SMF·DRAFTS-PRO
Can a prompt replace Drafts Pro?
AI writing — grammar, editing and long-form writing
Exhibit tracking slip
Verdict
A global-hotkey capture window that saves timestamped text drafts, plus a small library of user-defined "actions" (scripts that transform the text and send it somewhere — a to-do list, a clipboard, a file) is a real, complete one-sitting build. Drafts' actual edge over this is speed and polish tuned specifically for iPhone and Mac, and a large public directory of pre-built actions other people already wrote.
Exhibit A — The prompt
Received on31.07.2026Build a local quick-capture tool: a global hotkey opens a text box, and saved "actions" (small transform-and-file scripts) run against whatever was typed. Stack: Tauri 2, React, TypeScript, SQLite for drafts and action definitions. This needs no API key and no server — it's entirely local by design.
Core loop: a global hotkey (configurable) opens a small always-on-top text window from anywhere in the OS. Typing and pressing Enter saves the text as a timestamped draft in SQLite by default. Separately, the user can define "actions" — short JavaScript functions (sandboxed, no filesystem or network access beyond what's explicitly granted) that take the draft text and transform or route it: append to a specific Markdown file, copy a reformatted version to the clipboard, or open a URL with the text URL-encoded. A dropdown next to the capture box lets the user pick an action instead of just saving. Ship 4–5 built-in example actions (append to daily note, copy as Markdown link, strip formatting) as a starting library, not a marketplace.
Everything is local: drafts and actions live in a SQLite file, and no account or network call is required for the core loop. An action that opens a URL is the only thing that leaves the machine, and only because the user's own action explicitly does it.
Do not build: cross-device sync, a public action-sharing directory, or deep OS Shortcuts/Siri integration — each is a legitimate feature, but replicating Drafts' actual moat (years of platform-specific capture speed) is out of scope for a single build. Keep the action sandbox genuinely restrictive; a scripting feature that can silently exfiltrate captured text is a real risk, not a nice-to-have to skip.Opening prefills the prompt — press enter to run it.
Exhibit B — What you lose
- B.1 a large public directory of pre-built actions written by other users
- B.2 deep iOS and macOS Shortcuts integration and system-wide capture speed
- B.3 cross-device sync between iPhone and Mac
- B.4 polish accumulated across years of daily-driver use by a huge user base
- B.5 a mature plugin ecosystem beyond what you script yourself
Exhibit C — Why people still pay: polish, integrations, and proprietary language models
People pay for Drafts because the entire value proposition is speed — the gap between having a thought and having it captured — and that speed depends on deep OS-level integration (system-wide hotkeys, Shortcuts, share-sheet capture) that took years to get right on both iPhone and Mac. A local build gets the capture-and-action pattern; it doesn't get that platform-native immediacy or the community's library of ready-made actions.
Questions
Can I import my existing Drafts library?
Drafts exports drafts as plain text or Markdown, which import directly into the local SQLite store. Your custom actions, written in Drafts' own scripting environment, would need to be rewritten in this build's JavaScript action format.
Will it work on my phone?
Tauri builds for desktop, not iOS, so this specific build is Mac/Windows/Linux only — matching Drafts' Mac app, not its (arguably more central) iPhone app, is explicitly out of scope here.
What does it cost to run?
Nothing — it's a local desktop app with no account, no API key, and no server. The only cost is the time spent building and maintaining your own action scripts.
What's the one thing that doesn't survive the rebuild?
iPhone capture speed. Drafts' actual daily value for most users is capturing a thought on a phone in under two seconds via a home-screen widget or Shortcuts action; a desktop-only tool misses the exact moment most fleeting thoughts happen.
Related tools
Receipt