Mind Marshal

A workspace you own, for every desktop

Your entire workspace in one local file.

Notes, databases with six views, a daily journal, and reviewable AI workflows live together in one local-first SQLite workspace on your machine.

Notion’s power. None of Notion’s rent. Free Core forever; Pro AI is $29 once.

Download Free Core Buy Pro AI once — $29

Also available for Windows and macOS — see every download

Free Core has no time limit. Try every Pro AI and automation feature for 14 days, with no email or card. Same workspace on Windows 10/11 and macOS 10.15+.

Local-first Pro AI $29 once
The Mind Marshal Home view showing today’s focus, recent entries, and calendar events.
Today, gathered
Available for
  • macOS
  • Windows

New here? Read the setup guide, see every real product screen, or find a workflow that fits.

Subscription sign-in is subject to provider terms and can change. Your own API key and local Ollama remain available alternatives.

One connected working day

From first thought to finished record, without changing systems.

Follow one launch brief as it moves through a real day. The capture, plan, approval, project status, and closing journal stay linked inside the same local workspace.

One source of truth. Change the view when the work changes, not the underlying data.

08:15 Start with context

Open to the day already gathered.

Home brings today’s focus, recent work, and calendar context together before another tab or empty document can pull attention away.

  1. 1
    See the commitmentsToday’s focus and calendar events are visible together.
  2. 2
    Choose the first outcomeOpen the launch brief from recent work.
  3. 3
    Begin with evidenceThe project starts from what already exists.

Morning outcomeThree priorities, one next action, zero workspace archaeology.

Mind Marshal Home view gathering today's focus, recent pages, and calendar events.

Context receipt

Focus items3
Calendar events2
WorkspaceLocal

09:05 Capture before sorting

Save the thought without stopping to design its filing system.

A new campaign angle lands in the Inbox with its source intact. It can wait there, become a task, or join the launch project when its destination is clear.

  1. 1
    Capture the raw noteFast enough to keep the train of thought moving.
  2. 2
    File it deliberatelySend it to the launch project and keep undo nearby.
  3. 3
    Turn it into workThe original note remains connected to the task.

Capture outcomeThe idea is safe, sourced, and ready to shape.

Mind Marshal Inbox showing captured items and their filing destinations with undo controls.

Filing receipt

SourceInbox
DestinationLaunch
UndoReady

11:40 Shape, then approve

By lunch, the loose idea is a reviewable brief.

Write the goal and constraints yourself, then ask configured AI to prepare a proposal. The draft stays visibly pending until a human accepts, edits, or rejects it.

  1. 1
    Write the boundaryGoal, audience, deadline, and source material stay explicit.
  2. 2
    Review the proposalCompare the suggested outline with the original brief.
  3. 3
    Approve with judgmentOnly the accepted version becomes project work.

Midday outcomeA useful plan, with the human decision recorded.

A structured launch brief in the Mind Marshal block editor.
Proposal statusApproved by you
Applied

14:10 Move the same work

Change the view, not the source of truth.

The approved tasks move across a board for execution. When timing matters, switch the same database to calendar or timeline instead of rebuilding the project in another tool.

  1. 1
    Scope the tasksEach card keeps the brief and decision context nearby.
  2. 2
    Move what changedBoard status shows the next action at a glance.
  3. 3
    See the scheduleTimeline reads the same rows and real due dates.

Afternoon outcomeProgress is visible without duplicate plans drifting apart.

Mind Marshal board view showing launch work moving through project stages.
  • BriefDone
  • Launch pageIn progress
  • ReviewNext

17:20 Close with a record

End the day with receipts, not reconstruction.

The daily journal can recap what was captured, completed, and proposed. Tomorrow starts from a durable local record instead of memory and a trail of browser tabs.

  1. 1
    Review completed workFinished tasks and project movement are already connected.
  2. 2
    Inspect agent actionsApproved proposals and their outcomes remain reviewable.
  3. 3
    Leave tomorrow a handoffOne next action closes the loop.

End-of-day outcomeThe work, decisions, and next step survive the day.

Mind Marshal daily journal recording reflections and the day's connected work.

Day receipt

Captured4
Completed3
Next actionSet

That is the product promise: not more places to work, but fewer gaps between the work you already do.

Find your workflow Download Free Core

Built to stay useful

A full workspace without the cloud-shaped trade-offs.

Every manual workspace tile below is available in Free Core with no time limit. The optional 14-day Pro evaluation covers AI and automation. No account, card, or sales call is required.

Six views, one database

See the same work from the angle you need.

Switch between table, board, list, calendar, gallery, and timeline without rebuilding the underlying data.

