Notes & knowledge · checked 2026-10-19

Can I vibecode Craft?

KINDA· weekend project

A block editor with a document tree, daily notes, backlinks and search is a project an agent can build on Tiptap and SQLite in a weekend, and for one person on one computer it can be pleasant to use. What Craft sells is the feel: native Mac, iPhone and iPad apps, quick sync between them, shared spaces and an editor Apple has recognised for its design. Those are the parts a prompt can't deliver, so a self-built version is a private notes tool, not Craft with the price taken off.

$8/moprice

$96you'd save a year

weekendbuild time

—people replaced it

Before you start

What you need on hand.

DifficultyIntermediate · Some system setup or keys.

TimeAbout an hour for the first version; the editor's rough edges take longer

Claude Code, Codex or CursorAny of them can run the prompt.
Node.js 22better-sqlite3 compiles a native module, so build tools must be installed.
Your Craft exportFrom the All Documents view: the three-dot menu, then Export. Folder export needs the Mac app.
Tailscale (optional)To reach the notes from a phone without exposing them to the internet.

Before you buildCraft Free keeps up to 1,500 blocks with sync and link sharing: check how big your library is before paying $8 a month, since small notebooks may fit.

1. Install one agent: Claude Code, Codex, Cursor.
2. Make an empty folder and open it in the agent.
3. Paste the prompt below, press enter, and answer its questions as it builds.

The prompt

Build me a personal block-based notes app to replace Craft. Requirements:

- Node.js 22 + TypeScript: a Fastify server and a React UI built with Vite, with the editor on
`@tiptap/react`. `npm start` serves everything on http://127.0.0.1:4730. Storage: better-sqlite3 in
./data/notes.db and pasted images in ./data/files/.
- Documents form a tree: any document can hold child documents, shown in a sidebar with drag to
reorder and move. A Daily Notes document per date is created on first open, and a Today button
jumps to it.
- Blocks: paragraphs, headings 1-3, bullet, numbered and checkbox lists, quotes, code blocks with
highlighting (`lowlight`), tables, dividers, collapsible toggles and images (paste or drop). A "/"
menu inserts any block, and Markdown shortcuts such as #, -, [ ] and ``` work.
- Links and search: typing [[ opens a picker of documents, and every document lists its backlinks.
Cmd+K opens a search palette over titles and bodies with SQLite FTS5.
- History: store each body as ProseMirror JSON plus a plain-text copy for search. Keep a snapshot at
most every 5 minutes while editing, for 30 days, with a restore button that first snapshots the
current text.
- Export: one document or the whole space as a ZIP of Markdown files that keep the tree as folders,
with images in an assets folder and relative links. Test it by re-importing the ZIP into an empty
database and comparing the text.
- Import Craft's Markdown export from a folder or ZIP: map folders to the tree and image links to
./data/files/, show a count of documents and images, and ask before writing. Running it twice must
not duplicate documents.
- Single user. No accounts, no telemetry, local-first; listen on 127.0.0.1 only and make no outbound calls.
- Out of scope: native apps, real-time collaboration, shared spaces, public share links, AI features,
sync between devices.
- README: setup, where the data lives, how to back it up (copy ./data), and the editor's known limits.

Opens your agent with the prompt filled in, you press enter. Or copy it and paste it into an empty folder.

Share on X

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Then keep going

Next prompts, same folder.

The first prompt builds the core. Run these one at a time in the same folder to grow it into your own Craft.

Add share links to the notes app in this folder. Requirements:

- A Share button on a document creates a random 24-character token and a public URL at
  /s/<token> served by a second listener (PUBLIC_PORT in .env); the editor stays on 127.0.0.1.
- The public page is static HTML rendered from the document with no scripts, including its
  images; child documents are not included.
- Revoke a link at any time; revoked and unknown tokens return the same 404 page.
- A page lists all active links with their creation dates.
- Update the README with the Caddy setup for HTTPS.

Add a tasks page to the notes app in this folder. Requirements:

- Scan every document for checkbox items; a date written as @2026-11-03 or @tomorrow in the
  item's text is its due date.
- An Upcoming page groups open tasks by Overdue, Today, This week and Later, with the source
  document as a link; ticking a task here ticks it in the document.
- Re-index only documents that changed since the last scan.
- A test covers dates inside nested lists and a task moved between documents.
- Update the README.

Add quick capture to the notes app in this folder. Requirements:

- A /capture page with one text box that appends the text as a new block at the end of
  today's Daily Note, with the time.
- A bookmarklet that sends the current page's title and URL to the same endpoint.
- A `POST /api/capture` route that takes JSON {text} and needs the token from CAPTURE_TOKEN
  in .env, so a phone shortcut can call it over Tailscale.
- Escape everything that is rendered back.
- Update the README.

Make the notes app in this folder usable from my phone. Requirements:

- A responsive layout below 640px wide: the tree in a drawer, a full-width editor, a bottom
  bar for Today, Search and New.
- A web app manifest and icons so it installs to the home screen.
- Reach it over Tailscale: the server keeps listening on 127.0.0.1 and the README explains
  `tailscale serve` to expose it to my devices only.
- Never listen on 0.0.0.0 and add no login of its own.
- Update the README with the Tailscale steps.

