Stow 0.3.0 (alpha)

Stow 0.3.0 is an alpha release with live Markdown notes, clearer pull request cards, and an opt-in update check. Download the unsigned DMG below, or build it yourself.

Notes

• Markdown as you type. The Edit and Preview switch is gone. Headings, bold, italic, strikethrough, quotes, lists, links, and code show as you type, and the Markdown marks stay visible but dimmed. The .md file is exactly what you typed.
• Titles. A note's first line is its title, on the board, in exports, and in a popped-out note's window.
• A few lines, or the whole note. Open notes show a few lines, and you can keep as many open as you like. The note you type in opens fully, then shrinks back when you click elsewhere or switch to another app, and opens again when you come back. Notes collapses like the other sections.
• Note buttons. Show Markdown file, Export, and Delete are buttons in the note's header.
• Links. Command-click a web link, or choose Open Link from its context menu.

Board

• Repository colors. Each repository's name has its own color.
• Clearer cards. A card shows its state on one line and its checks, with a GitHub-style icon, on the next. Its corner says when the pull request was last active.
• Recent commits. An expanded card lists its last three commits, fetched in the same request as its reviews.
• Pins. Pinned cards come first, count toward the three cards before Show more, and always show.
• Settings stays in front of a pinned board or note.

Update check

Turn on Settings → Updates, or choose Check for updates… in the Stow menu, and Stow asks GitHub whether a newer version is out. When one is, the board shows a notice that links to its release page. Nothing downloads. The check is off by default. It's one request to GitHub's API, without your GitHub login, so GitHub sees your IP address and nothing else from Stow. While Stow is in alpha, it offers pre-releases; once a stable version is out, it offers stable versions only.

Fixes

• Open notes folder opens the notes folder only when it's a real folder, never something a link points to.
• Pull request links always open on github.com, whatever host a saved or restored setup names.
• Links in notes that macOS detects on its own, as with Smart Links, go through the same web-link check as every other link.

Install

Download Stow-0.3.0.dmg below, open it, and drag Stow to Applications. It runs on Apple silicon and Intel Macs with macOS 14 or later. It's unsigned, so macOS asks you to allow it the first time it opens. GitHub Actions built it from this release's tag. To check it, run gh attestation verify Stow-0.3.0.dmg --repo byanthny/stow, or compare it with Stow-0.3.0.dmg.sha256.

Updating from 0.2.x: quit Stow and replace the app in Applications. Your notes and settings stay where they are. The removed "Open one note at a time" and "Let Notes collapse" settings are ignored.

Or build from source:

git clone https://github.com/byanthny/stow.git
cd stow
./scripts/package.sh

Reporting bugs

Use the bug report form. Include your Stow version, macOS version and Mac. Use synthetic data, and never paste private notes, pull request data or tokens.

Licensed under GPL-3.0-or-later.

Stow 0.2.1 (alpha)

Stow 0.2.1 is an alpha bug-fix release. Download the unsigned DMG below, or build it yourself.

Fixes

• Menus work again. In 0.2.0, choosing a theme preset did nothing, and neither did any item in a note's ⋯ menu: Delete note…, Remove pull request link, Show Markdown file, and Export Markdown…. They all work now.
• Pinned pull requests stay in view. A pinned pull request moves to the top of its section. It always shows, even when the section lists only a few cards before Show more.
• Clearer statuses.
  • Your own pull requests that are waiting on a review or on checks now say so, instead of "Behind base branch".
  • Statuses have GitHub-like colors:
    • green when ready;
    • red for failing checks, conflicts and requested changes;
    • amber while waiting on reviews or checks;
    • muted for drafts and merged pull requests.

Install

Download Stow-0.2.1.dmg below, open it, and drag Stow to Applications. It's unsigned, so macOS asks you to allow it the first time it opens. GitHub Actions built it from this release's tag. To check it, run gh attestation verify Stow-0.2.1.dmg --repo byanthny/stow, or compare it with Stow-0.2.1.dmg.sha256.

Updating from 0.2.0: quit Stow and replace the app in Applications. Your notes and settings stay where they are.

Or build from source:

git clone https://github.com/byanthny/stow.git
cd stow
./scripts/package.sh

Reporting bugs

Use the bug report form. Include your Stow version, macOS version and Mac. Use synthetic data, and never paste private notes, pull request data or tokens.

Licensed under GPL-3.0-or-later.

Stow 0.2.0 (alpha)

Stow is a small native macOS board for Markdown notes and GitHub pull requests. This is the first alpha. Download the unsigned DMG below or build it yourself, expect rough edges, and tell us what breaks.

