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Learn Glyphary by opening a real vault and editing one note.

This manual is written for hands-on use: it helps new users get productive and gives evaluators a concrete tour of Glyphary's real workflows. Work through the sections in order once, then use the sidebar as a reference.

Five-minute path

Open Glyphary.
Choose File -> Open Vault... and select a folder of Markdown files.
Double-click a file in the left drawer.
Type in the editor, then press Cmd+S.
Press Cmd+P and run Insert callout.

What to learn first

Vaults are folders on disk; Glyphary does not import notes.
The left drawer is for navigation. The right drawer is for context.
Everything important saves as Markdown, JSON settings, or asset files in the vault.
Settings are per vault and live in .glyphary/config.json.

Core Concepts

Vault: A folder on disk that contains Markdown files, assets, settings, snippets, plugins, and calendar notes.
Note: A Markdown file opened in an editor tab. Rich blocks render visually, but the saved file remains readable Markdown.
Left drawer: The vault drawer. It contains Files, Search, Recent, and Tasks views.
Right drawer: The inspector drawer. It contains Source/Export, Table of Contents, and Calendar views.
Tidbit: A fast note created from a configurable path pattern, useful for capture before organization.

Important: Glyphary remembers your last vault, active file, and recent files. It does not currently persist left/right drawer open state.

Open A Vault

Use File -> Open Vault... from the native menu and choose the vault root folder.

Open the File menu.
Select Open Vault....
Choose a folder that contains Markdown notes.
Wait for the status bar to finish showing Indexing....
Double-click a Markdown file to open it.

Glyphary workspace with an open vault — Main workspace after a vault is open.

Workspace Tour

The app window is split into stable regions so scrolling one area does not move the rest.

Top controlsSave, split/unsplit, theme mode, tabs, and active document title.

Left drawerVault files, search, and recent files.

Center editorThe active tab group or split pane. Each editor scrolls independently.

Right drawerSource/Export, document table of contents, and Calendar.

Status barSave status, index status, Vim mode transitions, and diagnostic messages.

Native menus

On macOS, use the system menu bar for File, Settings, About, Save, and theme commands. Redundant in-window File/New controls are hidden on macOS.

Use The Left Drawer

The left drawer opens expanded by default and has Files, Search, Recent, and Tasks views.

Single-click a directory to enter it as the current top-level view.
Use Back to move up until you reach the vault root.
Double-click a file to open it in the active editor pane.
Double-click a directory to open its shadow note.
The path shown under Files is relative to the vault root and omits the Markdown extension.
Dotfiles and dot folders are hidden by default.

Search

Search can match filenames or Markdown file contents. Content search runs inside Glyphary using the same grep crates that power ripgrep-style matching, so no external rg binary is required.

Recent

Recent shows the newest files you opened in this vault. Opening a recent item activates it in the current editor pane and updates the left-drawer selection when the file is available in the current vault.

Tasks

Tasks scans visible Markdown files for task-list items such as - [ ] and - [x]. Dotfiles and dot folders are excluded. Use the filters to show incomplete, complete, or all tasks; use the search field to narrow the displayed list; and sort by task text or file date.

File And Folder Actions

Right-click entries in the Files view to create notes, create folders, rename folders, move files or folders, or delete files after confirmation.

Create noteCreate a Markdown file inside a folder and open it in the active pane.

Create folderCreate a child directory inside the selected folder.

Rename folderRenames the folder and a matching shadow note from old/old.md to new/new.md.

Move file or folderChoose a destination from the folder tree rooted at the vault.

Delete fileRequires confirmation. Deletion is destructive.

Moving or renaming files updates open tabs, recent files, and the in-memory wikilink index immediately so the workspace keeps pointing at the new path.

Editor Basics

The editor is WYSIWYG, but it serializes back to Markdown.

Save and autosave

Press Cmd+S to save the active document.
Autosave is enabled by default and saves the active page once per minute.
Glyphary only saves when the active file has been modified.
The page title can be renamed by double-clicking the displayed title.

Code blocks

Supported highlighted languages are Plain text, Python, Shell, JavaScript, TypeScript, JSON, Rust, SQL, HTML, CSS, and Markdown. Common aliases such as bash, js, ts, rs, and md are recognized.