Explore database views
Mind Marshal board view with project cards arranged in columns.
Project Atlas

Human + AI oversight

Zoom out and see every AI handoff.

Map files, workflow stages, tasks, approvals, recent runs, and failures across the whole workspace or one project. Open any node, inspect the prompt, and keep every automated change behind a human decision.

✦Drafted weekly recapReview
⌁Filed inbox capturesReview
✓Approved by youApplied

Optional Pro AI, not a subscription

Pro AI is $29 once.

Pro AI receipt

Pro AI license$29.00
Monthly app fee$0.00
14-day trialIncluded
Total, once$29.00

One user, up to three of their own machines. Optional AI-provider costs are separate.

Bring your own AI

We don’t sell you AI. We let you plug in the AI you already have.

Mind Marshal is not an AI provider. Connect a ChatGPT, Claude or Kimi plan you already pay for, use your own API key, or run a local model through Ollama for free.

ChatGPTClaudeKimiAPI keyOllama
Offline

Capture now, organize when ready

Get the thought out of your head without losing where it came from.

The Inbox, daily journal, and full-text search keep quick captures connected to the rest of your workspace.

Mind Marshal Inbox showing captured items ready to be organized.

A file, not a service

No product account. No in-app telemetry. No mystery copy of your workspace.

Your working data lives in one SQLite file, with Markdown export and encrypted local backups when you need portability.

  • Local SQLite workspace
  • Encrypted backups
  • Markdown import and export

Proof you can check today

Mechanisms, not marketing adjectives.

A file, not a profile

Pages, databases, and journals live in one local SQLite file. There is no product account needed to write, organize, search, or plan.

Free Core first, Pro evaluation optional

Free Core keeps the complete manual local workspace available with no time limit. The optional 14-day Pro evaluation enables AI and automation without an email address, payment card, or sales call.

Verify the boundary yourself

The app has no advertising, crash-reporting, or analytics SDK. Optional AI and integrations are visible choices, not background defaults.

The cost of optional upgrades

Free Core has no rent. Pro AI is one purchase.

Notion and Obsidian are good products with different trade-offs. This is the straightforward comparison for someone who wants a free local-first workspace and an optional AI upgrade, not a required subscription or a plugin project.

Mind MarshalNotion BusinessObsidian with Sync
PriceFree Core $0; optional Pro AI $29 once$20 per member / monthApp free, Sync $4 per user / month
3-year cost, 1 person$0 for Free Core; $29 with Pro AI$720$144 for Sync
3-year cost, 5 people$0 for Free Core; $145 if all 5 independently choose Pro AI$3,600$720 for Sync
Where the workspace livesOne SQLite file on your machineVendor cloudLocal files, with optional Sync
AI pathYour provider, your API key, or local OllamaBusiness includes core AI features. Custom Agents use credits.Community plugins and the provider you configure
Offline modelLocal-first by designDownloaded pages and recentsLocal-first

Keep the math honest. Free Core costs nothing. The optional Pro AI license excludes whatever you choose to pay an AI provider. The comparison assumes you already pay for an AI subscription. If you do not, use your own API key or run Ollama locally.

Prices and plan descriptions checked against Notion’s pricing page and Obsidian’s pricing page on 13 August 2026. Competitor plans change. One Pro AI license is for one user on up to three of their own machines, never five people for $29. For the full head-to-head, read Mind Marshal vs Notion or Mind Marshal vs Obsidian, or compare features in detail.

Move the work. Keep the say.

The system remembers. The human decides.

Capture a thought, give it structure, and let configured AI prepare the next move. Nothing an agent proposes is applied until you approve it.

  1. 01

    Capture

    Use the Inbox to get a thought out of your head before deciding where it belongs.

  2. 02

    Structure

    Turn that work into a page, a database row, a board card, or a dated plan without copying it.

  3. 03

    Propose

    Ask AI or configure a workflow to draft an option. It remains reviewable content, not a silent edit.

  4. 04

    Review

    Approve or reject the proposal, then use the activity trail and available undo controls to keep changes accountable.

A workspace that adapts

From one thought to a workable plan.

Start with a page. Turn it into a daily note, project board, searchable reference, or structured database when the work asks for it.

Write without a rigid structure

Use rich blocks, slash commands, links, templates, images, and checklists to shape a page as you think.

See work from more than one angle

Organize databases as tables, boards, lists, calendars, galleries, or timelines without recreating the underlying work.

Find the next useful thing

Search pages and blocks, jump with the command palette, and keep quick captures from disappearing into the day.

