Synapse

Synapse is a powerful Markdown-based knowledge management application exclusively built for macOS using SwiftUI. It's your second brain, backed by YOUR Git repository, and is deeply customizable.

♥️ Built with love by nerds for nerds.

Download now | Read the docs

Developer stuff

Product Structure

synapse/
├── macOS/              # macOS app (current)
│   ├── Synapse/        # Source files
│   ├── SynapseTests/   # Test suite
│   ├── Synapse.xcodeproj
│   └── project.yml
├── marketing-site/     # Documentation website
└── ...                 # Shared resources

Requirements

• macOS 14+
• Xcode 16+
• Homebrew
• xcodegen

Install xcodegen if needed:

brew install xcodegen

Build And Run

Preferred: run it entirely from the CLI.

1. Generate the Xcode project:

cd macOS && xcodegen generate

2. Build the app:

cd macOS && xcodebuild -project "Synapse.xcodeproj" -scheme "Synapse" -destination "platform=macOS" build

3. Launch the built app:

open ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/Synapse-*/Build/Products/Debug/Synapse.app

Or do all three steps in one shot:

cd macOS && xcodegen generate && xcodebuild -project "Synapse.xcodeproj" -scheme "Synapse" -destination "platform=macOS" build && open ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/Synapse-*/Build/Products/Debug/Synapse.app

The app is built into Xcode DerivedData under the Debug products folder.

Run In Xcode

If you prefer Xcode:

open macOS/Synapse.xcodeproj

Then select the Synapse scheme and press Cmd-R.

Testing

Run tests from the command line:

cd macOS && xcodebuild test -project Synapse.xcodeproj -scheme Synapse -destination 'platform=macOS'

Or run tests in Xcode:

1. Open the project: open macOS/Synapse.xcodeproj
2. Select the Synapse scheme
3. Press Cmd-U to run all tests

Support

If Synapse saves you money on a notes app subscription or just sparks a little joy, a coffee goes a long way. ☕

License

MIT License — see LICENSE for details.