Why each tool exists · how to use it

Why use it

Textuary is a private manuscript desk. Each library is a sealed folder of books so a fantasy series never collides with Bible notes or another novel.

How to use it

1. 1 Create a library (standalone book or a series of books).
2. 2 Add a book, then Import a file or Index a manuscript folder.
3. 3 Use Search, Story Arc, Study, Narrate, and the graphs from the tab strip.
4. 4 Open Guide anytime from the toolbar or Help menu.

Why use it

Until a book has text indexed, Search and the graphs have nothing to show. Setup is three short steps.

How to use it

1. 1 Click + → New Library… (or the welcome button).
2. 2 Add a book with + → New Book…
3. 3 Import a file (+ → Import file into work…) or right-click the book → Index manuscript folder…
4. 4 Open Canon Graph → Refresh canon if you want a cast without writing a character list.

Why use it

Use Search when you need a quote, a name, or every place a motif appears — without opening every chapter.

How to use it

1. 1 Open the Search tab (toolbar magnifying glass).
2. 2 Type a word or phrase. Multi-word names are searched as a phrase when you click a character from a graph.
3. 3 Click a hit to open that chapter with the match highlighted.
4. 4 Optionally narrow Scope in the sidebar to one book.

Why use it

Story Arc helps you feel where each chapter sits in the journey — useful for pacing and “where was I?” after a break.

How to use it

1. 1 Open the Story Arc tab.
2. 2 Pick a book in Scope (or leave All books for a series overview).
3. 3 Browse the labeled chapters and click one to read it.

Why use it

Study gathers long-form writer tools in one place so you can keep lore, spelling, and themes consistent as the manuscript grows.

How to use it

1. 1 Open the Study tab.
2. 2 Choose a tool in the left sidebar (dossier, ledger, motifs, and more).
3. 3 Many tools work best after you Refresh canon and Scan mentions on the graphs.

Why use it

Listen for rhythm, awkward sentences, and pronunciation while you walk or rest your eyes.

How to use it

1. 1 Open Narrate and pick chapters to queue.
2. 2 Choose a voice and start synthesis (internet required for Edge neural voices).
3. 3 Optionally open the pronunciation editor for names that should sound a certain way.
4. 4 Export MP3s or build an .m4b when you are ready.

Why use it

Canon Graph answers “who is in this story?” so Study and Network Graph have a reliable cast.

How to use it

1. 1 Open the Canon Graph tab.
2. 2 Click Refresh canon.
3. 3 If you have reference/character-list.txt, those names become canon.
4. 4 If you don’t, Textuary mines likely names from the manuscript (soft-canon, labeled mined).
5. 5 Click a name for a popup: Search, or Remove from cast (mined names only).

Why use it

See relationships by co-occurrence — who shares scenes — after names exist in the cast.

How to use it

1. 1 First build a cast (Canon Graph → Refresh canon).
2. 2 Open Network Graph.
3. 3 Click Scan mentions so Textuary finds names in chapter text.
4. 4 Click a node for Search and related people.

Why use it

Catch double introductions, repeated phrases, and diction drift without sending your draft to an AI.

How to use it

1. 1 Open Book Editor from the + menu.
2. 2 Run a scan on the selected book.
3. 3 Review findings by rule and jump to the cited line.
4. 4 Export a report if you want a checklist outside the app.

Why use it

Useful for revisions, parallel scenes, or checking continuity between two moments.

How to use it

1. 1 Open Compare from the + menu (or from a Cross-ref in Study).
2. 2 Pick a left chapter and a right chapter.
3. 3 Scroll and read; both stay inside the current library silo.

Why use it

Jump around a long project without searching — browse structure first, then open a chapter.

How to use it

1. 1 + → Series Overview for all books in the library.
2. 2 + → Book Overview for one book’s chapters.
3. 3 + → Chapter Overview for a filterable chapter table.
4. 4 Click a row to open the manuscript.

Why use it

This is your reading desk — mark passages, leave notes, and pick up where you left off.

How to use it

1. 1 Open a chapter from Search, Story Arc, or an overview.
2. 2 Select text to highlight or attach a note.
3. 3 Set a resume bookmark when you pause.
4. 4 Export the chapter or citations when needed.

Why use it

Build a living index card for a person without leaving the app.

How to use it

1. 1 Study → Character dossier.
2. 2 Pick a character (after canon + mention scan).
3. 3 Review appearances and co-travelers; search to jump into text.

Why use it

Lock continuity decisions that aren’t obvious from a name list alone.

How to use it

1. 1 Study → Continuity ledger.
2. 2 Add a fact tied to a book or chapter.
3. 3 Tag and revisit when drafting later scenes.

