Notes Import Preflight

Local migration checkpoint

Know what survives before your notes move.

Inventory notebooks, attachments, links, and fragile formatting. Then compare the destination export and catch losses while the original is still safe.

Inspect a folder

No account. No upload. No telemetry.

A midnight archive stall where boxes of notes pass through a mint-lit inspection gate toward a detailed paper manifest.
Inspect the cargo, then sign the manifest.

01 Read-only

02 ZIP-safe

03 Scriptable JSON

04 Open source CLI

Browser counter / free

Run a private spot check

Select an unzipped export folder. This quick inventory runs entirely in this tab. Use the CLI for ZIP/ENEX parsing, content fingerprints, and the authoritative comparison.

Your browser may confirm folder access. Files are read locally and never sent anywhere.

Inspection manifestWaiting

Nothing on the belt yet

Choose the folder created by your notes app’s export command.

Online — not required for inspection.

The real workflow

Two manifests. One honest answer.

  1. 01

    Scan the source

    Save the baseline before any importer touches the archive.

    notes-preflight scan export.zip --json > before.json
  2. 02

    Make the move

    Import into the new app, then export the destination once.

    Use a copy. Keep the original.
  3. 03

    Compare the cargo

    Find missing notes and attachment bytes by title and fingerprint.

    notes-preflight compare before.json after/ --fail-on-loss

Single local binary

Built for the archive you actually have

Scan directories, ZIP files, ENEX, Markdown, HTML, text, and common JSON exports. Bounded parsing treats every archive as untrusted.

migration-check.sh
$ notes-preflight scan apple-notes.zip

PREFLIGHT MANIFEST
apple-notes.zip

Notebooks       18
Notes        4,291
Attachments  1,087  (2.4 GiB)
Links        6,804  (23 unresolved)

RISKS
[WARNING] Audio recordings are often unsupported ×47
[NOTICE] Tables may change layout ×112

$ notes-preflight compare before.json destination/ --fail-on-loss
MIGRATION CHECK: LOSS DETECTED
Missing attachments (3): receipt.jpg, interview.m4a, sketch.png

Preflight Plus / $19 once

A repeatable migration desk

The open-source CLI stays complete. Plus adds a browser comparison workspace, locally saved baselines, printable audit sheets, and 30 days of setup help for one migration.

  • One-time purchase, no subscription
  • Files still remain on your device
  • Sociobot/Dodo is merchant of record
Buy Preflight Plus — $19

Free CLI + browser scan active

Before you ask

No magic, no hidden access.

Does this modify my notes?

No. The CLI opens exports read-only and never extracts ZIP archives. The browser demo only reads files you explicitly select.

Can it open encrypted backups?

No. It does not bypass application encryption, scrape accounts, or reverse proprietary databases. Export through the notes app first.

What does a pass guarantee?

It confirms inventory-level survival for recognized notes and attachment bytes. Formatting risks still need a sample review in the destination app.