Try justwrite on a disposable draft.

Install

1. Download the beta DMG and open it.
2. Drag justwrite to Applications, then launch that copy.
3. If macOS blocks the app, record the exact message. Do not disable Gatekeeper or remove quarantine attributes.
4. Updates are manual. Quit justwrite, back up your writing folder, then replace the app in Applications with the new download. Do not delete your documents or app data.

Windows and Linux (experimental). On Windows, run the installer. It is not code-signed yet, so Windows shows “Windows protected your PC”; choose More info, then Run anyway, only if the file's SHA-256 matches the published one. On Ubuntu 22.04 or later or Debian 12 or later, install the .deb with sudo apt install ./justwrite-0.2.0-linux-amd64.deb, or make the AppImage executable and run it. These builds pass the automated tests but have not been tried by people yet, so reports are especially useful. On Linux, Quick Capture's global shortcut may not register under Wayland.

First useful test

Make a new, empty folder for testing. Open Preferences with Command , and, under Files, set that folder as the writing folder. Press Command N, name the document Morning Draft, and write a sentence or two.

Quit justwrite, reopen it, and press Command K. Morning Draft should be at the top of the list with your text intact, and Morning Draft.md should be in the folder in Finder.

Things worth trying

• Type part of a name in the palette to open a document, or @ to jump to a heading.
• Command Shift T cycles typewriter scrolling. Command Shift F dims text outside the current line.
• Open Document Alongside from the File menu, or Command Return for a read-only mirror.
• Command Shift Y opens version history. Create a named checkpoint and restore it as a copy.
• Control Option Space opens Quick Capture from any app and appends to Quick Capture.md.
• In Preferences, try the dark, light, and sepia themes and the Always, Auto-fade, and Hidden footer choices.
• New in 0.2.0: paste or drop an image, insert a table from the palette, add a footnote with [^1], and watch quotes and dashes turn typographic as you type.
• Run Compile Workspace from the palette and choose Word (.docx) for a standard manuscript file.
• Command Shift H replaces text across the whole folder with a preview and an Undo.
• Start a writing sprint from the palette, try Read Aloud from the View menu, and turn on local highlighting (Command Shift E) for offline grammar checks.
• If something goes wrong, Help → Report a Problem prepares a report you can review and copy. It sends nothing on its own.

Optional AI

AI is disabled by default. If you configure an endpoint in Preferences, the Sounding Board (Command J), ghost text (+++), and Structural Review (Command Shift R) send the context each feature describes, only when you use it. Opening Structural Review does not send text until you press Run review.

Requests go directly from the app to your provider, not through a justwrite server. The app asks you to confirm any new endpoint, and your API key stays in the system keychain, where only the app's native code uses it and only for that endpoint. Find local models in Preferences connects to a model server running on your Mac. Use only endpoints you trust, and keep AI disabled if you do not want text sent anywhere.

Known limits

• On macOS, Apple silicon only; Intel Macs are not part of this beta. Windows and Linux builds are experimental.
• Crash recovery, screen reader use, and installation across many Macs have not been fully validated.
• Word counts count whitespace-separated text, including standalone Markdown symbols.
• Editing inside or right at the edge of an AI suggestion cancels it without a notice. Request it again if needed.

Send useful feedback

Email [email protected]. A short note is enough. Use synthetic text where you can, and never include API keys or a private manuscript. If text seems lost, stop editing that file and keep copies of the folder before experimenting.

justwrite version: 0.2.0
macOS, Windows, or Linux version / computer model:
Fresh install or update from:
Theme / footer choice / writing modes:
AI disabled, or provider/model (no key):
What I was trying to do:
Steps to reproduce:
Expected result:
Actual result:
Does it happen in a new disposable folder?
Did any text disappear or change unexpectedly?