Collector — Obsidian Quick Capture for macOS

License: MIT

I build a macOS app for quick text and image capture into Obsidian. Without opening the software!

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Features

• Edge Detection
  Move your mouse to the screen edge to instantly open the capture window

• Global Shortcut
  Configurable system-wide hotkey (default: ⌘⇧N)

• Drag & Drop
  Drop screenshots or images directly into the capture window (Images are automatically compressed)

• Direct Obsidian Integration
  Writes straight into your Daily Note or creates a new note — Obsidian doesn't need to be open, it stays in the background

• Background App
  Runs quietly in the menu bar

Planned for 1.1

• Multi-Vault Support
• Dark/Light Mode auto-switching
• Multiple Templates for different note types
• Fixing the ugly corner bug at the bottom!

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Requirements

• macOS 11.0 (Big Sur) or newer
• Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4) (Intel Mac is work in progress!)
• Obsidian installed

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Installation

Download

Direct Download | View All Releases

1. Go to GitHub → Releases
2. Download the latest .dmg file
   • aarch64 → Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4)

Install

1. Open the .dmg
2. Drag Collector into the Applications folder
3. Launch the app

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⚠️ macOS Security (First Launch)

Because this app is not code-signed or notarized (no Apple Developer account), macOS will initially block it. This is normal for open-source tools.

To open the app:

1. Recommended: Right-click → Collector → Click Open → Confirm
2. Alternative: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Click Open Anyway
3. Terminal (last resort):

   xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Collector.app
   

You only need to do this once. After that, the app opens normally.

Permissions

Accessibility (required) Collector needs Accessibility access for global shortcuts.

Open System Settings

Go to Privacy & Security → Accessibility

Unlock the settings

Enable Collector

Restart the app

Configuration

Open Menu Bar Icon → Settings…

Core Settings

Path Variables You can use these variables in paths and filenames:

YYYY — year

MM — month

DD — day

HH — hour

mm — minute

ss — second

Capture Screenshots

Take a screenshot (Cmd+Shift+4). Drag the floating thumbnail to the screen edge. The capture window opens automatically. Image is compressed and inserted in your Vault.

Standard Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut Action Cmd + Enter - Save to Daily Note Shift + Cmd + Enter - Create a new note Esc - Close without saving

Troubleshooting

Vault not found

Vault name must exactly match Obsidian Vault must contain an obsidian folder Ensure Collector has read/write access

Global shortcut does not work

Check Accessibility permission Restart Collector Try a different shortcut (may be in use)

Images are not saved

Check image folder path in settings Ensure write permissions Folder is created automatically if missing

Daily Note not created

Path format must be valid Use right-click → Open Check System Settings → Privacy & Security

🛠️ Development

Want to contribute? Here's how to get started.

Requirements

• Node.js 18+
• Rust 1.70+
• Xcode Command Line Tools

Setup

git clone https://github.com/YOUR-USERNAME/Collector.git
cd Collector
npm install

Development Mode

npm run tauri dev

Production Build

npm run tauri build
# Output: src-tauri/target/release/bundle/

Generate Icons

npm run tauri icon path/to/icon.png

Project Structure

collector/
├── src/              # Svelte frontend
├── src-tauri/        # Rust backend (Tauri)
├── package.json
└── vite.config.js

Legal

Collector is licensed under the MIT License.

"Obsidian" is a trademark of Dynalist Inc. This project is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Dynalist Inc.

Tech stack

Tauri Rust Svelte