SageArchive user guide

Start on your Mac

SageArchive requires an Apple silicon Mac and macOS 26 or later. Open the app and use Settings to check what is available on your Mac. Keep space for original recordings, page images, generated audio and model downloads.

You can read saved notes and search their words without a cloud account. Speech transcription and search by meaning use separately downloaded local models. Local answers and writing proposals require Apple Intelligence to be enabled and its on-device model to be available; the OS version alone is not enough.

The main window keeps your library beside the open note. Choose a source or folder in the sidebar to narrow the list. Today helps you resume work. Add opens Quick Add. Settings holds sources, models, appearance, privacy and storage. A note listed in the library may still need its recording or pages downloaded before you can read or play it.

Connect a source

Open Settings → Sources and expand the source you want. Cards begin collapsed and remember their individual open or closed state. Their name, count, sync information and errors stay visible while collapsed.

1. Enable the source and complete its connection controls.
2. Where available, turn on Let me choose which notes to sync before the first sync to list notes without fetching every recording or notebook.
3. Choose Sync Now. Open Queue to follow each source and any later download or conversion work.
4. Open one listed note. Use Download Recording or Download Pages if offered, then wait for conversion to finish.

A successful listing is not proof that a page has been downloaded or converted. Check the note itself. Connections to vendor accounts use the internet even when transcription and answering stay local.

reMarkable cloud or direct connection

Choose Cloud in the reMarkable card for account sync and follow the pairing instructions. First let the tablet finish uploading to its account. Cloud pairing is separate from the direct connection's SSH key. Changing transport can produce separate archive entries; do not assume cloud and cable imports merge into one note.

For a direct connection, select USB cable and connect an awake tablet with a data cable. At first setup, use the tablet password shown under its Help → About → Copyrights and licenses settings (the path can vary by tablet software). Enter it in Tablet password, then Connect. SageArchive installs a key for this Mac and stores it in the macOS Keychain; it does not keep that password.

An already enrolled tablet does not need pairing again just because it is unreachable. Check its cable, wake state and macOS Privacy & Security → Local Network permission first. Forget removes this Mac's key, including from a reachable tablet; use it to disconnect deliberately, not as the first response to a timeout.

For Wi-Fi, put the Mac and tablet on the same reachable network and enter the tablet's current address in Address on Wi-Fi. Wait for Address saved. The address is retained across app restarts; clearing it returns checks to USB only. USB is preferred when available.

• Check again saves the current address and tests reachability. A reply on SSH port 22 is not successful authentication, a notebook listing or an import. If USB answers, the saved Wi-Fi route may not have been tested.
• Sync Now makes a fresh sync attempt using the saved connection. The source card reports completion or failure; a successful sync may find no new items. Its count shows total archived notes, not newly found items. Open Queue for work or errors. A saved key or a successful check does not guarantee the sync will succeed.
• If neither route answers, confirm the tablet's current IP, wake it, check network isolation and whether SSH over Wi-Fi is enabled on that tablet. A stale address does not mean your key was lost.

Paper Pro: direct SSH requires Developer Mode; reMarkable 1 and 2 do not use that prerequisite. Enabling it on Paper Pro performs a factory reset and changes device security. Do not enable it merely to try a connection fix. Read reMarkable's official Developer Mode instructions, back up/sync the tablet first, and choose the cloud route if you do not want that change. The vendor also documents separate Wi-Fi SSH enablement. This requirement does not promise compatibility with every tablet model or firmware.

inq

Sync your pen to the inq iPhone app over Bluetooth, and let the app upload its pages. Then open the inq card and choose Sign In. The vendor sign-in window handles your password. Use Existing Session is an alternative for users who already have a valid session; treat session text like a password and never send it to support.

Sync SageArchive after the upload. Page counts reflect pages with imported ink, so they can differ from the notebook's advertised capacity. New writing must reach the cloud before another sync can find it. The pen's USB connection is not a SageArchive ingestion route. Unknown notebook geometry produces an error rather than guessed page placement.

If a session expires, use Sign In Again. Keep your existing usable notebook while investigating a failed refresh. Cancellation, retry and unchanged sync are different from checking that newly written physical pages have arrived.

Plaud and HiNotes

For Plaud, sign in from its source card, list notes, then download a recording. SageArchive uses the Plaud account; plugging in a Plaud USB cable does not import its recordings. A vendor transcript may accompany the imported note. Use Convert when you want to process the saved recording with your selected transcriber.

