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What is Cascadea?
Cascadea functions as a Mac application integrated with a Safari App Extension, allowing users to apply custom CSS rules to modify website appearance and layout. It supports creating dark themes, decluttering busy sites, prototyping CSS for web development, and installing styles created by others. The tool includes a robust CSS editor with syntax highlighting, autocompletion, and code folding, eliminating the need for separate editing software.
Users can import and export styles using the UserCSS standard, ensuring compatibility with other browser extensions like Stylus. Cascadea operates natively on macOS with features such as iCloud syncing, Touch Bar support, and a privacy-focused design that avoids tracking or data collection. It requires macOS 10.14 or newer and runs on Apple silicon, with an interface optimized for macOS Big Sur.
Features
- Powerful CSS Editor: Based on Ace editor with syntax highlighting, autocompletion, code folding, and beautification
- UserCSS Compatibility: Import and export styles using UserCSS standard with support for Stylus and Less preprocessors
- Native Mac Integration: Built with Swift for fast performance, includes iCloud syncing, Touch Bar support, and drag-and-drop style reordering
- Privacy-Focused Design: No tracking, analytics, or data collection; permissions only for style injection without storing browsing data
- Enhanced Extension Interface: Toolbar popover in Safari shows active styles, reduced flashing, and support for range and number variables
Use Cases
- Creating custom dark themes for websites to reduce eye strain
- Decluttering busy websites by hiding unnecessary elements with CSS
- Prototyping CSS changes for web development projects
- Installing and using pre-made styles from user style websites or GitHub
- Modifying website layouts for improved accessibility or personal preference
FAQs
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Why can't I use locally-installed fonts in my custom styles with Cascadea?
Safari 12+ restricts locally-installed fonts for security to prevent fingerprinting; Cascadea cannot bypass this, but you can use @font-face rules for webfonts or @import rules placed at the top of the Style List. -
Why does Cascadea require permissions to read sensitive information like passwords in Safari?
These permissions are necessary for Cascadea to inject custom styles by accessing webpage contents, but it does not store or transmit any data, including browsing history or form inputs, ensuring privacy.
