DOC. NO. 001 CASRION WINDOWS · MACOS
THE NOTE APP THAT DOES THE BORING PART FOR YOU

FOR PEOPLE WHO SAVE STUFF AND NEVER OPEN IT AGAIN

It writes the note.
You keep reading.

Casrion just sits there quietly while you read, research, and fall down rabbit holes. Anything you decide to keep turns into a clean, dated note that remembers where it came from, before you even look away.

[ WINDOWS ] [ MAC ] v1.0.0 · free · no account
Sepia field study of a mountain, with a captured note pinned over it
Frontispiece · You kept reading. The note kept itself.
WINDOWS 10 / 11 Windows AVAILABLE NOW MACOS · APPLE SILICON Mac AVAILABLE NOW
LINUX Linux SOON, HOPEFULLY
§00

Contents

  1. 01How it works/procedure
  2. 02What's in the box/instruments
  3. 03See it run/demonstration
  4. 04It keeps receipts/provenance
  5. 05The quick writer/quick-writer
  6. 06Every shortcut/key-index
  7. 07The specs/specification
  8. AStuff you might ask/appendix-a
§01

How it works

THREE SECONDS FROM SEEN TO SAVED

Fig. 1a · Something worth keeping shows up.
1

Copy literally anything

An article, a formula, a screenshot, some random 2am thought. If you can copy it, you can keep it.

2

Hit one hotkey

One key and it lands the way you meant it. Nothing pops up, nothing steals your focus, and you never lose your spot.

3

It's already a note

Clean Markdown, in a file you picked. Open it later and everything's exactly where you left it.

§02

What's in the box

EVERYTHING YOU GET

2.1

Hotkeys that work everywhere

In any app, anywhere. Each one drops your capture in already formatted, exactly how you meant it.

2.2

Voice memos

Some thoughts are just faster out loud. Record it, it tucks itself into your note, and it's there whenever you come back.

2.3

Source stamps

Every capture can quietly remember where it came from. Weeks later, the trail is still warm.

§03

See it run

WATCH IT BEFORE YOU INSTALL IT

REEL 1

FULL WALKTHROUGH DROPS HERE SOON.

Reel 1 · Casrion in use, from copy to finished note.
§04

It keeps receipts

EVERY FACT REMEMBERS WHERE IT CAME FROM

A note with no source is kind of half a note. Flip on the paperclip and every passage quietly keeps track of where you found it, so weeks later it can take you right back there.

  • Every capture keeps its own receipts
  • The way back is always one click away
  • Totally optional, totally yours
SPECIMEN A
Perspective_in_Painting.md

The vanishing point sits on the horizon line, and every orthogonal in the scene converges toward it.

Source: Perspective - Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perspective · 9:42 pm

Fig. 2 · A passage and where it came from, kept together.
§05

The quick writer

YOUR OWN THOUGHTS, WITHOUT BREAKING FLOW

Not everything is a copy-paste. Some notes start in your own head, and for those a tiny writer floats over whatever you're doing, catches the thought, and disappears before your brain moves on.

  • Shows up anywhere, vanishes on its own
  • Markdown works as you type
  • Drafts stick around if life interrupts
SPECIMEN B
Quick note → Perspective_in_Painting.md

            

            
Enter add · Ctrl+Enter add and keep writing · Esc close

          

          
Fig. 3 · The quick writer, mid thought.

        

      

    


    

    
    

      

        §06
        
Every shortcut

        
LEARN FIVE, THE REST JUST STICK

        
      

      

        
Capture copied textCtrl+Shift+C

        
Capture as headingCtrl+Shift+1..3

        
Capture screenshotCtrl+Shift+V

        
Capture code blockCtrl+Shift+K

        
Record voice memoCtrl+Shift+M

        
Quick note popupCtrl+Shift+Q

        
New paragraphCtrl+Shift+N

        
Capture boldCtrl+Shift+B

        
Capture italicCtrl+Shift+I

        
Capture in colorAlt+R / G / B

        
Explain selectionCtrl+Shift+E

        
Undo last captureCtrl+Shift+Z

        
Shortcut overlayCtrl+Shift+H

      

    


    

    
    

      

        §07
        
The specs

        
THE WHOLE TRUTH, IN ONE TABLE

      

      

        

          
            
VERSION1.0.0

            
PLATFORMWindows 10 / 11 · macOS 11+ (Apple Silicon)

            
SIZEAbout 100 MB installed

            
FORMATPlain Markdown files

            
STORAGEFolders you choose, on your disk

            
NETWORK REQUESTSNone

            
ACCOUNT REQUIREDNone

            
TELEMETRYNone

            
PRICEFree

          
        

        
      

    


    
    

      
      

        
PLATE IV · PRIVATE BY CONSTRUCTION

        

          No account. No cloud.
No one reading over your shoulder.
        

        
CASRION MAKES ZERO NETWORK REQUESTS. THE RECORD STAYS ON YOUR MACHINE.

      

    


    
    

      

        

          CASRIONVERSION 1.0.0WINDOWS INSTALLERFREE
        

        
        
Okay, go get it.

        
No email, no sign-up, no nothing. One click and it is yours.


        
        

          [ DOWNLOAD FOR WINDOWS ]
        


        
Heads up: the installer is unsigned, so Windows might throw a SmartScreen notice the first time you run it. Totally normal, see question A.1 below.

        
and hey, if you read source code for fun, pweez star the repo ★ it genuinely makes my day.