For HiNotes cloud, sign in to the HiNotes account used by your recorder. It can contain recordings and shorter whispers. An expired session needs Sign In Again, not deletion of your archive.

For HiDock P1 USB, choose the USB transport, attach a data cable and use Connect Device. Check Status reports the device state. Close vendor browser tabs or other software holding its USB interface if the device is busy. SageArchive reads recordings without deleting the originals. Cloud and USB can keep separate documents for the same recording; repeat sync within one transport is the supported way to avoid fetching it again.

Sync and recover without losing your place

Use Sync Now for one source or Sync all for eligible sources. A failure in one source does not prevent healthy sources from completing. Expand its card or open Queue to see the specific error; a collapsed card still shows failures.

In Settings → General → Startup and Syncing, Sync automatically is off by default. Turn it on and choose Sync every if you want scheduled checks. Failed sources observe the retry interval too; they should not retry every minute. Manual sync requests a fresh attempt. Turning automatic sync off does not cancel a job already running.

Use Queue's Cancel for work you want stopped. Download/checkpoint retention depends on the operation; use the displayed retry or resume action instead of deleting temporary files. For inq refreshes, previously published pages remain usable until a replacement is ready. A failed or cancelled initial import may still need a retry before any pages are readable.

Import files and watch folders

Choose files or a folder through Add, or drag them into the app. Supported imports include common audio formats, PDF, Markdown and plain text. Quick Add also accepts podcast/feed or supported audio links. An ordinary web URL is saved as a link note, not a copy of the whole web page. Podcast imports need a network connection.

Each watched folder has its own source card, name, path, count and cloud permissions. Rename a card to make it easy to recognize; Show in Finder opens its real location. This is different from a library folder, which organizes notes already inside SageArchive.

Identical file bytes deduplicate into one archive note. If that file appears in two watched folders, its locations can show both. Nested roots can overlap; the most restrictive applicable source consent controls cloud use. A note's location is not permission to upload it.

Stop Watching stops the folder's future scans and retains notes already imported. Re-adding the same path preserves its source identity. A missing drive or moved folder can produce Not there any more: reconnect it or deliberately stop watching. Do not delete retained notes just to clear a missing-folder warning.

Mixed imports can partly succeed. A valid text note can be ready while a malformed PDF fails conversion. Open Queue for the failed item and keep the usable result. Correct the original file or retry the appropriate action; repeating an entire import is not always necessary.

Set up models and work offline

Open Settings → Advanced for Whisper speech models. Choose a model appropriate for your Mac and available disk space. Download progress, cancellation and resume are shown by the installer; use its controls. Files are verified before installation. If verification fails, retry the download rather than renaming a partial file into place.

Open Settings → General → Search for embedding models and Check Search Availability. Word and identifier search work without an embedding model. Search by meaning needs a working local embedding model; a file merely appearing installed is not the same as the live search status. If both supported variants are installed, the app prefers FP32 over INT8.

Once their required models are installed, local transcription and semantic search can run offline. Reading saved notes and word search do not need model downloads. Local answering also needs Apple's available on-device model. Vendor sync, podcast downloads, model downloads and optional cloud processing need internet access. Losing the network does not erase the saved archive.

Capture a recording or a quick thought

Open Add for Quick Add. Type a thought and choose Save. In its text field, Enter saves and Shift+Enter adds a line. Paste plain text or a copied SageArchive excerpt. Quick Add keeps special excerpt metadata but does not preserve general rich-text formatting. To paste supported formatting, open the saved authored note and paste into its body. An existing ordinary URL can be saved as a link note.

To record, use the recording control and choose Microphone, System audio or Microphone and system audio, with the input device you intend to use. Confirm the timer and input meter before relying on a recording. macOS may ask for microphone or system-audio capture permission. Change permissions in System Settings for SageArchive itself.

Stop and save when finished. Audio is saved before transcription; the finished transcript arrives later. A recording made through Quick Add of up to 60 seconds goes into Clips; longer recordings remain recordings without automatic Clips filing. There is no live interim transcript or word-level audio alignment. No-speech detection reduces invented text on silent/non-speech input but cannot guarantee perfect recognition; keep the original audio and review the words.

A zero microphone meter can mean the wrong input, a denied permission or a closed laptop lid. Apple silicon MacBooks disconnect the built-in microphone with the lid closed; open it or select a working external microphone. A warning is not proof that another route is capturing useful sound. Use Cancel/Discard deliberately when you do not want to keep a capture; closing a window is not a substitute for checking its final state.