What you lose

Native Mac, iPhone and iPad apps that sync between devices
Shared Spaces and sharing a document with a link
The AI assistant, plus Craft's API and MCP access to your documents
Editing polish: drag-and-drop blocks and page layouts that feel right on a touchscreen
A sync service you don't have to run or back up yourself

Why people still pay

Craft is paid for its feel: native apps on Apple devices that open fast and sync, an editor people enjoy writing in, and a link to share any document. At $8 a month that is cheap next to the hours a self-hosted version takes to approach the iPhone app, and years of documents make switching a chore.

Moatexecution polish switching costs

Do the math

Craft or your own copy?

Over

Your usage

Count my time12h ×$/h

Craft, 1 yr$96

Your own copy, 1 yr$38running + build session

You keep$59pays for itself in 2 months

Estimate · Runs on your own machine for free; the upper figure is a small VPS if you want to reach the notes from other devices. The build session is token usage on your agent plan.

Leaving Craft

Take your data, then cancel.

1 · Take your data out of Craft

1Open the Organize or All Documents view, click the three-dot menu in the top right, select Export and pick a format to export the whole space.
2A single document exports to PDF, Markdown, TextBundle or Word, depending on the platform; Craft's help says export works on macOS, iOS, web and Windows.
3Folder export and bulk export of many documents at once are limited to the Mac app, and to Mac and iPad respectively; bulk formats are Markdown, TextBundle and PDF.
4The pages we read don't say whether links between documents and attachments survive the export, so open a sample before you rely on it.

2 · Cancel Craft

1On the web, Mac or iOS: open Settings (on Mac click the Space name in the sidebar; on web click the Space name and choose Settings; on iOS tap the Space icon and then Settings).
2Select My Subscription, click Settings and Billing on the subscription, then Cancel Subscription in the Subscription section and confirm. Only the account that bought the plan sees the button.
3Subscribed through the App Store: cancel in your Apple Account's subscription settings. Subscribed through Setapp: manage it at my.setapp.com.
4Paid features last to the end of the billing period, then the account moves to the Free plan.

Craft says your documents and data are never affected by subscription changes, but the pages we read don't say what happens to a library above the Free plan's 1,500 blocks: export first.
Craft has no downgrade button between paid plans: to move to a cheaper plan you cancel and switch once the current period ends.
The help page we read doesn't cover refunds, so ask support before assuming you can get one.
Keep the app installed until you have checked the exported files, because bulk export formats depend on the platform.

Checked 2026-10-19 against Craft's docs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

The escape hatch

Don't feel like building it? These are already free.

AppFlowyOpen sourceAGPL-3.0 workspace app for notes, docs and databases with local-first storage, on desktop and phones.★ 78k · active Oct 2026 · one-click install
Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, AndroidVisit ↗AFFiNEOpen sourceOpen-source workspace that mixes documents, whiteboards and databases, with local-first storage and a server you can host.★ 74k · active Oct 2026 · docker to self-host
Windows, macOS, Linux, WebVisit ↗SiYuanOpen sourceAGPL-3.0 personal knowledge manager built on blocks and block references, with Markdown editing.★ 47k · active Oct 2026 · docker to self-host
Windows, macOS, Linux, WebVisit ↗

All 6 free alternatives to Craft ›

The numbers

Craft pricing

Plan	Monthly	Annual, per month	What you get
Free	$0	$0	1,500 blocks across all documents, 1 GB of storage, 25 MB media uploads, link sharing, cross-device sync, 7 days of version history, 15 AI credits with the Core and Fast models.
Plus	$8	$6.40	No block limit, unlimited storage and media uploads, 30 days of version history, 50 AI credits a month, and the Max AI model on top of Core and Fast.
Family	$15	$12	A fixed-price bundle of 2 to 6 Plus accounts that can collaborate in a shared Space.
Team	$50	—	A fixed-price bundle of up to 10 Plus accounts that collaborate in a shared Space.

Free tier: 1,500 blocks in total, 1 GB of storage, 25 MB per upload, 7 days of version history, 15 AI credits and no shared Space.
Billing: Plus bills monthly at $8 or yearly at $6.40 a month, in your local currency where Craft shows one. Subscriptions bought in the App Store are managed by Apple and Setapp ones by Setapp. Cancelling moves the account to Free at the end of the billing period; the help page we read doesn't cover refunds.
Hidden costs: AI credits are limited, 50 a month on Plus and 15 on Free, and the Max model needs Plus. Shared Spaces need the Family or Team bundles, not a single Plus account. Prices shown depend on your country.
Source: www.craft.do

Also on the list

Notion$12/mo · Notes & knowledgeKINDA

Obsidian Sync$5/mo · Notes & knowledgeKINDA

Todoist$7/mo · TasksYES

Questions

Craft, briefly

Not answered here? Tell us and we'll add it.

Ask a question ›

Free allows up to 1,500 blocks across all documents with 1 GB of storage, cross-device sync, link sharing and 15 AI credits.

Kinda. The core is a weekend build with the prompt on this page, but real gaps remain: Native Mac, iPhone and iPad apps that sync between devices, Shared Spaces and sharing a document with a link.

About $8 a month on the Plus plan, $96 a year (checked 2026-10-19).

Native Mac, iPhone and iPad apps that sync between devices; Shared Spaces and sharing a document with a link; The AI assistant, plus Craft's API and MCP access to your documents; Editing polish: drag-and-drop blocks and page layouts that feel right on a touchscreen; A sync service you don't have to run or back up yourself. If any of those matter to you, keep paying.