Features

A scratchpad that keeps up with your thinking and stays out of your way.

Phase one: write messy, read clean.

8 symbols. Add a prefix to any line and the right side organizes it. That’s it.

One character. Instant structure.

Start a line with + for a task, ? for a question, # for a heading. The right side sorts it all.

  • •Headings group content into sections
  • •Tasks float to the top, highlights stand out, questions stay visible
  • •*asterisks* for italic, **double** for bold
  • •8 symbols that cover everyday note-taking

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Write on the left. Read on the right.

Left side is your raw text. Right side shows it organized — grouped by section, sorted by type, always in sync.

  • •Collapse sections and reorder categories
  • •Copy items or whole sections with a tap
  • •Toggle reader mode for a rendered-only view
  • •Your text is the source of truth

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Check things off.

Type - and part of a task’s name to mark it done. You don’t need to find it — just type enough for Mudlark to match it. Green means it worked.

  • •- go gr checks off “go get groceries”
  • •Fuzzy matching — no full name needed
  • •Works with filenames and paths too
  • •Checked tasks move to the bottom of their section on the right

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Capture without switching.

Press Ctrl+Option+. and a small popover drops down from the menu bar — a single text field with your current note’s title above it. Type a thought, paste a link, drop in an image. Press return and it’s appended to your note. Press escape and it’s gone. No app switch, no window management.

  • •Works from any app, even full-screen ones
  • •Supports text, links, and images
  • •Appends to whatever note is currently open
  • •Configurable buttons in the popover for quick task, highlight, or any prefix
  • •Change the shortcut in Settings if Ctrl+Option+. conflicts

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Send it somewhere when it’s ready.

Mudlark is for right now, not forever. When a thought takes shape, send it somewhere permanent.

  • •Auto-export to Obsidian, Logseq, iA Writer, Bear, Drafts, or Apple Notes
  • •Copy as plain text or Markdown
  • •Multiple notes with titles and search
  • •Pin a note to keep it from auto-cleanup
  • •Auto-cleanup deletes old notes on a schedule

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Phase two: never go back.

Unlock the advanced set and you stop scrolling up, deleting text, and retracing steps. Everything happens by typing forward.

Long-press the padlock icon in the editor, or toggle in Settings.

Remove anything by name.

The same - you use to check off tasks can also remove questions, highlights, and entire sections. Add a type prefix to target exactly what you want gone.

  • •- ?deadline removes a question
  • •- !ship removes a highlight
  • •- #old removes a whole section and everything in it
  • •Same fuzzy matching — type just enough of the name

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Move things without touching them.

Reorganize by typing. Move a task or pull in an entire section.

  • •> +fix moves a matching task into the current section
  • •> Work pulls everything from the Work section here
  • •> +fix | Home sends a task to a specific section
  • •Named blocks let you move whole groups at once

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Find and fix without scrolling.

Find and replace from the bottom of your note.

  • •^ search highlights matches in the right pane
  • •^ search | replace replaces all matches
  • •^ +groceries searches only tasks
  • •^ search @ Notes scopes to a section
  • •Scoped to what’s above — add more as you go

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Start fresh without deleting.

Type ~ and everything above disappears from view. Nothing is deleted.

  • •Switch contexts instantly — morning to afternoon, meeting to meeting
  • •Remove the ~ and it all comes back
  • •A clean slate without the commitment

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Plus everything else.

Features that work across both phases.

=

Math & Timers

Type = and an expression to see the answer. Convert units, set timers.

  • •= 42 * 1.21 gives you 50.82
  • •= 100 km to mi — length, weight, temperature, time
  • •= x = 5 then = x * 2 — variables
  • •: 25m starts a 25-minute countdown
  • •; 25m starts a looping timer
*

Lists

Unordered and numbered lists.

  • •* for bullet points
  • •% for numbered lists — auto-numbered on the right
  • •Both group under the nearest heading
  • •Mix with tasks, questions, and highlights
`

Code Blocks

Code lines with syntax highlighting.

  • •` starts a code line
  • •`js, `python, `swift — add a language for syntax highlighting
  • •Close a multi-line block with ` on its own line
&

Tables

Pipe-separated columns, with the first row as the header.

  • •& starts a table row
  • •Use | to separate columns
  • •Consecutive rows form a single table

Automation

Control Mudlark from Apple Shortcuts, scripts, or other apps with the mudlark:// URL scheme.

  • •Create, open, and search notes
  • •Append text and export
  • •x-callback-url support for chaining

15 Themes

Every line type gets its own color in every theme.

  • •7 light: System, Paper, Solarized, Rosé Pine Dawn, Nord, Catppuccin Latte, Verdant
  • •8 dark: System, Tokyo Night, Solarized, Dracula, Catppuccin Mocha, Rosé Pine, Midnight, Ember
  • •Code highlighting adapts to your chosen theme

Customizable

Rebind keyboard shortcuts and change which prefix characters do what.

Ready to try it?

Download for MacApp Store