Canto
Tulip
opsty
subtankInstall and set up
Installing Canto takes a few minutes. There is no account to create and nothing to activate: the whole app is free on your Mac, and Pro is optional.
What you need#
- A Mac with Apple silicon (M1 or later). Canto doesn't run on Intel Macs.
- macOS 14 or later.
- Room for a model: Canto's smallest recommended model is a download of a few gigabytes. Setup shows the exact size before anything downloads.
A few features need more:
| Feature | Needs |
|---|---|
| Meeting transcripts | macOS 26 or later. On macOS 14 and 15 a meeting is recorded and attached without a transcript. |
| Recording your Mac's sound in a meeting (the other people on a call) | macOS 14.4 or later |
| Image descriptions | macOS 27 with Apple Intelligence on. Earlier versions read the text and labels in images, not what a picture shows. |
| Apple Intelligence for titles, tags and short summaries | A Mac and macOS version where Apple Intelligence is available |
On a Mac with 12 GB of memory or less, Canto runs in Small Mac mode: shorter instructions and compact memory so it fits beside your other apps. It's automatic. See Models on your Mac.
Download and install#
- Go to lonelyduck.io/canto and press the download button. It gives you the newest 1.0 beta. For the stable release, Canto 0.10.3, use "Prefer the stable release?" under the button, or lonelyduck.io/download.
- Open the disk image ("Install Canto …") and drag Canto to your Applications folder.
- Open Canto from Applications.
A beta install keeps you on beta updates. Canto checks GitHub for a newer version at launch and every 6 hours; you can turn that off. See Updates and betas.
Before you start#
The first thing Canto shows is Before you start: its license agreement in short.
- Your notes stay on this Mac unless you turn on something that sends them. Section 3 of the agreement lists each one.
- Free to use. Pro is optional, and nothing here asks you to pay.
- No account. Canto works without signing in.
Choose Read the full agreement to see the whole text, tick I agree to the license agreement, then press Continue. You can read it again later in Settings › About › License agreement.
The six setup steps#
A new vault then gets six short steps on one sheet. Return presses the main button, ⌘[ goes back a step, and Skip setup ends it from any step. If you quit halfway, Canto comes back to the same step.
1. Privacy#
"Your notes stay on this Mac." Two lists: what stays (your notes, chats and files; the AI; search and related notes; images and scanned PDFs; dictation and meeting audio) and what leaves only when you choose (web search, cloud models, sync, publishing). Canto also says the two things it does by itself: it asks GitHub for new versions, and a license, once you add one, checks in now and then. Neither sends your notes.
2. Your vault#
Your vault is encrypted on disk as you write (AES-256), with its key in your Mac's Keychain. There is nothing to set up. The step shows where the vault lives, with Show in Finder. Files you attach are kept beside it as files; FileVault covers them when it's on.
3. Usage data#
"Share anonymous usage counts?" Counts of which features are used, and anonymous errors, help LonelyDuck see what to fix. They never include your notes, titles, files, searches, questions, name, email or license. Show what's sent lists everything a count can carry.
Choose Not now or Share counts. Nothing is sent until you choose Share counts, and you can change it any time in Settings › Memory & privacy › What leaves this Mac › Usage data.
4. A model#
Canto recommends one model for this Mac's chip and memory and shows its download size. Press the download button to get it; the download carries on while you finish setup. Models come from Hugging Face, and only when you ask.
You can also choose:
- Use Apple Intelligence for quick tasks: titles, tags and short summaries with the model built into macOS, with nothing to download.
- Use a model server or a cloud model: Ollama, LM Studio or OpenRouter, connected later in Settings › Models. What you send in those chats goes there.
- Decide later: everything else works now, and AI waits until you pick a model.
Models on your Mac explains the recommendation.
5. Your notes#
Bring notes in, or press Start fresh. What you import is copied into your encrypted vault; the originals stay where they are.
- Apple Notes: choose the folders to bring. Locked notes stay locked and are left out.
- A Markdown folder: an Obsidian vault or any folder of .md files, with its subfolders.
- Evernote: an .enex file exported from Evernote.
- A Canto file: a note saved as .canto, or a whole vault saved as .cwsp.
6. Three moves#
| Keys | Move |
|---|---|
| ⌘K | Find and do anything: go to any note, chat or setting, run a command, or ask Canto with ⌘↩. |
| ⌘J | Ask about the note in front of you or all your notes. Answers show their sources. |
| ⌥Space | Quick capture: from any app, jot down a thought, a link or a selection. It waits in your Inbox. |
The step lets you try ⌘K right there. Press Start using Canto to finish.
A vault made by Canto 0.x doesn't go through these steps. It gets a short What's new in Canto 1.0 sheet instead, because its owner already has notes.
What macOS may ask#
macOS asks for some permissions the first time a feature needs them. Canto only asks when you use the feature.
| Prompt | When | What for |
|---|---|---|
| Microphone | Your first dictation or meeting | Dictation and meetings. Audio never leaves your Mac. |
| Recording this Mac's sound | Your first meeting that records the Mac's sound | The other people on a call, only while you record |
| Automation | When you connect Apple Notes | Reading the notes and folders you choose, to import and refresh them |
| A folder such as Documents or Desktop | If your Canto data folder is there | Opening your vault |
| Keychain | Once, after upgrading from Canto 0.10 | Canto 1.0 is a new app to macOS. Choose Always Allow. |
Activating Pro#
Nothing in setup asks for a license. If you buy Pro, activate it whenever you like:
- click the link in your license email,
- paste the license, or the whole email, in Settings › Account,
- choose I have a license on any Pro sheet, or
- press ⌘K and run Activate Canto Pro…
The license is checked on your Mac first, and nothing is sent until you press Activate. Your license and Macs has the details.
Next#
- Around the window: the toolbar, sidebar, panes and the inspector.
- Ask about your notes: the composer and its sources.
- What leaves this Mac: every service Canto can use, with its switch.