Build a daily rhythm

Use the Home view, daily notes, activity history, and an optional local calendar view to reconnect with what matters now.

Invite AI only when it helps

Connect a provider you choose for focused prompts, continuations, summaries, and workflow assistance. The app remains useful without AI.

Keep the work portable

Create encrypted backup files with a passphrase you choose, then restore them locally when you need a way back.

Watch it work

One real workflow, start to finish.

Marsha, our AI-generated host, walks through how she runs an app launch in Mind Marshal. Every product shot is a real screen recording driven live: real typing, real clicks, real view changes. No invented UI, no staged mockups. Marsha and her voice are AI-made and the music is our own — the product footage is not staged. Use the chapter buttons to jump around.

How Marsha runs her launch. The workspace, capture to plan, the daily journal, and database views — one continuous tour with narration, chapters, and original music.

A look inside

Real screens, not mockups.

Every image below is captured from the application itself, shown close enough to read. Click any of them for the full window, or browse the complete screenshot gallery.

Daily rhythm

A page that is already waiting for you.

Today’s journal opens with one click and recaps what you captured, what you completed, and what any agent did on your behalf.

  • Daily notes created automatically
  • Today’s events from calendars already on your Mac (macOS only)
  • Reflective prompts when you want them
A close view of the Home cards: today's focus, recent entries, and today's calendar events.
HomeToday’s focus, recent pages and real calendar events, gathered before you open anything else.

Detail view — click for the full window

Six views, one set of data

See the work from the angle that suits it.

Plan a quarter in the timeline, then focus on the next action in the board. It is the same underlying data, never a second copy.

  • Table, board, list, calendar, gallery and timeline
  • Formulas, relations and rollups
  • Cards idle too long are flagged as stuck
A close view of board columns showing Planning, In progress and Done with project cards.
Board viewThe clock badge marks a card that has sat in one stage too long.

Detail view — click for the full window

Capture and triage

One second to capture. One click to file.

Drop a thought into the Inbox from anywhere, then let the assistant sort it into Tasks, Projects, Journal or Ideas. Every filing can be undone.

  • Global quick-capture shortcut
  • Optional Slack, Discord and GitHub capture
  • Per-item undo on every AI action
A close view of the Inbox showing captured items filed to their destinations with undo links.
InboxEach filed item shows where it went, and an undo beside it.

Detail view — click for the full window

Bring your own AI

Already paying for AI? Don’t pay us again.

Sign in with an AI subscription you already pay for, bring your own API key, or run Ollama locally. Opening a page sends nothing anywhere. AI runs only on actions you configure, and nothing an agent produces is applied until you approve it.

Subscription sign-in is subject to provider terms and can change. Your own API key and local Ollama remain available alternatives.

  • ChatGPT, Claude, Kimi, OpenAI-compatible, Anthropic, Gemini and Ollama
  • Proposals are reviewable before they become work
  • A daily call ceiling helps guard against surprise bills
A close view of the AI Providers settings pane listing seven provider options.
Settings → AI ProvidersBring the provider, subscription, key, or local model that fits your boundary.

Detail view — click for the full window

See every feature Set it up step by step

Privacy by default

Your workspace is not a profile.

Mind Marshal works as a local workspace. Its core writing, planning, search, and database work live in one local SQLite file and need no product account. Content leaves your device only for services you deliberately invoke or configure, including an AI provider, integration, update feed, or license refresh.

Read the privacy policy
The Backup settings pane explaining that notes live in one file on this computer and offering encrypted backup and restore.
Settings → BackupEncrypted with a passphrase only you hold. Without it, neither the app nor the publisher can open the file.
01

Local-first by design

Core workspace data lives in the app’s local data container on your own computer.

02

No advertising or app analytics

The app does not include advertising, tracking, analytics, or crash-reporting telemetry.

03

Clear exceptions, not fine print

AI providers you invoke, integrations you configure, the signed update feed, and periodic licensing requests have separate boundaries.

Questions worth asking before you buy

Frequently asked questions

The honest answers, up front. Local-first changes the trade-offs. Here is what Mind Marshal does, what it does not do yet, and what remains yours if the publisher disappears.

Are Mind Marshal, MindMarshal, and Mind Marshall the same app?

Mind Marshal and MindMarshal are the official spellings for the same local-first workspace. Mind Marshall is a common search misspelling and refers to this app when used in that context.

What happens if the publisher disappears?

Your data remains a standard SQLite file you own, with Markdown export and portable encrypted backups. Free Core stays writable for manual local work, including editing, backup, restore, and export. Pro AI and automation require a valid entitlement, but losing that entitlement does not lock your workspace.