      

    


    

    
    

      

        

          CASRIONVERSION 1.0.0MACOS · APPLE SILICONFREE
        

        
        
On a Mac? Grab it here.

        
Built for Apple Silicon (M1 and newer). Same Casrion, with Cmd where Windows uses Ctrl.


        
        

          [ DOWNLOAD FOR MAC ]
        


        
The app is unsigned, so macOS needs a couple of one-time permissions before everything works. It takes two minutes. Here is the whole thing:


        
    
          
  1. 
            01
            
    
              
    Install it
    
              
    Open the downloaded .dmg, then drag the Casrion icon into your Applications folder.
    
            
    
          
    2. 
          
  2. 
            02
            
    
              
    Open it the first time
    
              
    Because it is not from the App Store, macOS blocks the first launch. Open Applications, right-click Casrion and choose Open, then Open again in the dialog. If macOS still refuses (“can’t be opened”), open Terminal and paste this once, then open the app normally:
    
              
    xattr -cr /Applications/Casrion.app
    
            
    
          
    3. 
          
  3. 
            03
            
    
              
    Allow Accessibility — for Explain
    
              
    The Explain feature reads the text you highlight. Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility and turn Casrion on. This powers Cmd+Shift+E and the double-tap gesture. (Casrion opens this pane for you the first time you try to explain something.)
    
            
    
          
    4. 
          
  4. 
            04
            
    
              
    Allow Input Monitoring — for double-tap Cmd
    
              
    Want to trigger Explain by tapping Cmd twice? macOS guards raw key taps separately, so also turn Casrion on under System Settings → Privacy & Security → Input Monitoring. Prefer not to? Skip this one and just use Cmd+Shift+E, which needs only step 03.
    
            
    
          
    5. 
          
  5. 
            05
            
    
              
    Allow the Microphone — for voice memos
    
              
    The first time you record a voice memo, macOS asks for microphone access. Click Allow. That is it.
    
            
    
          
    6. 
          
  6. 
            06
            
    
              
    Say yes to the browser question — for source stamps
    
              
    The first time you capture something from Safari or Chrome, macOS asks “Casrion wants access to control Safari”. Click Allow. That is how your notes get stamped with the exact page they came from. If you decline, captures still note which app they came from, just without the web address.
    
            
    
          
    7. 
          
  7. 
            07
            
    
              
    Quit and reopen once
    
              
    After turning on any permission above, fully quit Casrion from the menu-bar icon and open it again so macOS applies the change. You only do this at setup.
    
            
    
          
    8. 
        


        
tip: the Casrion menu-bar icon has an “Explain permissions” shortcut that jumps you straight to the right settings panes.

      

    


    

    
    

      

        §A
        
Stuff you might ask

        
FAIR QUESTIONS, STRAIGHT ANSWERS

      


      

        A.1Windows says "Windows protected your PC". Is that safe?
        
Yep, safe. That is just Microsoft SmartScreen, and it pops up for any installer that is not signed with a (pricey) certificate. It does not mean anything bad was found. Hit More info, then Run anyway. You will see it once, at install, and never again.

      

      

        A.2Where do my notes live?
        
In plain Markdown files, inside folders you pick yourself. Screenshots and voice memos sit in an assets folder right next to each note. Open, move, back up or sync them with whatever you like.

      

      

        A.3Does it need internet?
        
Nope. Casrion is fully offline. No account, no sync servers, no analytics, nothing. Works the same on a plane as it does at home.

      

      

        A.4How do I quit or update it?
        
Closing the window keeps it capturing from the tray. To fully quit, right-click the tray icon and choose Quit. To update, grab the newer installer here and run it over your existing one. Your notes never get touched.

      

      

        A.5Do I need an account or my email?
        
Nope. Hit the button and the download just starts. No address, no sign-up, no newsletter sneaking into your inbox. That is the whole deal.

      

      

        A.6Download did not start, or I want the latest?
        
Just hit the button again, the link always grabs the current version. If your browser is being weird, right-click it and choose Save link as. Still stuck? Ping me at hello@casrion.com.

      

      

        A.7On my Mac it says Casrion “can’t be opened”. Now what?
        
That is macOS being cautious about an app that is not from the App Store, not a problem with Casrion. After dragging it to Applications, right-click the app and choose Open, then Open again. If it still refuses, open Terminal and run xattr -cr /Applications/Casrion.app once, then open it normally. Full walkthrough is in the Mac setup steps above.

      

      

        A.8Which Macs does it run on?
        
Apple Silicon Macs (M1 and newer), on macOS 11 or later. Older Intel Macs are not supported yet.

      

      

        A.9On Mac, Explain says it needs permission, or the double-tap Cmd does nothing.
        
Explain uses two separate macOS permissions. Accessibility lets it read your highlighted text (needed for Cmd+Shift+E and the double-tap). Input Monitoring lets it notice the double-tap of the Cmd key. Turn Casrion on under System Settings → Privacy & Security for each, then quit and reopen Casrion. If you only grant Accessibility, Cmd+Shift+E still works fine. The Casrion menu-bar icon has an “Explain permissions” shortcut to the exact panes.

      

      

        A.10I updated Casrion on my Mac and a permission stopped working.
        
macOS ties those permissions to the exact copy of the app, so after replacing Casrion with a newer version the old checkmarks can quietly stop counting even though they still look on. The fix takes a minute: in System Settings → Privacy & Security, open Accessibility and Input Monitoring, remove Casrion from the list with the − button, add it back with + (it lives in Applications), then quit and reopen the app.