# HN: FlowShelf –free,native macOS shelf/clipboard/screenshot app,on-device AI > Source: > Published: 2026-07-24 07:33:38+00:00 # The temporary workspace your Mac deserves. A free menu-bar app that auto-captures your clipboard, summons a shelf at your cursor, turns screenshots into text, and previews your windows — without the clutter. - Notarized by Apple - 100% on-device - Source-available - No subscription - — downloads ## One app. Everything you juggle all day. The shelf is just the start — FlowShelf folds a whole stack of Mac utilities into one lightweight, private menu-bar app. ## Everything you copy, in one place Copies, screenshots, files, and links all land on a self-cleaning shelf. Search it, pin what matters, and it clears itself after 24 hours so it never becomes clutter. ## A shelf that comes to your cursor A glass shelf appears wherever you're working. Drop files in, carry them between apps, and drag them out at the destination — no window-juggling. ## Summon it with a quick shake Give your mouse a little shake and the shelf pops up right where you are — no hotkey to remember, no menu to hunt for. ## Carry things between apps Park files, text, and images on the floating shelf, switch apps, then drag or paste them out exactly where you need them. ## Your notch, finally useful A Dynamic-Island-style shelf lives right in your MacBook notch — and on external monitors too. Swipe down to open, drop files in, click a tile to copy. ## Snap windows with a keystroke Hold ⌃⌥ and tap an arrow to snap the focused window to halves, quarters, or fullscreen. The one Mac feature you'd usually pay for — built in. ## Preview windows without clicking Hover a Dock icon for live thumbnails of its windows. See what's open and jump straight to the exact window you want. ## See every window at a glance Hold the key and your windows fan out as live previews. Pick the one you want and switch to it instantly — no fumbling through ⌘-Tab. ## Reusable text, one click away Save signatures, addresses, and canned replies once. Paste them anytime from the dashboard or straight from the menu-bar menu. ## A full screenshot toolkit, built in Grab a region or a window, then mark it up with arrows, shapes, a real highlighter, numbered steps, and text. Blur, pixelate, or black out anything sensitive. Drop a spotlight, add a magnifier callout, measure in pixels with the ruler, or wrap the shot in a gradient backdrop. Pin it on top of everything, scan a QR code, or stitch a before/after — then copy, save, or drop it on your shelf. ## Private AI that never leaves your Mac Summarize, rewrite, translate, and smart-search your shelf — powered by Apple's on-device models. No accounts, no cloud, no cost, and it runs only when you ask. ## Uninstall apps completely Drag an app in and FlowShelf finds every leftover — caches, preferences, support files — and moves them to the Trash. It even tells you what it couldn't remove. ## One app, instead of five. FlowShelf does what you actually used these popular Mac apps for — in one free, private menu-bar app. | What you’d reach for | Typical price | FlowShelf | |---|---|---| | Paste / Maccy clipboard & shelf | $29.99/yr | ✓ Included | | Magnet window snapping | $4.99 | ✓ Included | | AltTab window switcher | Free | ✓ Included | | CleanShot X screenshots & annotate | $29 | ✓ Included | | AppCleaner uninstaller | Free | ✓ Included | | … plus snippets, a notch shelf & on-device AI | $60+/yr value | Free | ## Easy installation. Drag, drop, and you're good to go. - 1 **Open the branded installer** Double-click the `.dmg` file. - 2 **Drag to Applications** Install FlowShelf like any native Mac app. - 3 **Launch & Go** FlowShelf is ready. No setup. No signup. **FlowShelf 1.4.0 is Developer ID signed and notarized by Apple.** Its polished drag-to-install window opens normally on macOS. #### Privacy First Your data stays on your Mac. #### Native Performance Built with Swift, ~7 MB, light on memory. #### Apple Silicon + Intel All modern Macs. #### No Subscription One-time, yours forever. ## Built in the open. FlowShelf's source is public. Read every line, verify the privacy claims for yourself, and open a pull request — no black boxes, no hidden network calls. ## Made by one person, not a corporation. Hi, I'm **Mahin Kadery** — a solo developer. I built FlowShelf because I was tired of running five separate apps (and paying five subscriptions) for the little things a Mac should just do. No investors, no growth team, no data collection — just an app I use every day and keep improving. If something breaks, the person reading your bug report is the person who wrote the code. ## Loved by people who hate clutter. Real reviews from FlowShelf users — no account needed to read or leave one. Loading reviews… ## Reclaim your Mac's clutter. Free, native, and yours forever. macOS 14+ · Apple Silicon & Intel. **Download for macOS** One-time download · No subscription[Support FlowShelf](https://buymeacoffee.com/mahinkadery) - ✓ Signed & notarized by Apple (Developer ID) - ✓ Source-available — [read the code](https://github.com/mahinkadery/FlowShelf) - ✓ 100% on-device — no account, no tracking, no servers The button copies: `brew install --cask mahinkadery/tap/flowshelf` ## Verify your download (SHA-256) Every release ships with its checksum in the [release notes](https://github.com/mahinkadery/FlowShelf/releases/latest). Current version 1.6.1: `e51f9bc153eb1bc0ca3dbffdaa0ca53296ec128534debdf69eb3e9f8829b6250` In Terminal, run `shasum -a 256 ~/Downloads/FlowShelf.dmg` — the output must match exactly. ## Questions & answers Everything you need before your first launch. ## Is FlowShelf really free? Yes. FlowShelf is free and source-available, with no subscription and no account required. Download it once and it's yours. ## Can FlowShelf turn a screenshot into text (OCR)? Yes. Press ⌘⇧O to select any region of your screen and FlowShelf extracts the text straight to your Shelf and clipboard. Press ⌘⇧7 for a plain region screenshot. ## What is the floating shake-to-summon shelf? Shake your cursor (or use a global hotkey) and a floating glass shelf appears right at your pointer, so you can drop and grab items without leaving what you're doing. You can also use the menu-bar popover or the dashboard. ## Does FlowShelf have a private mode? Yes. Private mode pauses clipboard capture whenever you want, so sensitive copies never land on your Shelf. ## How do updates work, and why do my permissions persist? FlowShelf checks for updates daily and installs them with Sparkle, the standard macOS auto-updater. Version 1.3.4 and later use the same Apple Developer ID identity, helping Accessibility and Screen Recording permissions persist across future updates. ## Is FlowShelf signed and notarized by Apple? Yes. FlowShelf is Developer ID signed and notarized by Apple, so the app opens normally on macOS. ## Where is my data stored? Everything stays on your Mac. FlowShelf has no servers and no tracking — your clipboard, screenshots, files, links, and text never leave your device. ## How does auto-delete work? Shelf items expire automatically after 24 hours to keep today's workspace light. Pin anything you want to keep, or clear items manually whenever you like. ## Which Macs are supported? macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later, as a universal binary for both Apple Silicon and Intel. ## How is FlowShelf different from Yoink, Dropover, or a clipboard manager? FlowShelf combines a drag-and-drop shelf, automatic clipboard capture, screenshot OCR, and live window previews in one private menu-bar app — and it auto-cleans daily so it never becomes clutter. It's free and source-available.