Your network is yours.
Everyone you know, stored as plain files on your machine. No cloud, no account, no one reading your relationships – not even us.
Your way of seeing is yours.
Themes, density, layout, the warmth of every tie. Bend Handshake to fit how you think about the people in your life.
Your memory should last.
Open markdown underneath. Your network outlives the app, the company, and the hype – it's just a folder of text.
Write a name. Draw a line.
Type [[ in any note and it completes from your people. Mention someone and the board draws the connection – and their card grows with every mention. Your notes quietly become a map you can click straight through.
How notes & backlinks work![A person's note open in the workspace – connections and a note where [[Chip Sterling]] and [[Kevin Zhao]] render as rose backlink chips](/screenshot-note.webp)
Spatial, or a tidy list.
Think in space on the board; find fast in a sortable, searchable list. Order by name or by closeness, dial the density – same plain files underneath, switched in a keystroke.
Read the board guide
Lay it out like you think.
Tabs, resizable splits, and pop-out notes – a true Obsidian-style layout. Put the board beside your people and your goals beneath it, and it's right where you left it next time.
How the workspace works
The vault is the database.
Every person, every handshake, every goal is just a markdown file with YAML frontmatter, in a folder you choose. No database, no proprietary format, no account, no telemetry.
Networks & plain files, explained- people/
- self.md
- elena-hart.md
- kevin-zhao.md
- handshakes/
- goals/
- interactions/
- attachments/
- .handshake/
The CEO, and the reason this works. We split it clean – she runs the room, I run product + eng with [[Kevin Zhao]].
Questions & answers
What is Handshake?
Handshake is a local-first desktop app for mapping the people you know – your network as a graph of people, the ties between them, and the warmth of each connection. It runs on macOS, Windows, and Linux and stores everything as plain markdown files on your own machine.
Is Handshake free?
Yes. Handshake is free and open source. There's no account, no subscription, and no paid tier – you download it and it's yours.
Where is my data stored, and is it private?
Everything lives in a folder of plain markdown files on your device. There's no cloud, no account, and no telemetry – no one can read your relationships, not even us. You can back it up or sync it yourself with git, iCloud, Dropbox, or OneDrive.
What platforms does Handshake support?
macOS, Windows, and Linux. It's a native desktop app built on Tauri.
Do I need an internet connection or an account?
No. Handshake is local-first and works fully offline, with no sign-up of any kind.
What file format does Handshake use?
Plain markdown (.md) files with YAML frontmatter, in a folder you choose. You can open, edit, and search them with any text editor – or open the same folder in Obsidian.
How is Handshake different from a CRM?
A CRM is built for sales pipelines and lives in the cloud. Handshake is a calm, personal tool for remembering the people in your life – who they are, how you met, and who connects to whom – stored privately as files you own.
Bring your orbit into focus.
Free, open, and entirely on your machine. The best introductions are usually one or two handshakes away.