Drafts after 1,200 days - why it only clicked once I stopped treating it like a notes app
https://preview.redd.it/5mxkrirknt0h1.png?width=1938&format=png&auto=webp&s=9a9666a96f9cf86ecd81d240866b788b47fe1789
I've installed [Drafts](https://getdrafts.com/) twice before and deleted it both times. Opened to a blank screen, no obvious structure, and I couldn't figure out what it was for that Apple Notes wasn't already doing.
Then, in 2023, I lost a few half-finished ideas, which I typed into the wrong app and never recovered. It was a small thing, but annoying enough to go back and actually give it a proper shot.
Went down a rabbit hole of YouTube reviews to figure out the "right" way to use it. Most of them kept saying the same thing: stop trying to organize as you capture and just throw everything in and process later.
I tried the same for a week and started throwing everything in my inbox, voice notes from walks, half-sentences from meetings, links I'd want later. One inbox. Decide where it goes in the evening.
That was it.
Now, after about 1,200+ days and roughly 15,000 captures later, Drafts is the app that sees almost every piece of text I write before it turns into a note in Obsidian, an email in Canary, or a todo.
**What 1,200 days of daily use looks like**
* Total drafts: \~15,000
* Obsidian vault: \~450 notes in 2022 → \~2,900 now
* Capture-to-processed time: \~7 minutes per item in 2023 → under a minute now
* Drafts created via Apple Watch voice complication: roughly 15% of the total, that one surprised me
**How I actually use it day to day now**
**Capture everywhere, decide later**
* **Watch complication**: tap it mid-walk, talk for 20–30 seconds, tap done. It's already text by the time I put my wrist down, and usually in my inbox across my phone and Mac by the time I sit down.
* **Share sheet** from Safari, Mail, Messages: any link or snippet that feels like "I'll want this later" goes here instead of a half-open tab.
* **Lock screen widget**: one tap to a new draft when I'm mid-meeting and don't want to switch apps.
**One inbox, one evening sweep**
I keep a workspace that shows only drafts with no tags and no flags. That's the inbox.
At some point in the evening, I run a single "process" action on each item. It pops a small menu: send to today's Obsidian daily note, send to a project note, turn into an email draft, turn into a todo, archive, or trash.
Most days, there are 10-15 things. Takes under 10 minutes. Nothing sits unprocessed past 24 hours. The important part isn't the discipline -- it's that I'm not doing "which app does this belong in right now" at the moment of capture.
**Email drafting before Canary**
Any email that could go wrong, whether to a manager or with a subtle tone, always starts in Drafts.
Brain-dump it there, run a tone-adjust action, then fire a mailto: link that opens a pre-filled compose window in whatever your default mail client is — Canary for me. Subject and body are already there, and Canary adds my default signature.
**Drafts vs Apple Notes vs Obsidian on mobile**
This is the thing I wish someone had just said clearly, because it's why Drafts didn't click for me in initial attempts.
* **Apple Notes** is where stuff lives. Good for small collections, shared lists, basic folders. Not built to be a high-volume, zero-friction inbox.
* **Obsidian** is a knowledge base. On mobile, it's usable, but it's slower to get into "just type something, and we'll sort it out later" mode. Lou Plummer (Amerpie) at AppAddict, himself a power user of Drafts, put it exactly right: "My favourite notes app, Obsidian, has a well-deserved reputation for being slow on the draw on iOS. Drafts is the solution to that issue." That's the gap.
* **Drafts** is intentionally bad at being a permanent home. Very good at being a staging area.
If you take a few notes a week, I think Drafts is overkill. Apple Notes or Obsidian are fine for your use-case, but if 10+ bits of text hit you daily, ideas, links, tasks, emails, meeting scribbles and whatnot, then the separation helps:
* Drafts = inbox
https://preview.redd.it/5mxkrirknt0h1.png?width=1938&format=png&auto=webp&s=9a9666a96f9cf86ecd81d240866b788b47fe1789
I've installed [Drafts](https://getdrafts.com/) twice before and deleted it both times. Opened to a blank screen, no obvious structure, and I couldn't figure out what it was for that Apple Notes wasn't already doing.
