Linkano User Manual

1. What is Linkano?

Linkano is a menu bar app that helps you save contextual links between things you work with on your Mac:

• Files and folders in Finder
• PDFs in Preview (with optional page numbers)
• Web pages in your browser
• Mail messages
• Apple Notes notes
• Photos items
• Apple Books (open book, recent library state, or pasted store / ibooks links)
• FiveNotes notes
• Pages, Numbers, and Keynote documents
• Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote items
• LibreOffice documents (Writer, Calc, Impress, …)
• Calendar events (Calendar.app or Fantastical)
• Contacts
• Obsidian notes
• iA Writer documents
• Everlog journal entries (clipboard link capture)
• Day One journal entries (clipboard link capture)
• DEVONthink items
• QSpace, Trickster, and Unclutter selections
• TextEdit documents
• SnippetsLab snippets (clipboard link capture)
• Things tasks
• CodeRunner documents

For bundle IDs, capture mechanisms, and locator schemes, see the Supported apps reference.

Each saved item gets a stable internal ID. You can link items to each other, search your library, open targets again, and copy links you paste into notes, task managers, or other apps.

Linkano is local-first: your library is stored in SQLite on your Mac. iCloud sync is optional and only syncs metadata (not full file contents).

2. Core concepts

Saved item (link)

A row in your library with:

• Title and type (file, web, mail, …)
• Locator — URL, path, message:// ID, app-specific reference, etc.
• Optional notes and tags
• For files: identity hints (bookmark, size, content fingerprint) so Linkano can find the file after a rename or move

PDF page links

PDFs saved from Preview (or entered manually) can include a page in the locator:

file:///Users/you/Documents/report.pdf#page=12

The fragment #page=N makes that saved item page-specific. Linkano treats a PDF without a page and a PDF with #page=12 as different items.

When you copy Markdown for a PDF with a page, the title includes the page (e.g. Report, p. 12). Opening the item tries to jump to that page in Preview.

Relation

A bidirectional connection between two saved items. Removing a relation does not delete either item.

Suggested relations (in the graph) are hints only — dashed edges based on shared tags, same folder, same domain, or similar app context. They are not stored until you confirm.

Backlinks

When you view linked items for a saved entry, you see everything connected to it. The context graph shows the same network visually.

Linkano URL

Every saved item has a stable link of the form:

linkano://open/<uuid>

Paste that URL anywhere macOS can open a custom URL scheme. Linkano resolves the UUID through your library and opens the current target. The UUID is authoritative.

3. Getting started

Menu bar

Linkano lives in the menu bar (chain icon). Click it for:

When the active app already matches something in your library, the menu bar icon can show a green highlight.

First-run permissions

macOS may ask for:

Grant only what you need. Change permissions later in System Settings → Privacy & Security.

Hide Dock icon

Settings → General → Hide Dock icon (default: on) keeps Linkano in the menu bar only. The app still runs in the background for global shortcuts and context detection.

4. The Linkano panel

Open with ⌃⌘L (configurable in Settings → Keyboard) or menu bar → Open Linkano.

The panel is keyboard-first and trackpad-aware.

Search mode (default)

• Type to search titles, URLs, types, notes, and tags.
• ↑ / ↓ or two-finger scroll over the list — move selection (the list scrolls with the highlight; pointer movement alone does not change selection).
• Click a row — select it.
• Double-click — open / capture / confirm (same as Return).
• Right-click (or two-finger click) — context menu (Open, Copy, Link, Backlinks, Delete, …).
• Return — open the selected item (or capture/link flow).
• ⌘N — add manually.
• ⌘K — start linking from selection.
• ⌘B — backlinks.
• ⌘C — copy (default format from Settings).
• ⌘↩ — action menu (Open, Copy, Copy as…, Edit Tags…, Link, Backlinks, Delete, Remove relation).
• ⌘⌫ or ⌘Delete — delete link (with confirmation).
• ⌘⇧⌫ — remove relation (in linked/backlink views).
• Esc — close or cancel.

Capturing the active context

1. Work in a supported app (Finder selection, Safari tab, Preview page, etc.).
2. Open Linkano (⌃⌘L).
3. Select the capture row and press Return.

Preview PDF: Linkano detects the open PDF and current page when possible. After the global hotkey, Linkano keeps a short memory of the Preview window so capture still works when Linkano becomes frontmost.

