Getting Started

This guide walks you through opening zudotext for the first time and writing your first message.

First Launch

The first time you open the app — desktop or browser — it asks you to sign in and connect a workspace. Your notes live in an encrypted cloud workspace, so there is nothing to edit until one is open. Nothing is scaffolded on your local disk.

The short version:

1. Sign in to your Better Auth account with email and password — or create an account right there if you don't have one yet, and use Forgot password? if you do but can't remember it. Some deploys also offer Continue with Google.

2. If your account has no workspaces, read the Welcome screen and choose Create your first workspace. You can also sign out if you used the wrong account.

3. Create a workspace (name, master password, starter content preset), or pick an existing workspace if your account already has some.

4. The editor mounts. Your master password unlocks the workspace; the app remembers the derived key on this device so later launches go straight in.

Cloud-first onboarding covers each step in detail, including what happens when the workspace is already bound, when it has been deleted, and what the unlock screen is for.

Each app instance is bound to exactly one workspace. Generating a second text app gives it its own binding and its own onboarding on first launch — see ROOT app.

App Layout

The app opens to a single Inbox frame — a markdown editor for writing your message, with a live preview toggle. You can split it into additional panes using the command palette or the frame split controls, and each pane can host a different view (editor, preview, Pile View, a board, and so on — see Frame components). The toolbar at the top provides navigation and layout controls.

Writing Your First Message

1. Type in the editor — Write your message in markdown. The editor supports Vim mode by default (configurable in Settings).

2. Ask AI for help — Type @@ at the start of a line, or press Mod+J, to run an inline AI command over your text. The AI assistant panel is available as a frame for longer back-and-forth.

3. Preview your message — Press Mod+E to toggle between the editor and the rendered markdown preview.

4. Archive the message — When done, use the command palette (Mod+K) to archive the message. It is moved to archives/ as the next numbered note (N.md).

Navigation

The toolbar's left cluster holds your header pins — icon buttons that install a whole layout in one click. Two ship by default:

• Inbox — The main writing view (editor frame)

• Archives — Browse previously written messages (the same Note Tray view as Inbox, pointed at archives/)

You can add your own pins for other directories and layouts — see Header pins.

There is no separate Search page — open Pile View from either tray to search locally or across everything in the workspace.

Key Shortcuts

Mod is Cmd on macOS and Ctrl on Windows/Linux. All shortcuts are customizable in Settings.

Your settings are stored in the workspace, so these customizations follow you to every device signed into it.