In Settings → General, enable Enable Global Quick Add Shortcut and set Quick Add Shortcut to open it from another application. If another app owns that shortcut, choose a different combination and check the displayed registration result. Copy Completed Clips copies the finalized transcript only after saving; turn it off to leave the clipboard alone. Failed capture/transcription must not be treated as a completed copied Clip. If clipboard access fails, open the saved note and copy its text yourself.

Write and organize notes

Open a saved authored note to edit its title and body. Use headings, emphasis, lists, quotations and links as needed. Changes autosave; wait for Saved on this Mac before leaving. Opening a note without changing it should not create a new saved revision. Undo and Redo apply to your edits; reopening is a useful check that the intended text was saved.

Create a library folder from the sidebar and file notes into it. Rename it or move it to Deleted Folders when no longer needed; restoring the folder recovers its membership. Clips is a protected collection rather than an ordinary folder you can rename or delete. Tags provide another way to group and filter notes without changing their original source.

For a suggested edit, choose Add to the end or Rewrite the note, enter your instruction, and inspect the proposal. Add should contain only the new text; Rewrite replaces the body with the proposed version. Use Discard if it is wrong. Apply only what you want to keep, then check the saved note. A local model requires Apple Intelligence; a cloud model also needs the relevant answering permission. Generated edits can be wrong even when saving works correctly.

Link notes and keep quoted sources

Use Link note in an authored note to refer to another note. Ordinary note links can target different kinds of notes. Follow the link to open its source; Linked from shows incoming ordinary links.

For a manuscript review, create one authored note called “Chapter review.” Write a comment about the opening, choose Link note, and insert a link to “Chapter One.” On a new line, write a separate comment about the ending and use Link note again for “Chapter Two.” Both links can coexist with your comments in the same review note. Open each chapter and inspect Linked from to return to the review. These links open their notes; they do not target an exact untimed paragraph.

For an immutable timed quote, select text in a recording's transcript. Play Selection uses the stored segment boundaries, which may cover more words than your exact character selection. Quote in New Note, Insert Into Note, or Copy With Source lets you keep the passage in an authored note. You can combine quotes from different recordings, repeat passages and add your own prose and ordinary links. Referenced by on a source leads back to the notes quoting it.

Pasting Copy With Source back into SageArchive creates distinct excerpt relationships. External apps receive readable text, attribution and a local note link; they may drop rich metadata. A SageArchive link is not a public sharing link and does not grant another person access to your archive.

Renaming a source keeps navigation tied to the same note. Re-conversion can mark a quote's source as changed; the saved quote remains your original snapshot rather than being silently rewritten. Moving the source to Trash makes quote playback unavailable; restoring it permits navigation again. Permanently deleting it leaves readable quote text but cannot restore its audio. Exact untimed manuscript paragraph/page anchors are not supported by this timed-quote feature.

Find a passage and ask a question

Use the search field or Command-K. Search by words, identifiers such as an IP address, or meaning when the local model is available. Use sidebar/source/folder filters to narrow the library. Results can include related passages rather than exact phrase matches; open the recording position or notebook page to check them.

Ask a question with the intended scope, such as This note only, when you need an answer about one note. The app retrieves passages and attaches source citations. Open a citation to check the original: a generated answer is a reading of your material, not a replacement for it. A missing or unlocated handwritten line cannot acquire a precise highlight merely because a model mentioned it.

Open Summary and choose Write It when you want a saved summary. Summaries and editing proposals may use the whole selected note, unlike a question answered from retrieved excerpts. Confirm the engine and permission before sending sensitive material.

Choose what may leave your Mac

Local processing is the default. Cloud transcription, answering and narration have separate permissions for each source in Settings → Sources, plus provider selection and keys in Settings. Choosing a cloud provider alone does not authorize every source. Shared file locations use restrictive consent. Recorder/Clips transcription has its own setting under Transcription.

Cloud transcription sends audio; cloud handwriting conversion sends page images using transcription permission. Cloud answers send the question, retrieved text and source metadata. Requested summaries and editing proposals can send the selected note's text. Cloud narration sends text to the voice service; its generated audio may also be processed to time the reading. These are different operations, not a blanket archive upload.

