and times — #D97757 renders as a color pill. Clicking on the circle copies the hex code. 31-05-2024 gets highlighted. Useful at a glance.
  • Interactive Checkboxes — Type /check to create an interactive checkbox that strikes through text when clicked.
  • Tasks & Reminders — Type /task followed by @ 1d2h to set a due date. Press Cmd+T to open a unified Tasks view that tracks all your pending items and due times.
  • Tags & folders — !tagname for tags, / in note titles for folders. Simple conventions, no UI overhead.
  • Graph view — see how your notes connect (Cmd+G).

Deep Dive: For a comprehensive list of every single feature in PaperCache, check out features.md. Performance: We take speed and battery life seriously. Check out our Performance Audit.

Screenshots

Editor and Formatting Interactive Checkboxes and Math

Knowledge Management and AI

Install

Homebrew (macOS):

brew tap variablethe/tap
brew install --cask papercache

Direct download: grab the latest .app or .exe from Releases.

⚠️ Note on macOS Gatekeeper ("App is damaged" error) Because PaperCache is an open-source utility and is not code-signed with a paid Apple Developer ID, macOS will apply a quarantine flag to the application upon manual download, throwing a false "damaged app" warning.

To fix this, simply open your Terminal and run the following command to strip the quarantine flag:

xattr -cr /Applications/PaperCache.app

Build from source

git clone https://github.com/VariableThe/PaperCache.git
cd PaperCache
npm install
npm run tauri dev # for local development
npm run tauri build # for production bundling

Built with Tauri, Rust, React, TypeScript, and Vite.

Shortcuts

Shortcut Action
Cmd+Shift+C Toggle visibility (global, configurable)
Cmd+Shift+N New note (global, configurable)
Cmd+Shift+S Open settings panel
Cmd+N New note (in-app)
Cmd+T Open Tasks page
Cmd+K Main action menu
Cmd+P Search notes
Cmd+G Graph view
Cmd+H Highlight selected text
Cmd+E Export note
Cmd+Click Follow internal link
Cmd + / - Zoom in / out
Cmd + 0 Reset zoom
Esc Close menus or modals

AI setup

PaperCache brings AI right into your note — no subscription, no middleman. You can configure your API key, model, and endpoint in Settings (Cmd+Shift+S).

  • OpenAI: Works out-of-the-box with your OpenAI API key and models like gpt-4o.
  • Free Models (OpenRouter): Don't have an AI subscription? Get a free key at OpenRouter, set your Base URL to https://openrouter.ai/api/v1, and try a powerful free model like nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b:free.
  • Local LLMs: Works seamlessly with local models like Ollama by pointing the Base URL to your local instance.

Support

If you find PaperCache useful, consider buying me a coffee to support its ongoing development!

ko-fi

License

MIT License.