# Cairo Journal
Cairo Journal
A place to collect small details from the city.
The old stone holds the warmth of the day. I followed a quiet lane past the market and turned toward the river.
See also [[Old streets]]
Open. No lock-in. Ever.
More than notes.
Still just Markdown.
People, tags, tasks and databases, all built on plain Markdown files in Git. Work with them on the desktop, on the web, or through your AI agents, and edit them in any editor you like.
brew install --cask mahfouz-app/tap/mahfouz
Homebrew, on macOS with Apple silicon.
More than notes
Build it all on Markdown.
People, tags, tasks and databases aren't hidden in an app database. Each one is a line, a field or a folder in your notes, so you can change it in any editor and Mahfouz picks it up.
People
Everyone you work with.
A person is a note with a handle. Mention @ada anywhere, and their page gathers the tasks and notes that mention them.
Ada Lovelace.md
---
person: ada
email: ada@engine.co
company: Analytical Engines
---
Tasks
Due dates, right in the line.
A checkbox, an assignee and a date. The Tasks view collects them from every vault, and reminds you when they're due.
Reading list.md
- [ ] Finish Dune @ada // 2026-11-04
- [/] Notes on chapter 3 // 2026-11-02 18:30
- [x] Order the next book
Tags
Tag as you write.
Type a #tag in a sentence or list tags in the frontmatter. Search, filter and map your vault by them.
Cairo Journal.md
---
tags: [travel, cairo]
---
The old stone holds the warmth. #field-notes
Databases
Tables, boards and calendars.
A database is a note whose child notes are its rows. Each cell is a row's own frontmatter, and the views are YAML in the note.
Books/ Books.md database: true Dune.md status: Reading The Dispossessed.md status: Done
Everywhere
Everything you build, wherever you work.
People, tasks, tags and databases work the same in the desktop
app, in the web app, and for AI agents over MCP. Underneath,
every one of them is text in a
.md file, so any editor can
change it too, with nothing to export.
- DesktopmacOS with Apple silicon
- WebAny modern browser
- AgentsClaude, Codex and more, over MCP
- Any editorPlain Markdown and YAML
- GitEvery change, on any remote
- MobileComing soon
A little more room to think
Your notes, without the lock-in.
Write in Markdown, follow ideas across your vault, and keep every note in a format that will still open in twenty years.
Files
A home for every thought.
Ordinary Markdown in folders you choose. Nest notes, open several vaults and tabs, and pin the ones you return to.
Format
.md
Every note is a plain file. Nothing to export.
Search
Every vault at once.
⌕ old streets · 3 notes
Links
Move through ideas, not folders.
Wikilinks, backlinks, an outline, and a page preview for long notes.
Plugins
Add what you need. Or build it.
Turn plugins on one vault at a time, and nothing installs or updates until you approve it. A plugin is a folder with a manifest and a JavaScript module, shared from any Git repository.
- MermaidDiagrams · desktop and web
- Draw.ioDiagrams · desktop and web
- SlidevPresent and export to PowerPoint
- PDF exportDesktop
- Git LFSLarge media · desktop
- Notion importPages, databases, files · desktop
Private by default
Your notes go nowhere you didn't send them.
Mahfouz has no cloud of its own, keeps no copy of your notes, and doesn't hand them to an AI. Your notes leave your computer only when you choose where: a Git remote you pick, or an AI agent you set up.
Cloud
No Mahfouz cloud.
A vault is a folder and a Git repository on your disk. To sync, push it to a private GitHub repository or any remote you already trust. Until then, nothing is uploaded.
AI
No AI until you add one.
The AI agent does nothing until you add your own Anthropic, OpenAI, or OpenRouter key, and then talks to that provider directly. External agents stay off until you turn them on, and see only the vaults you tick.
Your choice
Every way out is one you turn on.
- SyncCommits, to the Git remote you add
- AI agentTo the provider whose key you add
- External agentsOnly the vaults you allow
- PublishingOne note and its images, when you click Publish
- FeedbackApp version and OS. Never your notes
- AnalyticsNone. No account needed
AI agents
Speaks agent, natively.
Your notes are already in the format language models read best. When you turn it on, Claude, Codex, and other agents can work in the vaults you pick, through MCP, while you stay in charge.
Markdown
No integration needed.
Every note is a plain .md file. Point any agent at the folder and it reads, searches, and edits your notes the way it works with code.
~/Field Notes $ ls Cairo Journal.md Ideas.md Old streets.md Reading list.md ~/Field Notes $ grep -l "#cairo" *.md Cairo Journal.md Old streets.md
MCP
A server, built in.
Turn on External agents and connect a client. Agents can create and nest notes, add database rows and tasks, tick them off, and comment.
Claude CodeClaude DesktopCodexclaude.ai
Connector URL
https://api.mahfouz.app/mcp
Approval
You decide what waits for you.
Pick which vaults each agent can reach and how it edits them.
Every accepted change is committed as
Agent: …, so it lands in history
like any other edit.
- Add a task to Reading listClaude Code · Field Notes · +1 lineApplied · Undo
- Expand "Morning light" in Cairo JournalCodex · Field Notes · +6 linesApplied · Undo
- Delete Old draftsClaude Code · Field Notes · note deletedWaiting · destructive
Publishing a note always waits for you, whatever the mode. Connect an agent
Built on Git
Every change has
a way back.
Edits become commits as you write. Browse any note's history, restore a version, or push to a remote you already use.
Auto-savejust now
a19d20cAuto-save31 minutes ago
7d4a812Initial noteYesterday
02eb9a1- 30 s
- after you stop typing
- Any
- Git remote
- 0
- servers to run
How it compares
Mahfouz vs the rest.
Get Mahfouz.
Free for macOS with Apple silicon. Install it with Homebrew.
brew install --cask mahfouz-app/tap/mahfouz
Updates arrive with brew upgrade --cask mahfouz. What's new