Why use it

Catch Braeg vs Brágh drift before it spreads through the draft.

How to use it

1. 1 Build canon names first.
2. 2 Study → Name consistency → Scan.
3. 3 Open hits and decide which spelling is correct.

Why use it

See beats you planned but never drafted — or chapters that aren’t in the outline.

How to use it

1. 1 Study → Outline vs manuscript.
2. 2 Review covered / missing / extra items.

Why use it

Review research and favorite lines without hunting chapter by chapter.

How to use it

1. 1 Highlight and note while reading.
2. 2 Study → Passage notebooks to browse them together.

Why use it

Mark intentional echoes — prophecy and fulfillment, call and answer — inside one library.

How to use it

1. 1 Study → Cross-refs.
2. 2 Create a link between two chapters.
3. 3 Open Compare when you want both on screen.

Why use it

Track light/dark, mercy, or any motif as chapters progress.

How to use it

1. 1 Study → Theme / motif tracker.
2. 2 Add a lens with a search query.
3. 3 Browse chapters that hit that motif.

Why use it

Guide a reread, a beta pass, or a study sequence through the book.

How to use it

1. 1 Study → Reading plans.
2. 2 Create a plan and add chapters.
3. 3 Check items off as you go.

Why use it

Take a portable study packet to another tool or share with a trusted reader.

How to use it

1. 1 Study → Export study pack.
2. 2 Choose what to include and save the Markdown file.

Why use it

After a Fileshare rewrite or re-index, review what moved in a chapter.

How to use it

1. 1 Study → Chapter version diff.
2. 2 Pick a chapter that has a stored prior revision.

Why use it

Quick headcount before you rewrite a scene.

How to use it

1. 1 Scan mentions on Network Graph first.
2. 2 Study → Cast roll-call and pick a chapter.

Why use it

A library is a hard wall. Search, Study, and graphs never leak across libraries.

How to use it

1. 1 + → New Library… (standalone or series).
2. 2 + → New Book… inside that library.
3. 3 Drag libraries in the sidebar to reorder.
4. 4 Delete a library only when you are sure — it removes the index for that silo.

Why use it

Fastest path when you have an epub, docx, or text export — not a chapter folder yet.

How to use it

1. 1 Select the book under Scope.
2. 2 + → Import file into work…
3. 3 Choose a non-DRM file and wait for indexing.

Why use it

Use this when you already keep manuscript/ and optional reference/ on disk.

How to use it

1. 1 Right-click the book → Index manuscript folder…
2. 2 Choose the book root that contains manuscript/.
3. 3 Textuary indexes chapter files into the library.

Why use it

Collaborate or keep the “source of truth” on a NAS while Textuary indexes a fast local cache. Import and Index work fine without Fileshare.

How to use it

1. 1 Right-click the book → Point to Fileshare folder…
2. 2 Store credentials in Keychain when prompted.
3. 3 Use Sync & index Fileshare now when you want a fresh pull.
4. 4 Reveal share cache in Finder if you need to inspect files.

Why use it

After you edit files outside Textuary, re-index so Search and Study see the new words.

How to use it

1. 1 Right-click a book → Re-index this book, or re-index all books from the library menu.
2. 2 Wait for the status bar to confirm.

Why use it

Scope focuses Search, Story Arc, and following graphs on the book you’re working on.

How to use it

1. 1 In the sidebar, select the library, then a book — or clear book selection for all books.
2. 2 Tabs that “follow book scope” update automatically.

Why use it

Keep Search, graphs, and Study open together — pin important tabs so they survive library switches.

How to use it

1. 1 Click a tab to switch tools.
2. 2 Pin a tab from its chip menu so it stays when you change libraries.
3. 3 Group tabs with colors when a project gets busy.
4. 4 Command-[ and Command-] move back and forward.

Why use it

Return tomorrow to the same Search, graphs, and Study layout.

How to use it

1. 1 Session menu → Save session (named).
2. 2 Later: Session → Open that name.
3. 3 The current session also restores automatically on launch.

Why use it

See where the index lives and keep Privacy Mode on unless you deliberately enable AI features.

How to use it

1. 1 Textuary → Settings…
2. 2 Review Index paths, Sessions, Isolation, and AI privacy.

Why use it

Open Guide from the toolbar or Help menu while you work — no browser required.

How to use it

1. 1 Click Guide in the tab strip, or the ? toolbar button.
2. 2 Or Help → Textuary Guide (⌘?).
3. 3 Search topics, read Why / How / Tips, then Open the matching tool.