If several apps could apply, Linkano lists multiple capture candidates — pick the right one.

Clipboard-assisted capture (Everlog, Day One, SnippetsLab)

Some apps do not expose the current item through AppleScript or Automation alone. For these, Linkano uses a copy link, then open Linkano flow (the copied link is enough to save and reopen the item):

Everlog

1. In Everlog, right-click the entry and choose Copy link to entry (or copy an everlog://entry/… link).
2. Open Linkano (⌃⌘L by default).

Linkano remembers the last Everlog link copied while Everlog was frontmost, so capture still works after you switch to Linkano. If Everlog is still open, Linkano may also read the entry title from the editor (optional; Everlog has no AppleScript API for this).

Settings → General → Copying → Everlog link on clipboard controls whether Linkano removes the Everlog link after capture. Linkano never clears the clipboard when only reading an Everlog link for detection.

Day One

1. In Day One, choose Share → Copy Entry URL (or right-click an entry in the timeline → Share → Copy Entry URL).
2. Open Linkano (⌃⌘L by default).

Linkano accepts dayone://view?entryId=… and legacy dayone2:// links. Linkano remembers the last Day One link copied while Day One was frontmost, so capture still works after you switch to Linkano. If Day One is still open, Linkano may also read the entry title from the editor (optional; Day One has no AppleScript API for this).

To reopen saved entries, turn on Allow links to open in Day One in Day One → Settings → General.

SnippetsLab

1. In SnippetsLab, copy a snippet link (for example snippetslab://snippet/<id>).
2. Open Linkano (⌃⌘L by default).

The same pasteboard memory applies while SnippetsLab was recently active, so you can copy the link and then switch to Linkano without losing the capture.

See the Supported apps reference for locator schemes and other capture mechanisms.

Linking two items

1. Select a saved item.
2. Press ⌘K (or action menu → Link to Another Item).
3. Search or pick the destination.
4. Press Return to create the relation.

The panel closes when linking completes successfully.

Linked items and backlinks

• From a selected item, use linked neighbors in the list or press ⌘B for backlinks mode.
• Return opens the selected neighbor.
• ⌘K from a neighbor can start a new link from that item.

Manual add (⌘N)

Enter title, locator (for PDF pages use file://...pdf#page=N), notes, and tags.

File match prompt

If you search while a file is active in Finder and Linkano finds a strong match, you may see a prompt to treat the Finder item as that saved link — useful after renames.

5. Context graph

Open with ⌃⌘G or menu bar → Open Graph.

Saved items are nodes, confirmed relations are solid edges, and suggested links appear as dashed edges until you accept them. Pan and zoom with the toolbar or trackpad. The graph adapts to light and dark mode.

Scope modes

Filters

Right-click the canvas (not on a node) for the graph menu: Scope, Tag clusters, Edges, and Filter Nodes.

Toolbar: the funnel menu includes node filters, Tag clusters, and an Edges section; the separate Edges button offers the same line visibility choices.

Tag clusters (optional): enable in the funnel or canvas menu — every tag shared by two or more visible links gets a virtual #tag hub (purple, not a saved link) instead of many pairwise tag-suggestion lines. Click a hub to filter to that tag; manage tags in Settings → Tags.

Edges — which lines are drawn:

Node filter (type, source app, tag on the item) combines with AND. Clear Node Filters resets node choices only.

The legend (bottom-right) shows solid Relation vs dashed Suggested lines and the active edge filter when set.

Legend

Toolbar (selection)

• Link — start linking from node (pick destination, Return to confirm)
• Remove relation — menu of neighbors to unlink
• Open — open underlying item
• Delete — remove saved link (with confirmation)
• Export Selection to PDF… — ⌘-click multiple nodes, then export a PDF bundle (text, embedded images/Photos, locators for other types)

Reload syncs iCloud if enabled and rebuilds layout.

Node context menu

Right-click a node: Open, Copy / Copy as, Edit Tags…, Link from Here, Create Suggested Relation (submenu of dashed-edge candidates with reasons), Remove Relation per neighbor, Delete Link.

Graph keyboard

On-screen hints show relation navigation: ←→ preview · ↑ follow · ↓ back · Return opens.

