January 6, 2026
From Markdown to STASI?
Show HN: Stash – Sync Markdown Files with Apple Notes via CLI
Dev’s Apple Notes sync wins fans — then the “STASI” joke and name drama explode
TLDR: A new tool called Stash syncs plain-text Markdown notes with Apple Notes using simple commands. The crowd loves the simplicity but argues over auto-sync and backups, jokes about the “STASI” title glitch, and nitpicks the name — all while asking for export features and safety nets to prevent data loss
A tiny command-line tool just broke the internet’s note-taking truce. “Stash” lets you push and pull plain-text Markdown notes into Apple Notes with a single command, tracking each file with a tiny front-matter header. Creator shuka pitched it as the simple bridge everyone wanted — and the crowd swooned. “I will have to try this,” cheered one early fan, while others praised the back-to-basics vibe of Apple Notes over bloated apps.
But the honeymoon didn’t last. The hottest thread? Data loss fear. One parent said a kid wiped a huge Note and there was no undo, begging for automatic syncing and history. The community split: some want hands-off auto-sync, others screamed “manual only” to avoid overwriting precious drafts. Then the naming police arrived: “Not unique enough,” sniffed a commenter, as another hilariously reported the ASCII art title truncating to “STASI” on their iPhone — cue the memes and side-eyes.
Pragmatists asked if Stash could batch-export everything out of Apple Notes, while another builder chimed in that they’re making an Apple Notes-like app with better search and first-class Markdown. Verdict: people love the simplicity and the promise of owning their words everywhere, but want guardrails, smarter backups, and maybe… a new name
Key Points
- •Stash is a CLI tool that bidirectionally syncs Markdown files with Apple Notes on macOS.
- •Installation is via Homebrew using a custom tap and package.
- •Synchronization uses front‑matter with a unique identifier to map Markdown files to Apple Notes.
- •Push creates or updates a note in Apple Notes; pull updates the local Markdown file while preserving front‑matter.
- •Requirements include macOS with Apple Notes, Pandoc for Markdown↔HTML conversion, and pcregrep for front‑matter parsing.