Then, in 2023, I lost a few half-finished ideas, which I typed into the wrong app and never recovered. It was a small thing, but annoying enough to go back and actually give it a proper shot.
Went down a rabbit hole of YouTube reviews to figure out the "right" way to use it. Most of them kept saying the same thing: stop trying to organize as you capture and just throw everything in and process later.
I tried the same for a week and started throwing everything in my inbox, voice notes from walks, half-sentences from meetings, links I'd want later. One inbox. Decide where it goes in the evening.
That was it.
Now, after about 1,200+ days and roughly 15,000 captures later, Drafts is the app that sees almost every piece of text I write before it turns into a note in Obsidian, an email in Canary, or a todo.
**What 1,200 days of daily use looks like**
* Total drafts: \~15,000
* Obsidian vault: \~450 notes in 2022 → \~2,900 now
* Capture-to-processed time: \~7 minutes per item in 2023 → under a minute now
* Drafts created via Apple Watch voice complication: roughly 15% of the total, that one surprised me
**How I actually use it day to day now**
**Capture everywhere, decide later**
* **Watch complication**: tap it mid-walk, talk for 20–30 seconds, tap done. It's already text by the time I put my wrist down, and usually in my inbox across my phone and Mac by the time I sit down.
* **Share sheet** from Safari, Mail, Messages: any link or snippet that feels like "I'll want this later" goes here instead of a half-open tab.
* **Lock screen widget**: one tap to a new draft when I'm mid-meeting and don't want to switch apps.
**One inbox, one evening sweep**
I keep a workspace that shows only drafts with no tags and no flags. That's the inbox.
At some point in the evening, I run a single "process" action on each item. It pops a small menu: send to today's Obsidian daily note, send to a project note, turn into an email draft, turn into a todo, archive, or trash.
Most days, there are 10-15 things. Takes under 10 minutes. Nothing sits unprocessed past 24 hours. The important part isn't the discipline -- it's that I'm not doing "which app does this belong in right now" at the moment of capture.
**Email drafting before Canary**
Any email that could go wrong, whether to a manager or with a subtle tone, always starts in Drafts.
Brain-dump it there, run a tone-adjust action, then fire a mailto: link that opens a pre-filled compose window in whatever your default mail client is — Canary for me. Subject and body are already there, and Canary adds my default signature.
**Drafts vs Apple Notes vs Obsidian on mobile**
This is the thing I wish someone had just said clearly, because it's why Drafts didn't click for me in initial attempts.
* **Apple Notes** is where stuff lives. Good for small collections, shared lists, basic folders. Not built to be a high-volume, zero-friction inbox.
* **Obsidian** is a knowledge base. On mobile, it's usable, but it's slower to get into "just type something, and we'll sort it out later" mode. Lou Plummer (Amerpie) at AppAddict, himself a power user of Drafts, put it exactly right: "My favourite notes app, Obsidian, has a well-deserved reputation for being slow on the draw on iOS. Drafts is the solution to that issue." That's the gap.
* **Drafts** is intentionally bad at being a permanent home. Very good at being a staging area.
If you take a few notes a week, I think Drafts is overkill. Apple Notes or Obsidian are fine for your use-case, but if 10+ bits of text hit you daily, ideas, links, tasks, emails, meeting scribbles and whatnot, then the separation helps:
* Drafts = inbox
and router
* Obsidian/Notes = long-term storage
* Tasks app = actual todos
**AI and automation - what actually stayed**
Drafts has scripting hooks for online models (OpenAI / Claude / Gemini) and on newer Apple devices, hooks for on-device models too. I tried a bunch of clever actions and kept only the boring ones:
* summarize long meeting notes into 3 bullets
* extract tasks and action items
* suggest tags for a draft
* clean up email tone
* lightly reformat text for Obsidian
Most of this runs on-device now, fast, private, no API cost for trivial stuff. Anything that needs real reasoning goes to a cloud model.