6. Opening items

When you open a saved item, Linkano uses the best current locator:

• Web — default browser
• Files / folders — Finder or default app; may reconcile after move
• PDF — Preview with page jump when #page=N is set
• Mail — Mail.app with message:// when possible
• Notes, iWork, Office, Calendar, contacts — app-specific handlers
• Obsidian / iA Writer / Everlog / Day One / DEVONthink / CodeRunner / SnippetsLab / Things — dedicated open paths

If a file moved and matching is uncertain, Linkano may ask you to pick candidates, or use Settings → Advanced → File Repair.

Opening linkano:// links

With Linkano installed, linkano://open/<uuid> links open the app and resolve the item from cold start or when already running.

Saved items may also use internal locators such as linkano-photos://, linkano-notes://, or linkano-books://. When you open them from Safari or another app, Linkano resolves the library entry or hands off to Photos, Notes, or Books when the item is not saved yet.

7. Copy formats

Settings → General → Copying → Default copy format sets what ⌘C does in the panel.

⌘↩ → Copy uses the default; Copy as picks another format once.

8. Settings

Open Preferences… from the menu bar (⌘, when the menu is focused).

General

• Startup — launch at login, hide Dock icon.
• Capture Feedback — optional sound when the active context matches a saved link (volume and cooldown).
• Copying — default copy format; When copying from Linkano (Replace entire clipboard vs Replace text only); Automatically clean web URLs (removes common tracking parameters from captured http(s) links, default on); Everlog link on clipboard (Leave unchanged vs Remove Everlog link after capture). Linkano does not clear the clipboard when only reading an Everlog link for detection.
• Linkano — show dismissed instruction banners again.
• Calendar and Contacts access toggles when those features are used.

Integrations

Lists each supported app, whether it is installed on this Mac, and how capture works. See also the Supported apps reference on this site.

License

Activate your license key, paste from the clipboard, or remove the license from this Mac.

Tags

Manage tags across your whole library:

• Tag library — every tag with how many links use it.
• Rename — changes the tag on all those links (merges if the new name already exists).
• Merge — move every link from one tag into another, then remove the source tag.
• Delete — remove the tag from all links (links stay saved).

Per-item tags: ⌘N when adding, ⌘↩ → Edit Tags… in the Quick Panel, or Edit Tags… on a graph node.

Keyboard

Record global shortcuts for panel (⌃⌘L) and graph (⌃⌘G). Linkano checks for conflicts.

Sync

• iCloud sync — off by default; metadata syncs via your private iCloud database.
• Manual Sync now and status messages.
• File contents are not uploaded. Bookmarks and volume IDs stay on each Mac.

Files

Search folders — directories you approve for file resolution and repair. Linkano never scans the whole disk silently.

Updates

Check for Updates uses Sparkle when an appcast entry exists.

About

Version, copyright, Start Here workflow, License & Legal (trial / Gumroad key and open-source acknowledgments for Sparkle), privacy notice, terms, and Contact Support mail links.

Advanced

Export Library… / Import Library… (JSON merge or replace).

File Repair — scan known roots, review confidence and evidence, confirm relinks.

Erase All Linkano Data — destructive; export first.

9. Library backup (export / import)

Export

1. Settings → Advanced → Export Library…
2. Choose a .json file location.

Includes links, relations, tags, notes, and portable fingerprints — not machine-local bookmarks.

Import

1. Settings → Advanced → Import Library…
2. Choose a previously exported .json file.
3. Review counts in the dialog.
4. Choose Merge or Replace Local Library (destructive).

10. Tips and limitations

Works well when you…

• Use the same Mac for most work and grant the integrations you need.
• Export backups before risky operations.
• Use linkano:// links in notes instead of raw paths.
• Add search folders before expecting file repair to find moved files.
• Capture PDFs from Preview when you care about the current page.

Known limitations

• Integrations depend on third-party apps and macOS permissions.
• Preview page detection is best effort — not every PDF UI exposes the page.
• iCloud sync requires CloudKit setup and testing on multiple Macs.
• Linkano is not a sync replacement for Obsidian vaults, Git, or full-disk backup.

Support

Use Contact Support in Settings → About in the app.

Quick reference — panel shortcuts

Global graph shortcut: ⌃⌘G (default). Customize both in Settings → Keyboard.