What's new since 0.1.0

• Profiles.
  • Keep work and personal apart, or any split you like. Each profile has its own notes, cards, theme and windows, plus a name, color and icon.
  • Switch with ⌃⌥1 to ⌃⌥9, or from the board header.
  • Deleting a profile moves its folder to the Trash.
• Owner views. Show only the pull requests from the owners you pick, group cards by owner, and optionally keep only the selected owners' cards on disk.
• Code in notes. Inline code and fenced code blocks show in a monospaced font while you type and in Preview. Notes stay plain Markdown files.
• Notes.
  • Remove a note's pull request link from its menu or by right-clicking the link.
  • Deleting a note with text asks first.
  • Start a note by typing on the board.
  • Notes and the card's add-note button have clearer icons.
• The board. The header shares the title bar row. Cards have pin, note and dismiss buttons. Settings → Board can hide the board title.
• Fixes.
  • A saved owner whose GitHub login ends in a hyphen is no longer dropped. Before, dropping it could widen "Keep only selected owners on disk" to every owner.
  • Clearer messages when the profile list can't be read or comes from a newer Stow.

Requirements

• Running: macOS 14 or later. Hands-on testing so far covers macOS 26 on Apple silicon. Automated smoke checks pass on Intel with macOS 15. macOS 14 is untested.
• Building: Xcode 16.4 or later, which needs macOS 15.3 or later.
• GitHub (optional): the GitHub CLI, signed in with gh auth login --hostname github.com. Stow asks before using it.

Install

Download Stow-0.2.0.dmg below, open it, and drag Stow to Applications. It's unsigned, so macOS asks you to allow it the first time it opens. GitHub Actions built it from this release's tag. To check it, run gh attestation verify Stow-0.2.0.dmg --repo byanthny/stow, or compare it with Stow-0.2.0.dmg.sha256.

Or build from source:

git clone https://github.com/byanthny/stow.git
cd stow
./scripts/package.sh

Unzip build/Stow.zip and move Stow.app to Applications. That package is signed ad hoc for your own Mac. Only use DMGs from this repository's Releases, and don't run builds from anywhere else.

What to try

• Notes: write, pop out, pin on top, edit the .md file in another app, and add a code snippet.
• Profiles: make a second profile, switch between them, and quit and reopen.
• With GitHub on: the Needs you and Waiting sections, owner views, and pinning.

Reporting bugs

Use the bug report form and include your Stow version, macOS version and Mac. Use synthetic data: never paste private notes, pull request data or tokens. Report vulnerabilities privately; see SECURITY.md.

Privacy

• No analytics, telemetry, account or server.
• Notes and cached pull requests stay on your Mac, readable only by your macOS user.
• Stow never reads or stores your GitHub token.

Known limits

• External display moves, keyboard navigation and VoiceOver still need hands-on checks.
• Hands-on profile checks are still in progress.
• Builds are signed ad hoc only. Signed and notarized downloads come later.

Licensed under GPL-3.0-or-later.

Stow 0.1.0

Stow is a small native macOS board for Markdown notes and GitHub pull requests. This is the first version: a pre-release you build from source.

Highlights

• Notes as plain Markdown files.
  • Each note is a UTF-8 .md file you can edit in any app. Stow reloads outside edits and keeps both versions if they conflict.
  • On the board, notes show as one-line rows. Open one inline, or pop it out into its own window, pinned on top or not.
• A calm pull request board.
  • Needs you and Waiting, using the GitHub CLI login you already have.
  • Cards lead with owner/repo #number, and each section shows three cards before Show more.
  • Partial or missing data never marks a pull request ready.
• Your layout, your defaults. Settings → Board covers section order, how many cards show, whether Notes can collapse, how notes open, and the header title.
• Themes as short text configs. Copy, paste, or share key = value themes with presets, opacity, and separate interface and note fonts.
• Backups that stay yours.
  • Markdown import and export, plus a full backup and restore.
  • A restored backup never turns GitHub or accessories on, and never chooses a program to run.

Requirements

• macOS 14 or later. Hands-on testing so far covers macOS 26 on Apple silicon. Automated smoke checks pass on Intel with macOS 15, and macOS 14 is untested.
• Xcode 16.4 or later to build.
• GitHub is optional. To use it, install the GitHub CLI and sign in with gh auth login --hostname github.com. Stow asks before using it.

Install

There is no signed download yet. Build from source:

git clone https://github.com/byanthny/stow.git
cd stow
./scripts/package.sh

Unzip build/Stow.zip and move Stow.app to Applications. The package is signed ad hoc for your own Mac. Don't share it, and don't run builds from other people.

Privacy and security

• No analytics, telemetry, account, or server.
• Notes and cached pull requests stay on your Mac, readable only by your macOS user.
• Stow never reads or stores your GitHub token.
• Report vulnerabilities privately; see SECURITY.md.

Known limits

• External display moves, keyboard navigation, and VoiceOver still need hands-on acceptance.
• Work/personal profiles are in progress and not part of this release.

Licensed under GPL-3.0-or-later.