Write the book.
Not the file.
Folio gives novelists the tools developers have had for decades — structure, revision, fast navigation, AI assistance — without the spreadsheet feel of writing apps. Your manuscript stays in plain Markdown on your disk.
Structure left.
Words middle.
Tools right.
Familiar to anyone who's ever opened VS Code — but with chapters instead of files, prose instead of code, and an inspector that knows what a manuscript actually is.
- →Drag-and-drop chapters and parts in the sidebar
- →Per-chapter status: Draft · Revised · Final, with locking
- →Tabs, split view, and a focused, distraction-free editor
- →Status bar tracks daily goal, word count, reading time
See your story shape.
Not a corkboard. A timeline. Folio reads your chapter metadata and shows you act structure, POV coverage, in-story time, thread weaving, and tension — the things a corkboard can't.
- →Timeline view with acts, POV, location, story-time lanes
- →Beat sheets — Save the Cat, Hero's Journey, or your own
- →Thread tracker spots subplots that go silent too long
- →Tension curve flags pacing dips before readers do
Your editor, on call.
One unified AI tab. Chat about the manuscript, transform a selection, or stream a rewrite — Muse reads your chapter, your codex, and your style notes. Bring your own API keys, or run Gemma locally with no network.
- →Rephrase · Synonyms · Expand · Compress · Continue · Tone
- →Side-by-side compare before you replace anything
- →Save AI results as annotations or notes — never auto-applied
- →Local Gemma support for fully offline writing sessions
A world bible
Characters, places, lore. Every mention in the manuscript is hyperlinked back. Folio's auto-extract proposes new entries as you write; you decide what's canon.
- →Characters · places · factions · lore · arbitrary notes
- →Inline mention highlighting with one-click link
- →AI auto-extract suggests entries from your prose
- →Knowledge graph reveals relationships across the book
Queequeg
Character · HarpoonerEvery feature,
on a single shelf.
Folio is one app that does everything a book needs — drafting, planning, revision, codex, AI, export. No add-ons. No tiers.
Project & Files
- Local-first .folio projects
- Plain Markdown chapter files
- Chapter and part organization
- Drag-and-drop chapter reorder
- Chapter status — Draft, Revised, Final
- Final chapter locking
- Autosave
- Snapshot history
- Restore previous versions
- Project recents and project picker
- EPUB import
Writing
- Focused manuscript editor
- Whole-book reader view
- Find and replace
- Word count and reading time
- Daily writing goal tracking
- Writing dashboard
- Typography and theme settings
- Light, dark, and custom themes
- Keyboard shortcuts panel
Planning
- Planning timeline
- Beat planner*
- Thread tracker*
- Corkboard view
- Chapter metadata — POV, setting, purpose, timeline, tension, tags
Revision
- Revision panel
- Selection notes and annotations
- TODO, FIXME, and NOTE scanning
Codex
- Codex for characters, places, lore, and notes
- Codex search and quick open
- Per-chapter codex links
- Autolink suggestions from manuscript mentions*
- AI codex auto-extract
- Knowledge graph tools*
Muse — AI
- AI chat panel
- AI rewrite and transform cards
- Rephrase, expand, compress, tone change, dialogue fix, summarize, continue
- Save AI results as notes or annotations*
- Side-by-side AI comparison
- Local Gemma support
- Remote AI provider support
- Local model readiness and download UI
Export & Misc
- Export to Markdown, TXT, DOCX, EPUB
- Export warnings and final-only export
- UI in 5 languages — English, Ukrainian, German, Spanish, French
- Beat planner — 4 presets are live (Save the Cat, Hero's Journey, Three-Act, Story Circle). Custom beat templates are next.
- Thread tracker — manual tagging works today. Auto-detection and richer thread analytics are in progress.
- Autolink suggestions — inline mention highlighting and one-click linking from manuscript to codex is coming.
- Knowledge graph — relationship graph across characters, places, and lore is in active development.
- Save AI results as notes — for now, Muse responses live in the chat panel. Save-as-note / save-as-annotation is on the way.
Your manuscript
stays yours.
A .folio project is a folder of plain Markdown files. Open it in any editor. Put it in any version control. No vendor lock-in, no cloud sync we can pull, no subscription that holds your work hostage.
Free. Honestly.
The whole editor is free. AI is bring-your-own-key — you pay providers directly. We may offer a hosted plan later for writers who'd rather not manage keys; you'll never need it to use Folio.
☕If you'd like to support the project, you can buy me a coffeeThe full editor. All features. Bring your own AI keys (OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini) or run Gemma locally for free.
- ✓Everything in the editor
- ✓Bring your own AI keys
- ✓Local Gemma — fully offline
- ✓All future updates
If managing API keys isn't your thing, we plan to offer a proxy plan: same Folio, AI included — plus secure cloud storage so your books are backed up and safe.
- —No API keys needed
- —Secure cloud storage for your books
- —Faster onboarding
- —Generous monthly AI allowance
- —Local Gemma still included
Help us grow
Folio is a solo passion project. Every share, upvote, and back brings it closer to the writers who need it.
Help fund development and get early access rewards.
Your vote helps more writers discover Folio.
Behind-the-scenes, updates, and the writing journey.
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A small tip keeps the solo dev going.