Settings → Keys & Privacy → What Has Left This Mac records cloud-processing activity. Turning a permission off does not erase past activity or retract data already sent. Vendor account connections and model downloads also use a network; they are not the same as sending notes to an optional AI provider. API keys and vendor credentials are stored in the macOS Keychain. See the privacy explanation for the website and app data paths.

Use Queue and fix a failed job

Open Queue to see active work and failures. A source listing, recording download and conversion can be separate jobs. Read the failed job's message before choosing its action: Retry sync, Retry download, Open note, reconnecting a source or downloading a missing model solve different problems.

If pages or audio are absent, download them first. If media is present but text is missing, open the note and use Convert after checking models and source permissions. Keep the original note while retrying. Repeated sync should converge within a source; it does not promise identity merging between different transports.

Deleting a failed note permanently also removes its associated jobs. If it came from a watched folder, pause or stop watching before deliberately deleting it from the archive, or a later scan may bring the original file back. Do not interpret an empty active queue as proof that every listed note has been downloaded.

Listen, export and print

For text, open More actions → Convert Text to Audio. Choose provider/voice in Settings → Reading Aloud and preview the voice before creating a long narration. Local voices stay on the Mac; optional cloud narration needs its own source permission. Generation is a job; after completion, use the player's controls. A narrated note is derived audio, not an original recording. Creating another narration replaces the existing reading after confirmation.

To export, select notes in the library, then Export in the selection toolbar. On a narrow list, look in More actions. Choose Markdown, Text, JSON, SRT or VTT and a destination folder. The result reports written files; SRT/VTT skip notes without line times and report that separately. An entirely untimed selection cannot produce subtitles. JSON retains richer note/source metadata; text formats favor readability. Exported note files are not a complete archive/media backup.

Printing is for saved summaries: open Summary, select a saved summary, then Print and use the macOS print sheet or Save as PDF. Direct printing of an authored body, raw transcript or notebook page is not a supported app command.

Back up, delete and restore

In Settings → Storage, review media, database and model usage. Back up with Time Machine controls whether the archive is included in your configured Time Machine backup. When excluded, the database is excluded too. Inclusion does not itself create or verify a backup; check Time Machine's own status and keep enough space for recordings and images.

To make a manual backup:

1. Quit SageArchive so its database and media are no longer changing.
2. In Finder, choose Go → Go to Folder and enter ~/Library/Application Support/com.sagearchive/.
3. Copy the whole com.sagearchive folder to your backup location. The database and its matching media are both required; the folder also includes downloaded models, which can take substantial space.
4. Check that the copy completed before reopening SageArchive. Keep this backup separate from the working folder.

For a manual restore, quit SageArchive first, preserve the current folder separately so newer notes are not lost, then restore the complete matching archive folder to that location. Use an app version compatible with the backup's database schema; do not open an upgraded database with an older app as a shortcut to rollback. Copying only exported text, only the database, or a live database file without its current writes is not a complete backup. Device credentials live separately in Keychain, so moving an archive to another Mac may require reconnecting its accounts.

Trash retains notes for recovery. Open Trash, select a note and use Restore. Delete Forever removes selected trashed notes; Empty Trash removes all trashed notes. These are permanent archive actions, not commands to erase originals on your recorder or tablet. They can make saved quotes' sources unavailable. Deleting notes does not automatically disconnect their source.

To keep specific imported notes out of future syncs, select them in the library and choose More actions → Exclude. They are removed from the archive and listed under Excluded in the sidebar. Choose Allow Again there to let the next source sync bring them back. This differs from Trash → Restore, which recovers retained notes, and Stop Watching, which stops an entire folder source.

Storage's controls are not a general orphan-file sweep. Removing a model means local processing that needs it must wait for another download; it does not erase your saved recordings or notes.

Keyboard and everyday troubleshooting

If Space selects the wrong thing, click the intended list row or reader area and check what has focus; do not assume a highlighted note is the focused control. If an action is missing, widen the list or inspect More actions. App Appearance offers themes and reading size; this website keeps one fixed appearance.

For a disconnected source, check its exact transport and error before signing in again or forgetting it. For a zero meter, check input/permissions/lid. For unavailable local answers, check Apple Intelligence readiness. For missing semantic search, use Check Search Availability. For a failed model checksum, retry through the installer. A failed item should not stop you reading notes already saved.

When asking for help, include the app version/build, the source and transport, steps, exact error and whether retry changes it. Send only material you choose to share. Do not include passwords, API keys, session text or private recordings in a routine support request. Contact SageArchive support.

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