Cairn

Find your way
through code.

A quiet space to understand unfamiliar code.
Native to macOS. Read-only by design.

Build for macOS Explore the source

macOS 14+ · Swift 6 · Open source

Cairn’s native macOS reader showing Python source with Files, Outline, Callers, and Context panels.
Your code. A little more context.

Less searching. More understanding.

Follow the connections

Find a symbol, follow its callers, and bring definitions into view. Keep the context close to the code.

Read across time

Explore Git snapshots and compare versions side by side, without checking out a commit or changing your working tree.

Keep your bearings

Save bookmarks and notes. Freeze a path as a Reading Set to return to its captured source and evidence after a restart.

Start with a codebase.
Leave with a mental model.

Build Cairn on your Mac with a Swift 6 toolchain.

Read the build guide
Terminal
# Run in Terminal
git clone https://github.com/sonald/cairn.git
cd cairn
brew install libgit2
CAIRN_LIBGIT2=brew bash scripts/make-app.sh
open .build/distribution/Cairn.app

Local build · ad-hoc signed · not notarized