Worth being honest about one thing, though: if you hate touching JavaScript, the AI part will feel more fiddly than magical. I adapted maybe 70% of my actions from existing ones in the community directory rather than writing from scratch.
**What I'd do differently starting now**
* **Set up a local backup path on day one.** I lost over two days of drafts to an iCloud sync hiccup in 2024. Recovered most from an unsynced Mac, but now I also keep a folder bookmark in my Obsidian vault as a second layer.
* **Keep an action maintenance note.** When I update a custom action, I also export its JSON into a scratch note. Big OS updates occasionally break things, and having the last good version saves an hour.
* **Don't subscribe on day one.** The free tier is enough to know if the capture habit fits. Only upgrade when you hit a specific wall. For me, it was workspaces and custom action editing.
* **Steal from the directory first.** The community action directory has 90% of what you think you need. Adapting someone else's action is way faster than a blank file.
**What hasn't worked**
* **Action Bar reordering** after big iOS updates breaks muscle memory. It's annoying every time.
* **Custom JS actions** have a real learning curve. "Draft objects" and "action contexts" took a week to internalize.
* **No real collaboration.** Solo tool. If your team lives in shared notes, Drafts won't help.
* **That sync scare in 2024** changed how I think about single points of failure in any sync system. Hasn't happened again, but it's in the back of my head.
If you want pretty canvases or shared docs, Craft or Notion will serve you better.
**Pricing**
Free tier covers: quick capture, sync, and running pre-built actions from the directory. Good enough to properly evaluate the habit.
Drafts Pro is $19.99/year. Unlocks workspaces, custom action editing, themes, and extra widgets.
I personally spent over four months on the free version and then upgraded when the workflow was clearly earning it. Recommend the same over committing on day one.
Not affiliated with Drafts. Paid for Pro myself. No referral.
**Who this is for**
Makes sense if you:
* live in text -- ideas, emails, notes, tasks all day
* already use something like Obsidian or Apple Notes as a vault
* like the idea of one capture place, many exits
* are willing to install and adapt actions from other people (or write them yourself eventually)
Skip it if you:
* only take a few notes a week
* want collaboration or rich formatting over speed
* automation makes your eyes glaze over
* happy with "long-press Notes widget, type, done"
**Questions for the sub**
1. If you tried Drafts and bounced, what specifically didn't click? The subscription, the blank screen, or "I already have Obsidian/Notes and don't need another inbox"?
2. Anyone using Drafts as a capture layer in front of another notes app? If not, what do you use instead?
3. If you use Drafts actions with AI (cloud or on‑device), which ones do you find yourself using regularly?
https://redd.it/1tbnj80
@macappsbackup
* Obsidian/Notes = long-term storage
* Tasks app = actual todos
**AI and automation - what actually stayed**
Drafts has scripting hooks for online models (OpenAI / Claude / Gemini) and on newer Apple devices, hooks for on-device models too. I tried a bunch of clever actions and kept only the boring ones:
* summarize long meeting notes into 3 bullets
* extract tasks and action items
* suggest tags for a draft
* clean up email tone
* lightly reformat text for Obsidian
Most of this runs on-device now, fast, private, no API cost for trivial stuff. Anything that needs real reasoning goes to a cloud model.
Worth being honest about one thing, though: if you hate touching JavaScript, the AI part will feel more fiddly than magical. I adapted maybe 70% of my actions from existing ones in the community directory rather than writing from scratch.
**What I'd do differently starting now**
* **Set up a local backup path on day one.** I lost over two days of drafts to an iCloud sync hiccup in 2024. Recovered most from an unsynced Mac, but now I also keep a folder bookmark in my Obsidian vault as a second layer.
* **Keep an action maintenance note.** When I update a custom action, I also export its JSON into a scratch note. Big OS updates occasionally break things, and having the last good version saves an hour.
* **Don't subscribe on day one.** The free tier is enough to know if the capture habit fits. Only upgrade when you hit a specific wall. For me, it was workspaces and custom action editing.