When the cursor is inside a code block, the language picker appears on that block. Pressing Tab inside a code block inserts indentation instead of moving focus away from the editor, and the editor uses four-space tab sizing.

Command Palette

Press Cmd+P, type to filter, use arrow keys to move, Enter to run, and Esc to close.

Create TidbitCreate a note from the vault tidbit path pattern.

Insert rich linkFetch URL metadata and insert a rich link block.

Insert Excalidraw drawingCreate and embed an editable vault drawing.

Insert columnsInsert a two-column Markdown container.

Gallery layoutWrap selected image embeds in a visual gallery.

Insert calloutInsert a note callout block.

Insert collapseInsert a collapsed details block.

Insert table of contentsInsert a rendered ```toc block.

AI Actions

Glyphary can run AI commands against an OpenAI-compatible backend. AI commands are hidden until they are enabled in Settings, so the command palette stays focused when no AI provider is configured.

Configure AI

Open Settings and choose the AI tab.
Enable AI commands.
Enter the backend base URL and API key.
Click Refresh Models to load compatible chat models from the backend.
Select a model, then click Test API. A green status dot means the configured backend accepted a test request.

The default backend shape follows the OpenAI-compatible API convention: a base URL such as https://api.openai.com/v1, an API key, and a selected chat model.

Run AI commands

Open the command palette with Cmd+P, choose AI ..., then select the command you want to run. Most commands work on selected text; commands such as Generate title and Continue writing can use the current note and cursor context.

Improve writingRewrite selected text for clearer wording without changing its intent.

Fix spelling and grammarApply a light correction pass to selected text.

Shorten / ExpandCompress verbose text or elaborate terse notes.

Change toneMake selected text more formal, casual, direct, or polished.

SummarizeTurn selected text into a concise summary.

Extract tasksConvert selected text into actionable task items.

Create outlineTransform selected notes into headings and bullets.

Generate titleSuggest a page title from the current note or selection.

Continue writingContinue from the cursor using nearby page context.

Explain selectionExplain the selected concept in simpler terms.

Review before editing

While the request is running, Glyphary shows an AI progress overlay so the editor does not appear frozen. AI output is then shown in a review dialog before Glyphary changes the note. Use Replace Selection when the result should overwrite the selected text, or Insert Below when you want to keep the original and add the result after it. Press Esc to dismiss the review dialog without applying the response.

Privacy boundary: non-builder AI actions send the current command, the selected text or cursor context needed for that command, and the relevant note context to your configured backend. Glyphary does not send the whole vault for these actions.

AI Builder

AI Builder is part of the AI command group. It creates or revises page sections in the current editor, then shows a review dialog before anything is inserted or replaced.

Use the current page

Ask for page-local work such as drafting a section, creating columns, adding callouts, continuing from the cursor, or refining a previously inserted AI Builder block. When you run a follow-up prompt, Glyphary targets the latest still-present AI Builder block so the result can replace it instead of appending another copy.

AI Builder keeps a per-file conversation history. Previously applied Builder results are tracked with invisible Markdown comments so follow-up requests can replace the generated region cleanly while leaving normal rendered editing uncluttered.

Use matching vault notes

If the prompt asks about the vault, all pages, matching notes, related files, tasks, or todos, Glyphary first performs local bounded retrieval. It searches visible Markdown files, reads a small number of matching notes, includes compact excerpts and snippets, and asks the AI to cite source notes with [[Note Name]] links.

Summarize all pages pertaining to opensips.
Create a table of open tasks related to networking.
Build a project brief from notes about database migrations.

Follow up on retrieved pages

AI Builder also understands reference-style prompts. For example, this request searches visible Markdown notes for opensips, then builds a table from the matching pages:

Create a table with links to all the pages that reference opensips

After applying the result, you can reopen AI Builder and refine the same generated block:

Create a summary of what these pages have to say under the table

Generated images and assets

If the Builder proposes external images, logos, or other visual assets, Glyphary opens an asset review step before applying the page change. Approved assets are imported into the vault image directory and the generated Markdown is rewritten to use normal local vault image references.

Privacy boundary: AI Builder does not give the model filesystem access and does not send the whole vault. It sends only bounded local search results, selected excerpts, current-page context, and your prompt to the configured AI backend.

