Getting started

Launch

1. Open YarnDraft (desktop app or browser).
2. On the project launcher screen, choose:
   • New project — name + folder (desktop app)
   • Open — a recent project from the list or a folder
   • Import JSON — restore a full project from an export file

Create your first project

1. Click New project.
2. Enter a name (e.g. “Demo story”).
3. Pick a folder on your computer — this is where project.json and the assets/ folder will live.
4. The project opens; the project tree is on the left, the Main flow chart in the center.

Synced folders

If the project lives in a Dropbox, OneDrive, or iCloud folder, a warning banner may appear. Editing on two machines at once can cause conflicts — prefer Cloud collaboration with Drafts instead.

Recommended first steps

1. Entities → create at least two speakers from the Character template (name, optional portrait).
2. Flow chart → add a Dialogue card from the top toolbar.
3. Open the scene’s inner canvas (Edit lines and branches), add dialogue lines.
4. Settings → set language and theme.

Saving your project

• In the desktop app, changes are saved automatically to the project folder.
• Export JSON (left sidebar) — full backup in a single file.
• Cloud collaboration (top menu) — use Save to Cloud on your own Draft, then Submit for Review. The shared base changes only after review and merge. See Cloud collaboration with Drafts.

Next up

• Navigation & project tree
• Canvas basics