Is this just Notion offline?

No. Notion has offline downloads for selected pages and recents. Mind Marshal is local-first by design: the workspace begins as a local file, with no product cloud account needed for ordinary writing, planning, search, or databases.

What does the Pro license cover?

$29 unlocks Pro AI and automation for one user on up to three of that user’s own machines. Free Core does not require a license. A Pro license does not mean three users or five team seats. When a machine is no longer yours, deactivate it to free the seat.

Does AI send my writing to someone else?

Only when you invoke or configure an AI action, and only to the provider you chose. Local Ollama keeps AI processing on your machine. Provider subscription sign-in remains subject to that provider’s terms.

Can an agent change data while I am away?

A configured workflow may run manually, on an interval, or when a card enters a stage. Its output lands as a proposal until you approve or reject it. Project Atlas maps files, workflow stages, tasks, approvals, recent runs, and failures so human oversight stays visible, with undo controls where the action supports it.

Can I bring work from another tool?

Markdown import covers notes and documents from tools such as Notion and Obsidian. There is not yet a one-click database importer, so test Free Core with real content before buying Pro. The 14-day Pro evaluation is only needed to assess AI and automation.

Is Free Core unlimited on both macOS and Windows?

Yes. The current macOS and Windows 0.1.24 releases both include the redesigned Home command center, Project Atlas, and unlimited Free Core. The macOS build is Developer ID signed and Apple notarized, and the Windows installer is Authenticode signed and timestamped.

Coming soon

What we are building next

None of this is in the current release and no dates are promised. It is listed so you can judge the direction, not so you can pay for it today. The full detail lives on the roadmap.

Coming to Free Core

CSV and XLSX import with mapping and undo, spreadsheet-style range paste and frozen columns, universal quick capture, real due dates and reminders with a Today view, a guided daily and weekly review, a deck editor, and a canvas for flowcharts and mind maps. Manual creation always lands in Free Core.

Coming to Pro AI

A per-page “never send to AI” flag every retrieval path obeys, a context inspector that shows exactly what would leave your machine, citations to exact pages and rows, one diff-approve-undo grammar for every AI write, a workflow gallery with dry runs, and provider routing with budgets you set. Covered by an existing Pro license.

Still not offered

Mind Marshal does not sell hosted AI credits, managed cloud sync, a hosted collaboration relay, or managed integrations. They are not purchasable, no launch date or pricing has been announced, and they are not included with a Pro license. Self-hosted collaboration and your own provider keys are separate and already work.

Pricing

Free Core forever. Pro AI is one purchase.

Free Core includes unlimited manual local pages, databases, journals, rows, templates, imports, editing, backup, restore, and export — no account, card, or time limit. Pro adds AI and automation, with every Pro feature available during the 14-day evaluation on macOS or Windows.

Free Core

$0forever

Unlimited manual local workspace. No account, no card, no time limit.

Download Free Core

Pages, databases, journals, templates, imports, backup, restore, search, and export — all local.

  • Unlimited manual local pages, databases, journals, and rows
  • Templates, imports, editing, backup, restore, and export
  • Slack, Discord, GitHub, Drive capture-in
  • Your data stays on your machine

Pro license

$29once

Adds AI and automation. No subscription. No renewal.

Buy a license

Secure checkout by Stripe. Your key arrives on the success page. Refund question? We’ll make it right.

  • Everything in Free Core
  • AI chat, triage, and approval-gated workflows
  • One user on up to 3 of your own machines
  • Free 1.x updates through the signed feed
  • Free Core stays writable if Pro lapses

Download Free Core

Free Core has no time limit. The optional 14-day Pro evaluation enables AI and automation with no email or card required.

  • macOS (Universal)

    Apple Silicon and Intel. Developer ID signed, Apple notarized, and delivered through a verified signed updater feed.

  • Windows 10/11 (x64)

    Version 0.1.24 is Authenticode signed and timestamped for publisher Thomas Whiteford. Its SHA-256 is ed2a5073103027622f6e5b260e87268681c3fbdf3098536e38ddc004a1b07fa7. Microsoft Defender scanned every packaged Windows artifact clean, the updater signature is verified, and clean installation plus an in-app upgrade from 0.1.21 to 0.1.22 preserved the existing local workspace. Full install steps.

Now available · 0.1.24

Your notes. Your machine. Your rules.

Download Free Core and test the complete manual local workspace for as long as you need. The optional 14-day Pro evaluation adds AI and automation. Pro is $29 once if it fits, and no email or card is required to start.

Download Free Core View release notes