* **Steal from the directory first.** The community action directory has 90% of what you think you need. Adapting someone else's action is way faster than a blank file.
**What hasn't worked**
* **Action Bar reordering** after big iOS updates breaks muscle memory. It's annoying every time.
* **Custom JS actions** have a real learning curve. "Draft objects" and "action contexts" took a week to internalize.
* **No real collaboration.** Solo tool. If your team lives in shared notes, Drafts won't help.
* **That sync scare in 2024** changed how I think about single points of failure in any sync system. Hasn't happened again, but it's in the back of my head.
If you want pretty canvases or shared docs, Craft or Notion will serve you better.
**Pricing**
Free tier covers: quick capture, sync, and running pre-built actions from the directory. Good enough to properly evaluate the habit.
Drafts Pro is $19.99/year. Unlocks workspaces, custom action editing, themes, and extra widgets.
I personally spent over four months on the free version and then upgraded when the workflow was clearly earning it. Recommend the same over committing on day one.
Not affiliated with Drafts. Paid for Pro myself. No referral.
**Who this is for**
Makes sense if you:
* live in text -- ideas, emails, notes, tasks all day
* already use something like Obsidian or Apple Notes as a vault
* like the idea of one capture place, many exits
* are willing to install and adapt actions from other people (or write them yourself eventually)
Skip it if you:
* only take a few notes a week
* want collaboration or rich formatting over speed
* automation makes your eyes glaze over
* happy with "long-press Notes widget, type, done"
**Questions for the sub**
1. If you tried Drafts and bounced, what specifically didn't click? The subscription, the blank screen, or "I already have Obsidian/Notes and don't need another inbox"?
2. Anyone using Drafts as a capture layer in front of another notes app? If not, what do you use instead?
3. If you use Drafts actions with AI (cloud or on‑device), which ones do you find yourself using regularly?
https://redd.it/1tbnj80
@macappsbackup
Reddit
From the macapps community on Reddit
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Tell - a Mac app that displays your system stats through floating 3D objects instead of boring numbers
https://redd.it/1tbi98i
@macappsbackup
https://redd.it/1tbi98i
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Am I on Mute? — a floating mute button you can always see
Check it out if you feel it might be useful for you.
Problem
The mute button isn't always easy to find and click at a glance
Most apps have their own mute button with its own look and position
Checking if you're muted often means hunting for the right button mid-sentence
Comparison
Most similar apps live in the menu bar, this one has visible floating indicator
Closest competitor might be MicDrop (good app) but lives in the menu bar
Per-app mute buttons don't talk to each other, one source of truth fixes that
Am I on Mute? mutes at the system level, so every app sees it instantly
Pricing
Free version — floating button, click to mute/unmute, works with every app
Pro — USD $4.99 one-time (30-day free trial included) - full customisation
Links
Mac App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/am-i-on-mute/id6758543736?mt=12
Website: [https://amionmute.com](https://amionmute.com/)
Privacy policy: https://www.amionmute.com/privacy.html
Contact form: [https://www.amionmute.com/contact.html](https://www.amionmute.com/contact.html)
Terms: https://www.amionmute.com/terms.html
https://redd.it/1tbtzmg
@macappsbackup
Check it out if you feel it might be useful for you.
Problem
The mute button isn't always easy to find and click at a glance
Most apps have their own mute button with its own look and position
Checking if you're muted often means hunting for the right button mid-sentence
Comparison
Most similar apps live in the menu bar, this one has visible floating indicator
Closest competitor might be MicDrop (good app) but lives in the menu bar
Per-app mute buttons don't talk to each other, one source of truth fixes that
Am I on Mute? mutes at the system level, so every app sees it instantly
Pricing
Free version — floating button, click to mute/unmute, works with every app
Pro — USD $4.99 one-time (30-day free trial included) - full customisation
Links
Mac App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/am-i-on-mute/id6758543736?mt=12
Website: [https://amionmute.com](https://amionmute.com/)
Privacy policy: https://www.amionmute.com/privacy.html
Contact form: [https://www.amionmute.com/contact.html](https://www.amionmute.com/contact.html)
Terms: https://www.amionmute.com/terms.html
https://redd.it/1tbtzmg
@macappsbackup
App Store
Am I on Mute? App - App Store
Download Am I on Mute? by Alex Stewart on the App Store. See screenshots, ratings and reviews, user tips, and more apps like Am I on Mute?.
