Docs
Get started
Download NWriter and open a folder. An empty folder is a new book. If you already have a manuscript, start by importing it.
Install the app
Download the installer for your computer, open NWriter, sign in, and pick a model. Your preferences stay under ~/.nwriter/. This is a desktop app, not something you run in a terminal.
- macOS: open the .dmg and drag NWriter into Applications.
- Windows: run the installer, then open NWriter from the Start menu.
- Sign in once, then choose a model. If you have no keys yet, the site can send default routes.
Open a folder
Open an empty folder for a new book, or a folder that already has a .txt file. If the folder is not set up yet, NWriter asks whether to turn it into a book. Say yes and it splits chapters, then starts sorting out the world, people, and style in the background.
- An empty folder is a new book. Describe what you want in the chat, or pick a settings template.
- A .txt file is saved as the original text, then settings are sorted out from it.
- Once a folder is open, you can also start from Browse novels.
The three panes
Left: conversations and background jobs. Center: the chat, a chapter preview, or job progress. Right: the book — settings, people, chapters. Write here. Git and the terminal stay hidden unless you turn them on.
- Click a file in the tree to preview it in the center.
- Start a new conversation when you switch jobs: continue, check, revise.
- Background jobs sit under the conversation list. They are not one chat reply.