Ownership checklist
Are your notes actually yours?
You own your notes when the working copy still makes sense outside the app. Can normal tools read and search them without an export step?
Last updated by Thomas Sivilay.
The short version.
If your notes are plain Markdown files, any tool can read them today. If something needs an export first, that export is now part of your routine every time you need a note somewhere else.
Run these checks.
What each check tells you.
Start with the folder.
A folder is simple. One project, one journal, one archive. Text editors, backup tools, and terminal search all know how folders work.
Check the working copy, not the export.
A polished export is useful, but it is still a snapshot. The real test is whether the notes you are working from right now are already in a format other tools can open.
Files give other tools something to open.
Claude, Codex, and Cursor do not need a special notes database when the notes are Markdown files. Raven Companion adds a safer path for Raven-aware edits.
A terminal test.
Put one exported folder on your Desktop and run a search across it. If the results are readable Markdown files, the migration path is healthier.
A git test.
Put a test vault under git, edit one note, and inspect the diff. Clean diffs mean your notes can move with you.
Find out if your notes are trapped.
Run the one-minute scorecard. It shows where your current app depends on exports, databases, or app-specific behavior.
Read the Mac Markdown guide