Silkwave Chat - A BYOK macOS app to chat with all major AI models, analyze files, and generate images in one place.
https://redd.it/1tbvfcr
@macappsbackup
https://redd.it/1tbvfcr
@macappsbackup
Reddit
From the macapps community on Reddit: Silkwave Chat - A BYOK macOS app to chat with all major AI models, analyze files, and generate…
Explore this post and more from the macapps community
Need Tips on secure download of FOSS/.DMG files
I have always wondered about the best ways to protect oneself from malicious files when downloading free open-source software in .DMG or .zip format from GitHub or anywhere.
With the proliferation of AI and CLI tools, this has become more necessary than ever before to check for any hidden files. I decided to ask here as we have a diverse group of users, including professionals and developers.
So please suggest your preferred workflows, apps, software, websites or other methods you use to check something before downloading it.
https://redd.it/1tbt8w5
@macappsbackup
I have always wondered about the best ways to protect oneself from malicious files when downloading free open-source software in .DMG or .zip format from GitHub or anywhere.
With the proliferation of AI and CLI tools, this has become more necessary than ever before to check for any hidden files. I decided to ask here as we have a diverse group of users, including professionals and developers.
So please suggest your preferred workflows, apps, software, websites or other methods you use to check something before downloading it.
https://redd.it/1tbt8w5
@macappsbackup
Reddit
From the macapps community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the macapps community
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talat - local, real-time meeting transcription and summarisation
https://redd.it/1tbxvgf
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[OS] A tool for generating macOS app icons with AI (free, open source)
https://redd.it/1tbyqu4
@macappsbackup
https://redd.it/1tbyqu4
@macappsbackup
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Shiori - A bookmark manager that lives in your menu bar. Fully cloud synced across your devices, keyboard-driven, accessible on multiple platforms.
https://redd.it/1tbylov
@macappsbackup
https://redd.it/1tbylov
@macappsbackup
DockDoor Pro - The Dock Apple Wouldn't Build
https://preview.redd.it/xj7fd0c2px0h1.png?width=1251&format=png&auto=webp&s=711b2037c02bca62a80fd3197da38e5c037ae827
When the free app DockDoor was released in 2024, it was the first time I had seen a developer add window previews to the Mac Dock in much the same way that other operating system from Redmond handles them. For kicks, it also included a Windows-style application switcher, also free.
I have been updating some older reviews, so I went back to check on DockDoor. Not only does the original free version still exist, but the developer has also added a paid Pro version with a much larger feature set.
The splash page for DockDoor Pro puts its claim front and center:
DockDoor Pro - The Dock macOS Deserves
The official native Mac dock replacement with profiles, live window previews, media controls, a file tray, magnification, and everything Apple left out.
That is bold, but defensible.
# What It Does
The real question with any Dock utility is whether it replaces the native Dock or merely augments it. DockDoor Pro can do either. I hid the native Dock completely and did not run into any problems.
The other killer feature, and one Apple will probably never give us for fear of waking the ghost of Steve Jobs, is the ability to exclude a running app from the Dock. You no longer have to stare at every app just because it happens to be open.
Dock Profiles \- I work in multiple contexts. Some of my time is spent testing software and writing reviews. For that, I need quick access to a file manager, an uninstaller, Activity Monitor, Drafts, Obsidian, my Downloads folder, the folder where I keep rough drafts, the folder where I keep archives, and Reddit.
DockDoor Pro profiles can include:
Pinned apps
Folders
Files
Widgets
URLs
Design elements, including separators and spacers
When I switch to media management, I need a different setup: Calibre, Swinsian, Yate, digiKam, & ToyViewer.
