Getting Started

Install Braidr, create your first project, and learn the basics.

Installing Braidr

Braidr is a desktop application for macOS (Windows coming soon). Download the latest version from braidr.app.

  1. Download the .dmg file for macOS.
  2. Open the .dmg and drag Braidr to your Applications folder.
  3. Launch Braidr from Applications. On first launch, macOS may ask you to confirm you trust the app — click Open.

💡 Tip

Braidr runs entirely on your computer. It never connects to the internet, never uploads your writing, and works fully offline.

Creating your first project

When you launch Braidr for the first time, you'll see the Welcome Screen with options to create a new project or open an existing one.

  1. Click New Project.
  2. Choose a template (or start blank). Braidr ships with several story structure templates: Three-Act Structure, Save the Cat, and Hero's Journey. Each one pre-fills plot point sections for your characters.
  3. Pick a folder on your computer where the project will be saved. Braidr creates one markdown file per character, a timeline.json for reading order, and a notes/ folder.
  4. Name your first POV character and click Create.

ℹī¸ Info

Your project is just a folder of files. You can put it in Dropbox, iCloud, or a git repository and it will sync across machines. See the File Format page for the full specification.

The four views

Braidr organizes your work around four main views, accessible from the toolbar at the top of the window:

  • POV View — Plan one character's story at a time. Scenes are grouped into plot point sections (Hook, Setup, Midpoint, etc.). Learn more →
  • Braided View — See all scenes from all characters woven into reading order. Three sub-views: List, Rails, and Table. Learn more →
  • Editor — Write your scenes with a three-panel layout: scene navigator, rich text editor, and properties panel. Learn more →
  • Notes — A wiki-style knowledge base with folders, wikilinks, backlinks, and a graph view for world-building. Learn more →

The toolbar

The toolbar at the top of Braidr gives you quick access to everything:

  • View tabs (POV, Braided, Editor) — switch between planning and writing modes.
  • Compile — export your scenes into a manuscript. Learn more →
  • Tag filters (Tags, People, Locations) — filter any view by tags. Learn more →
  • Search (⌘K) — instantly find scenes, notes, characters, and tags. Learn more →

Where your files live

Braidr stores everything as plain files in the project folder you chose:

  • Character files (CharacterName.md) — one markdown file per POV character containing scenes, sections, and tags.
  • Timeline (timeline.json) — the reading order, chapter markers, scene positions, and metadata.
  • Notes (notes/) — HTML files for your knowledge base.

Because everything is plain text, you can open these files in any text editor, version them with git, or back them up however you like. Braidr never locks you in.

💡 Tip

Ready to dive deeper? Head to Projects & Templates to learn about templates and project structure, or jump straight to POV View to start planning.