Today weâre making the biggest change to Reflect since we launched. Weâve rebuilt it from the ground up for the age of AI, while preserving the privacy and control that have always been central to Reflect. The result is Reflect Open: a local-first, open-source app built on plain Markdown files. The beta is available today.
The Mac app is available now. Weâre also opening a limited TestFlight for iPhone.
Download Reflect Open
The Mac app is available in two versions. Stable is recommended for most people; Beta receives new features and fixes first.
- Stable: Apple silicon (M-series) ¡ Intel
- Beta: Apple silicon (M-series) ¡ Intel
- iPhone and iPad: Join the TestFlight beta
Not sure which Mac you have? Open Apple menu â About This Mac. If it shows an M-series chip, choose Apple silicon. Both Mac versions update automatically.
Reflect Open is a new app, not an update to the existing one. It keeps the parts of Reflect we care about most: daily notes, backlinks, fast capture, keyboard-first writing, and a minimalist interface. But the foundation is completely different, rebuilt for the age of AI.
Why we rebuilt it
When we built the original Reflect, we made two big technical bets: we built end-to-end encryption into the app, and created our own note format and sync engine. Both decisions served principles we still believe inâprivacy and seamless syncâand both made sense at the time. But they also created a great deal of complexity and made Reflect increasingly difficult to evolve, particularly as Markdown became the common language for both people and AI.
We had wanted to revisit those foundations for some time. When Fable came out, we put it to the test: could we rebuild Reflect around a much simpler model? Two weeks later, we had our answer. The new Reflect stores your notes as ordinary Markdown files on your computer, uses iCloud for sync and encryption, and lets you mark specific notes as private so they are never shared with AI.
Once your notes were local Markdown files, open source felt like the natural conclusion. It means your notes never depend on a proprietary system, the app can outlive any one company, and anyone can inspect, modify or contribute to it.
Your notes are the database
In Reflect Open, your graph is simply a folder of markdown files:
- Daily notes are Markdown files under daily/
- Other notes are Markdown files under notes/
- Images and attachments are ordinary files under assets/
You can open that folder in Finder, edit it with another Markdown app, put it in Git, or write scripts against it. Reflect maintains a local search index, but that index can always be rebuilt from the files.
There is no Reflect account or Reflect-hosted notes database. We donât run product analytics. Optional services are connected directly by you:
- AI uses your own OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, or OpenRouter key
- Transcription uses your chosen provider
- Sync uses iCloud Drive, GitHub, or another Git remote
- Keys and credentials stay in the operating systemâs keychain
Notes marked private are blocked from being sent to AI or other services that read note content.
Whatâs in the Mac beta
The Mac beta currently includes:
- Daily notes and a live-preview Markdown editor. Write normally while keeping the underlying Markdown clean and portable. Add wiki links, backlinks, tags, templates, images, PDFs, and other attachments.
- Local search. Search note titles, contents, tags, and backlinks. Optional semantic search runs on your Mac.
- AI chat with citations. Ask questions across your notes and follow the answer back to its sources. You can also select text in the editor and rewrite, summarize, translate, or run a saved prompt.
- Tasks. Markdown checkboxes are collected into a task view where they can be searched, scheduled, completed, and archived.
- Audio memos. Record a thought and transcribe it into your daily note (via whichever AI provider you configured)
- Browser capture. The Reflect Capture Chrome extension saves links, selected text, screenshots, and page text directly to your graph.
- Calendar and contacts. Show Apple Calendar events beside your daily note, create meeting notes, and connect people notes with Apple Contacts.
- iCloud and Git sync. Use iCloud for straightforward Mac-to-iPhone sync, or connect GitHub for versioned backup and sync through a repository you own.
- A command-line interface. Commands such as reflect today, reflect search, and reflect show let scripts and agents read your notes without scraping the app.
The iPhone TestFlight
The iPhone app uses the same Markdown graph as the Mac app. If your graph is in iCloud Drive, it appears on both devices without a Reflect account or sync server.
The TestFlight build includes:
- Daily notes with a swipeable calendar
- Full Markdown editing and wiki-link autocomplete
- Backlinks, tags, filters, and local search
- Tasks and scheduling
- AI chat using your own provider key
- Audio memos and transcription
- Link capture from the iOS share sheet
- iCloud Drive and GitHub sync
The iPhone app is newer than the Mac app, so weâre limiting the initial TestFlight while we test it across more devices and larger graphs. Expect bugs and a few missing desktop features.
The existing Reflect app is staying
You do not need to migrate.
The Reflect app you use today will remain available, and weâll continue maintaining it and fixing bugs. Your existing graph and account will continue to work as before.
Reflect Open is where new development is happening, but there is no deadline to move. Try it when youâre ready and keep using the existing app for as long as you need.
Moving your notes
To copy your existing graph into Reflect Open:
- In the current Reflect app, go to Settings â Graph â Export and choose Reflect Open.
