Blink

Put notes where your work is.

Native floating notes for macOS, with an agent-first CLI over the same local Markdown files.

Zero to a spatial note

npm install -g @arach/blink  # install the CLI + app installer command
blink app install            # fetch + install Blink.app in /Applications
blink app open               # launch the installed menubar app

# Create content, presentation, and placement in one atomic write.
blink present q3-plan $'# Q3 plan\n\nShip something people love.' \
  --slot 6 --accent '#7dd3fc'

The note is immediately available to Blink. If the app is open, it appears and updates live; otherwise it is waiting in the same place the next time Blink launches.

Why Blink

| Principle | What it means | |---|---| | Spatial by default | Notes are borderless floating panels with per-note position, size, style, and grid placement. | | Made for agents | Predictable verbs, JSON output, stdin support, and one command for content + presentation + placement. | | Local-first | One human-readable Markdown file per note. No side database and no cloud account. | | Native where it counts | Swift/AppKit panels, signed native CLI, global hotkeys, and a tiny Node shim for npm. |

Two commands. One workspace.

blink — write from anywhere

blink ls                                         # recent notes
blink new "grocery run"                          # create
blink cat q3-plan                                # read clean Markdown
blink search "launch"                            # search titles + content
blink present q3-plan "# Q3" --style focus       # content + look
blink type q3-plan "One more thing…"              # visible typed reveal
blink write q3-plan < revised.md                  # quiet replacement
blink rm grocery-run                             # delete

Every mutation uses Blink's atomic file store. The running app reconciles external writes and reflects them across the menubar, palette, and open panels.

blink app — manage the macOS app

blink app install   # fetch, validate, and install/reinstall the newest Blink 2
blink app update    # explicitly refresh the installed app
blink app open      # launch the installed menubar app
blink app path      # print /Applications/Blink.app

The shorter blink-app command remains available as a compatibility alias. Both paths accept only a signed Blink 2 DMG, validate its bundle identity, stage the replacement in /Applications, and preserve the previous app if the swap fails.

An API made of files

you or your agent
       │
       ▼
  blink present ──────► ~/Library/Application Support/Blink/Notes/q3-plan.md
                                      │
                                      ▼ live reconcile
                          menubar · palette · floating panel

Notes carry their own metadata in YAML frontmatter, so presentation travels with the content:

---
id: q3-plan
blink:
  style: focus
  accent: "#7dd3fc"
  slot: 6
---
# Q3 plan

Ship something people love.

Set BLINK_HOME to isolate a workspace for testing or automation. Add --json when another program needs structured output.

Small package. Native core.

• Zero runtime dependencies and no install lifecycle scripts.
• The signed arm64 Swift CLI ships inside the tarball—there is no binary fetch when you run blink.
• The macOS app is distributed separately as a signed and notarized DMG.
• Requires macOS 14+, Apple Silicon, and Node.js 18+ for the npm shims.