Gasp

Locked notes

When you lock a note, Gasp scrambles its text on your computer. The note stays scrambled in iCloud and on GitHub. Only you, with your password, can open it again.

What everyone else sees

The note's file, as your computer, iCloud and GitHub store it
<!-- Encrypted with Gasp. Open it in Gasp to read it. -->
gasp-encrypted: 1
key: vault
claude: never
name: shown
wrapped: UvImZaYMEtKJGF2VDuiBNgkWb2sRPReNbA/TkB/yOaG

glfIPk5VlDPk4C47bIkprJIoekk6P0K4uGpSSozBfGIy2EJAPnjR/rohtxlB3lex
0XEw/yy6yxz4Uk0yGfuBXunJJm/oSHoNrKsFXJu59awr2qxPDjpLK4NFQV7FZmH+
UzHQR1xfxRXmyqhAPu7NPpZP+rtJySLdi46tYBfB2WiucHX4PN8RJIb0/ZWTq338
The same note, unlocked in Gasp

Passport numbers

  • Mine: renews in March 2029
  • Sam's: renews in June 2031

Locks again after two minutes in the background.

How it works

Scrambling
Gasp scrambles the note's text with a cipher called XChaCha20-Poly1305. A cipher is a method for turning text into nonsense that only the right key can turn back.
Keys
Each locked note gets its own random key. Your password unlocks that key. You can use one password for all your locked notes, or give a note its own password.
Your password
Gasp never saves your password. It turns your password into a key with a method called Argon2id, which is slow on purpose. That makes it very slow for anyone to guess your password.
Unlocking
Type your password. On a Mac, you can also turn on Touch ID in settings.
Locking again
An unlocked note locks itself after two minutes in the background. It also blurs while you're using another app.
AI assistants
By default, AI assistants can't read locked notes. You can let an assistant read a note while it's unlocked, or at any time.
File names
You can hide a locked note's name too. Gasp then gives the file a made-up name. The note's real title won't show up in iCloud or on GitHub.

Locking a note

  1. Open the note you want to lock.
  2. Press ⌘P (Ctrl+P on Linux) to open the list of commands. Then choose Encrypt note.
  3. Choose a password. The first time, you set one password for all your locked notes. You can also give this note a password of its own.

What it doesn't cover

  • Pictures and other attachments in a locked note aren't scrambled. Only the note's text is.
  • Search finds a locked note by its name. It can't search the text inside it.
  • If you forget your password, nobody can open the note, including us.

The rest of your notes

Gasp doesn't need an account. Your notes never pass through our servers. Once a day, Gasp tells us its version number and which kind of computer it runs on. It sends no name and no ID. We use this only to count how many people use Gasp. The privacy page shows exactly what Gasp sends and how to turn it off.

Questions

How does Gasp lock notes?

Gasp gives each locked note its own random key. It scrambles the note's text with that key, using a cipher called XChaCha20-Poly1305. Your password unlocks the key. Gasp never saves your password anywhere.

Can iCloud or GitHub read my locked notes?

No. Gasp scrambles the note on your computer before it's saved. iCloud and GitHub only ever store the scrambled file. You can also hide the note's name.

What happens if I forget my password?

Then nobody can open the note, including us. There's no copy of your password and no way around it. If you turned on Touch ID, the Mac where you turned it on can still unlock the note.

Can my AI assistant read locked notes?

Only if you allow it for that note. For each note, you choose whether AI assistants can never read it, can read it while it's unlocked, or can always read it.

Is note encryption free?

Yes. Locked notes are part of Gasp. Gasp is free on Mac and Linux.

Try Gasp

Download Gasp