When it is time to do research or just relax, I want Inoreader, FreeTube, Plex, Radarr, Sonarr, and websites like Mac Menu Bar and AlternativeTo.
DockDoor Pro gives you two ways to switch profiles. The easiest is to associate a specific app with a profile. When you open an app tied to another workflow, the Dock profile changes automatically. If you work with multiple monitors, you can also assign different Docks on a per-display basis.
One welcome feature is the ability to export Dock profiles as JSON. That makes it easy to move a setup to another Mac or keep a restorable backup in case an experiment goes sideways.
Control Panel \- Each Dock contains a tiny icon that opens a control panel when long-clicked. It consolidates an app launcher, profile switcher, volume slider, audio device picker, and power controls. It is a well-designed bit of UI rather than a pile of bolted-on buttons.
File Tray \- If you keep your Dock at the bottom of the display, scrolling on it reveals a file tray. You can drop files there temporarily, drag them back out when you need them, or send them via AirDrop directly from the tray.
Widgets \- DockDoor Pro also includes small widgets that add live tiles directly to the Dock, including weather and system stats. They stay compact at rest and expand with more detail on hover. They also adapt to the
https://preview.redd.it/xj7fd0c2px0h1.png?width=1251&format=png&auto=webp&s=711b2037c02bca62a80fd3197da38e5c037ae827
When the free app DockDoor was released in 2024, it was the first time I had seen a developer add window previews to the Mac Dock in much the same way that other operating system from Redmond handles them. For kicks, it also included a Windows-style application switcher, also free.
I have been updating some older reviews, so I went back to check on DockDoor. Not only does the original free version still exist, but the developer has also added a paid Pro version with a much larger feature set.
The splash page for DockDoor Pro puts its claim front and center:
DockDoor Pro - The Dock macOS Deserves
The official native Mac dock replacement with profiles, live window previews, media controls, a file tray, magnification, and everything Apple left out.
That is bold, but defensible.
# What It Does
The real question with any Dock utility is whether it replaces the native Dock or merely augments it. DockDoor Pro can do either. I hid the native Dock completely and did not run into any problems.
The other killer feature, and one Apple will probably never give us for fear of waking the ghost of Steve Jobs, is the ability to exclude a running app from the Dock. You no longer have to stare at every app just because it happens to be open.
Dock Profiles \- I work in multiple contexts. Some of my time is spent testing software and writing reviews. For that, I need quick access to a file manager, an uninstaller, Activity Monitor, Drafts, Obsidian, my Downloads folder, the folder where I keep rough drafts, the folder where I keep archives, and Reddit.
DockDoor Pro profiles can include:
Pinned apps
Folders
Files
Widgets
URLs
Design elements, including separators and spacers
When I switch to media management, I need a different setup: Calibre, Swinsian, Yate, digiKam, & ToyViewer.
When it is time to do research or just relax, I want Inoreader, FreeTube, Plex, Radarr, Sonarr, and websites like Mac Menu Bar and AlternativeTo.
DockDoor Pro gives you two ways to switch profiles. The easiest is to associate a specific app with a profile. When you open an app tied to another workflow, the Dock profile changes automatically. If you work with multiple monitors, you can also assign different Docks on a per-display basis.
One welcome feature is the ability to export Dock profiles as JSON. That makes it easy to move a setup to another Mac or keep a restorable backup in case an experiment goes sideways.
Control Panel \- Each Dock contains a tiny icon that opens a control panel when long-clicked. It consolidates an app launcher, profile switcher, volume slider, audio device picker, and power controls. It is a well-designed bit of UI rather than a pile of bolted-on buttons.
File Tray \- If you keep your Dock at the bottom of the display, scrolling on it reveals a file tray. You can drop files there temporarily, drag them back out when you need them, or send them via AirDrop directly from the tray.
Widgets \- DockDoor Pro also includes small widgets that add live tiles directly to the Dock, including weather and system stats. They stay compact at rest and expand with more detail on hover. They also adapt to the
