Offline volumes are invisible
USB disks, archives, and old laptops sit in a drawer. Finder only sees what is mounted today.
Desktop catalog · beta 0.2
Know where your files live — even when the disk is unplugged.
Media Cataloger indexes disks and libraries on your machine, including volumes that are offline. Search across them, find duplicates without guessing, and see what to plug in, copy, or verify next. It does not replace a backup.
beta 0.2 · macOS · Windows · Linux · FR/EN 
The file is never on the disk that is plugged in.
Copies multiply without a record
The same project lives on a work SSD, a backup HDD, and a NAS. You cannot tell which copy is still the only one.
Cleanup tools are reckless
A “duplicate” in a list is not proof that another readable copy still exists. Deleting from a stale index destroys the original.
A catalog, then advice — nothing heavy by default.
Enrichment (previews, ZIP index, content search, AI tags) is opt-in. Walk first; add intelligence when you need it.
- 1
Add a media
A folder, an external disk, or a remote host over SSH. Give it a role: work, backup, archive, or staging.
- 2
Walk
Inventory files and folders into a local catalog. The tree stays searchable when the volume is unplugged.
- 3
Search and browse
Find by name, extension, or tag across every cataloged volume — connected or not.
- 4
Act with a safety net
Insights on Home tell you what is stale, full, or uncovered. Duplicate cleanup is locked until you unlock it, and prefers quarantine.
What 0.2 actually does
Positioning is disks and data — not “dupe finder plus AI”. Optional AI sits behind a switch.
Offline catalog
Browse the structure of a disk that is not connected: dates, sizes, paths. Re-walk when you plug it back in.
Search across volumes
Name and extension search over the whole catalog. Tag search when you have organised folders that way.
Safe duplicates
Find copies on one disk or across disks. Delete is off by default. Preflight checks an online second copy; quarantine beats permanent delete.
Disk advisor
Role and type on each volume, then explainable insights: never scanned, nearly full, work data on a slow disk, no backup-role volume.
Backup coverage, not backup
Declare that a work folder should exist on a backup volume. The app watches the catalog after you copy; it does not copy for you.
Remote, RAG, vision — opt-in
SSH walk with nmci, content extract + local RAG agent, and image tags via Ollama or xAI. Studio plan. Nothing of this runs until you ask.
Built for people with more disks than Finder can hold in its head.
- Photographers and videographers rotating external disks
- Homelabs and personal archives (NAS + USB + leftover laptops)
- Small studios mixing work SSDs, backup HDDs, and a share
- Anyone who has lost a file “on a disk somewhere”
Licenses, fulfilled by email
No public download of the old 0.0.1 Qi builds. 0.2 is beta: Hobby is free (one volume); Personal and Studio are paid. We send a macOS, Windows, or Linux build — and a signed key for paid plans.
Hobby
€0 forever
Prove the catalog on one volume before you pay.
- 1 local volume
- Walk, browse, name search
- Offline tree of that volume
- Simple mode, FR/EN
Personal
€39 one-time
Unlimited local disks — the plan we expect most people to buy.
- Unlimited local volumes
- Duplicates + quarantine cleanup
- Roles, tags, Home insights
- Image previews and ZIP index
- Backup-rule coverage watch
- 1 year of 0.2.x builds
Studio
€89 / year
Remote hosts, content search, and image tags for a working archive.
- Everything in Personal
- Remote walk over SSH
- Content extract + RAG search
- AI image tags (Ollama or xAI)
- Email support
- Renews with current Studio builds
Pay by invoice (SEPA or card, arranged by email). One Personal license is for you, on your machines. Studio covers one operator plus remote/RAG/vision. Prices in euros, excl. VAT if applicable.
Said plainly
- The catalog stays on your computer. Nothing is uploaded unless you opt into cloud vision or a RAG agent you run.
- This is not Time Machine, rsync, or a backup appliance. Coverage insights assume you copy files yourself, then re-walk.
- 0.2 is beta: simple UX, advisor, RAG, remote, and trusted cleanup are in the product. Merge to the public mainline and packaged store builds are still in progress — fulfillment is email, not an app store.
- iOS and Android are not part of this offer. macOS ships as a desktop app (Fyne, plus a native Swift shell). Windows and Linux are Fyne.
- A license key exists in the app (About → Enter License). Feature locks for Hobby vs Personal vs Studio are being tightened; we honour the plan you buy.
Questions
Is it open source?
No. Media Cataloger is a proprietary desktop app from Noematic. Related studio tools such as the RAG agent have their own sites and licenses.
Does it need the internet?
No for catalog, search, duplicates, and insights. Internet is optional for xAI image tags or a remote RAG agent. Ollama stays local.
Will it delete files on its own?
No. Cleanup is locked until you accept a disclaimer in Settings. Prefer quarantine. Preflight wants an online second copy with the same content hash.
How do I get the app?
Email contact@noematic.eu with the plan you want (Hobby, Personal, Studio), your name, and your OS. We send a build and, for paid plans, a license key. The 0.0.1 zips on Qi are retired.
What is NeoFinder-like about it?
Offline disk cataloging is the core: you can browse a volume that is not mounted. The extra is the advisor (roles, coverage, insights) and optional content/RAG — not a DAM or a photo editor.
Start with one disk. Pay when the catalog earns it.
Hobby is enough to walk a volume and search it offline. Personal is the product. Studio is for remote hosts and content you actually query.