18 Jun 2025 2 min read Technology

Introducing Lucive

A beautiful and lightweight journaling app for macOS, built with privacy as its core principle.

I've been working these past few weeks to build an app I'm calling Lucive. The goal? I'm trying to make the journaling and life-planning experience I always wanted: fully private, simple, calming, and disconnected from cloud services. Fiona, my partner on this adventure, took design inspiration from the minimal, cream-colored pages and brown covers of the Moleskine notebooks we both love.

We're finally ready to launch! I would be so honored if you could try it out and let me know what you think.

Why “Lucive?” It’s a mash-up of “Lucid” and “Thrive.” I liked the ring to it...and the lack of trademark collisions. I wanted something that evoked intentionality, introspection, and planning ahead. So, Lucive.

Check it out

What’s in this first release

Local Storage – Your entire journal lives in an encrypted database on your Mac. Never in the cloud.
AES-256 Encryption – Entries are encrypted at rest with AES-256, and your key is stored securely in the macOS Keychain.
Privacy Blur (Ctrl +B) – Step away for a moment and Lucive blurs the application. Click (or press Ctrl +B again) to reveal your words.
Markdown Support – Write headings, lists, links, and emphasis with familiar Markdown syntax while keeping the editor clean.
Dark Mode – Toggle between Light and Dark in Settings to match your workspace.
Easy Backups – Export your encrypted database to the Downloads folder for off-disk backups, or import an archive to restore old entries.
Accessible by design – High-contrast colors, full keyboard navigation, and screen-reader-friendly labels built to WCAG guidelines.

Where we’re headed (your $5 fuels the journey)

Windows & Linux builds – because great reflection shouldn’t require a Mac.
iOS companion app – with private, encrypted sync back to your desktop (other platforms to follow).
Goal-framing tools – features to help frame your personal goals for the week, near term, and future.
On-device AI – local models that surface insights and semantic search without sending data to a server.

As Lucive grows, the price will too, but early adopters get every future feature for the one-time $4.99 purchase.