Outpost/README.md

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<h1 align="center">Outpost</h1>

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A native Apple ecosystem client for [Outline](https://github.com/outline/outline) — built for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS from a single SwiftUI codebase, aiming for full editing parity with Outline's web app, including realtime collaborative editing.

> **Early alpha — macOS only for now.** Expect missing features and rough edges. iOS/iPadOS support is planned but not in the current build. See the [releases page](https://git.psmattas.com/psmattas/Outpost/releases) for changelogs, and [open an issue](https://git.psmattas.com/psmattas/Outpost/issues) if you hit anything.

## Why

Outline's web app is great, but there's no native Apple client with full editing parity. This project connects to a self-hosted Outline instance over its REST API and realtime collaboration socket to provide a proper native experience across the Apple ecosystem.

## Requirements

- Xcode 27+ (currently developed against an Xcode 27 beta — this is a hard minimum, not a suggestion)
- macOS 27+. iOS/iPadOS support is planned but not in the current build (see the alpha note above) — same 27+ minimum will apply once it lands
- A self-hosted (or hosted) Outline instance with API access

## Setup

1. Clone the repo and open the `.xcodeproj` in Xcode.
2. Generate a scoped API key on your Outline instance (Settings → API Keys).
3. On first launch, enter your instance URL and API key — these are stored in Keychain, never in app config or source.

## Architecture

See [`CLAUDE.md`](./CLAUDE.md) and [`docs/ARCHITECTURE.md`](./docs/ARCHITECTURE.md) for the full technical breakdown: REST layer, Yjs/Hocuspocus realtime sync via [YSwift](https://github.com/y-crdt/yswift), and the ProseMirror-schema-to-native-editor mapping.

## Disclaimer

This project is being built to solve a personal problem — I wanted a genuinely good native knowledge-base client for my own self-hosted Outline instance and none of the existing options fit. It's a personal-use tool first, not a polished product with support guarantees.

Parts of this codebase are AI-assisted (built with the help of AI coding tools). Treat that however you like — review, use, fork, or ignore the code accordingly. No warranty of quality, security, or fitness for any particular use is implied beyond what's stated in the license below.

## License

Outpost itself is licensed under the [Business Source License 1.1](./LICENSE) — the same license family Outline's own server uses, for the same reason. In short: free to read, self-host, and modify for personal or non-commercial use; not free to repackage as a competing hosted product or to distribute under a name/branding that claims official or affiliated status. It converts automatically to Apache License 2.0 on the change date stated in [`LICENSE`](./LICENSE). "Outpost" and its logo are trademarks of the project — see the license's trademark notice.

This project is a client only — it does not include, vendor, or redistribute any of Outline's own (also BSL 1.1 licensed) server source.

## Credits

The native markdown editor is built on [swift-markdown-engine](https://github.com/nodes-app/swift-markdown-engine) by Luca Chen, licensed under Apache License 2.0. It's vendored directly in [`Vendor/swift-markdown-engine`](./Vendor/swift-markdown-engine) (see its [`LICENSE`](./Vendor/swift-markdown-engine/LICENSE)); local fixes made in that copy haven't been upstreamed yet.

## Privacy

Outpost collects nothing about you — no analytics, no telemetry, no crash reporting of its own, no age or demographic data, nothing. The only thing stored locally is your Outline server URL and API token (in the device Keychain) and, optionally, a local offline cache of what you've viewed. Everything else goes straight from your device to whatever Outline server you configure — there's no backend in between, and the developer has no access to your data or your server.

Full policy, terms of service, and data-processing statement are on the [wiki](https://git.psmattas.com/psmattas/Outpost/wiki):

- [Privacy Policy](https://git.psmattas.com/psmattas/Outpost/wiki/Privacy-Policy.-)
- [Terms of Service](https://git.psmattas.com/psmattas/Outpost/wiki/Terms-of-Service.-)
- [Data Processing Statement](https://git.psmattas.com/psmattas/Outpost/wiki/Data-Processing-Statement.-)

## Not affiliated with Outline

This is an independent, unofficial client. Not affiliated with or endorsed by General Outline, Inc.