- In Reflect Open on your Mac, create or open a graph, then go to Settings â Import and select the exported ZIP.
Your notes and attachments will be added to the new graph. Nothing in your existing Reflect account is deleted or changed.
If you plan to use the iPhone beta, create an iCloud graph on the Mac before importing. That graph will then appear on your iPhone.
Pricing
The Mac app is free and open source.
The iPhone app is free during TestFlight, but we expect to charge for it eventually. We havenât decided on the price or timing yet. If you already have a Reflect subscription, this will transfer over.
Try it and tell us what breaks
This is a beta, so keep your existing Reflect graph and make sure your Reflect Open folder is backed up through iCloud or GitHub.
If you find a bug or have feedback, reply to this email or open an issue on GitHub, or chat to us on Discord.
Frequently asked questions
Is the existing Reflect app shutting down?
No. The Reflect you use today will remain available, and weâll continue maintaining it and fixing bugs.
Do I have to move to Reflect Open?
No. There is no migration deadline. Reflect Open is where new development is happening, but you can keep using the existing app for as long as you need.
Can I use both versions at the same time?
Yes, but they are separate apps. Importing creates a copy of your notes in Reflect Open; subsequent edits do not sync between the two versions.
Will importing change or delete anything in my existing Reflect account?
No. The import is one-way and non-destructive. Your existing graph remains untouched.
What gets imported?
Your daily notes, regular notes, attachments, links, tags, and Markdown tasks are imported. Reflect Open rebuilds search and backlinks from those files. Account settings, integrations, AI conversations, note history, and published URLs do not currently transfer.
What happens to my current subscription?
Nothing changes today. Your subscription continues to cover the existing Reflect product. Reflect Open for Mac is free and open source. We expect the mobile app to become paid eventually, but pricing and how it will apply to existing subscribers are still undecided.
How do my Mac and iPhone stay in sync?
The simplest option is to put your graph in iCloud Drive. Reflect Open will then open the same Markdown files on your Mac and iPhone. Alternatively you can also use Git/GitHub for a self-managed graph.
Do I need iCloud?
No. On Mac, your graph can live in any folder you choose. On iPhone, you can keep notes on the device or connect a GitHub graph. We recommend iCloud for most people using both Mac and iPhone.
Is Reflect Open end-to-end encrypted?
Reflect Open does not add its own end-to-end encryption layer. Instead, your notes are ordinary files stored locally, in iCloud Drive, or in a Git repository you control. However, in many countries it is possible to turn on end-to-end encryption inside of iCloud.
Can Reflect Open read my notes?
Reflect has no server that stores or processes your Reflect Open graph. Note content leaves your device only when you enable a service such as AI, transcription, iCloud, or Git backup, and it goes directly to that provider.
How does AI work?
You add your own OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, or OpenRouter key. Reflect sends requests directly to that provider, and any provider charges are billed to your account. Keys are stored in the operating systemâs keychain and need to be configured separately on each device.
What does the âPrivateâ note setting do?
It prevents that noteâs content from being sent to AI or another service that reads note content. It does not exclude the note from iCloud or GitHub backup; otherwise the note could be silently lost when restoring your graph.
Does Reflect Open have every feature from the existing Reflect?
Not yet. It is a beta and some features are missing or work differently. There is no web app, no iPad app, and areas such as publishing and some integrations have not been carried over. But we will close the gap for most of the features.
Can I edit my notes with another app?
Yes. They are normal Markdown files. You can open them in another editor, copy them, update them, point Claude Code at them.
Which platforms are supported?
The beta supports Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, plus iPhone through TestFlight. Windows and Android are not available yet, and we do not have release dates for them.
How safe is the beta?
Weâre using it ourselves, but it is still beta software. Keep your original Reflect graph and sync or back up the new graph through iCloud or GitHub. TestFlight builds can also expire, so the phone should never hold the only copy of your notes.
I already pay for Reflect. Will my subscription carry over?
Yes. Your existing Reflect subscription will transfer to Reflect Open, including access to the mobile app when it becomes paid. You wonât need to subscribe again or pay twice.
What happens if Reflect Open is ever discontinued?
Your notes remain ordinary Markdown files, and the applicationâs source code is available under the MIT license. Your data does not depend on Reflect continuing to operate a server.
Arenât you releasing a free competitor to your own product?
Yesâto some extent. Reflect Open overlaps heavily with the original Reflect, and making the desktop app free may cannibalize our existing business. Thatâs the classic innovatorâs dilemma: protect the product and business model you have today, or embrace the thing that may eventually replace them. We think resisting that change would be a mistake. If we donât build this version of Reflect, someone else will.
Our proposed model is to keep the desktop app free and open source, then charge for the mobile app once it leaves beta. We donât know exactly how this will play out, but we believe a free desktop app can bring Reflect to far more people while paid mobile supports its continued development.
Where should I report problems?
Reply to this email or open an issue on GitHub. Please include the app version, platform, and what you were doing when the problem occurred.
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