Metadata And Frontmatter

Frontmatter is hidden from the WYSIWYG body, preserved on save, and editable in a collapsed plain-text metadata area.

---
tags:
  - databases
  - devops
feature: _assets_/Pasted image 20230102173741.png
---

Frontmatter pills default to the tags header and support tags: [draft, project] and block lists.

Tabs And Split Editing

Glyphary can keep multiple documents open and split the editor into two independent tab groups.

Split editor with two panes — Split editing with independent tab groups.

Use The Right Drawer

The right drawer is closed by default and includes Source/Export, Table of Contents, and Calendar.

Source/ExportInspect the Markdown source and export-oriented output for the active tab.

Table of ContentsLists headings from the active document; click an entry to jump to that heading.

CalendarBrowse months and double-click a day to open or create the matching calendar note.

Search And Wikilinks

Search by filename or content. Content search is built into Glyphary and uses bounded in-process grep-style matching across visible vault files.

Vault search view — Vault search with results in the left drawer.

[[Dad Jokes]]
[[Calendar/Mon, Dec 22nd 2025]]

Typing [[ opens page search. Exact vault-relative matches win first; duplicate basename matches show a chooser. The chooser supports arrow-key navigation and Enter selection.

Markdown Features

Tables

Use the table icon to insert a table. When inside a table, palette commands appear for rows, columns, and table deletion.

Task lists

- [ ] Collect screenshots
- [x] Open the vault

Inline table of contents block

```toc
```

When not editing the block, Glyphary renders it as a table of contents.

Columns

::: columns
::: column
Left content
:::

::: column
Right content
:::
:::

Callouts

::: callout warning "Database Migration"
Back up the database first.
:::

Supported visual types include note, info, tip, and warning.

Glyphary callouts — Callout type controls the visual treatment.

Collapse blocks

::: collapse "More details"
Hidden content starts collapsed.
:::

::: collapse "Already open" open
This starts expanded.
:::

Rich links

Run Insert rich link, paste a URL, and Glyphary fetches metadata. If no metadata image exists, it tries an early page image.

Glyphary rich link cards — Rich link cards render fetched metadata.

Excalidraw drawings

Run Insert Excalidraw drawing to create a drawing under _assets_/drawings.

![[_assets_/drawings/System sketch 20230102173741.excalidraw]]

HTML blocks

Use Insert HTML block from the toolbar or command palette to insert an editable HTML block. Glyphary renders a sanitized preview and keeps the source editable inside the block. Script-like tags and unsafe attributes are stripped from the preview; the feature is for trusted note content, not for running arbitrary app code.

<div class="note-card">
  <strong>Hello</strong>
</div>

Canvas Files

Glyphary can open Obsidian-compatible .canvas files from the vault. Double-click a canvas file in the Files drawer and it opens in a tab as a graph editor. Canvas files use a connected-node file icon in the Files and Recent drawers so they are easy to distinguish from Markdown notes.

Glyphary canvas file with connected notes and cards — Canvas files open as editable graphs with cards, note previews, media, groups, and edges.

Open and navigate a canvas

Pan and zoom with the canvas controls, mouse wheel, or trackpad gestures.
Use the minimap to understand larger graphs.
Drag text, file, and link nodes to update the saved layout.
Group nodes act as visual regions behind other nodes; they are not moved as regular nodes.

Add nodes

Right-click empty canvas space and choose Add Card to create a text card.
Type directly inside the new card. Use Cmd+Enter or Ctrl+Enter to commit, or Esc to cancel.
Double-click an existing card to edit its text again.
Choose Add Note From Vault or Add Media From Vault to open a tree picker. Expand folders progressively, then select the note, image, video, or audio file.
Choose Add Web Page to create a web node. Some sites block embedded previews; use the fallback link when that happens.
Choose Create Group to create a labelled visual region.

Connect and edit nodes

Drag from a node handle to another node handle to create an arrowed edge.
Select an edge and press Delete or Backspace to remove it.
Right-click any node to choose an Obsidian canvas color or remove the color.
Right-click any node and choose Delete Node to remove it and its attached edges.
Right-click empty canvas space and choose Snap To Grid to align node positions.

File nodes and compatibility

Text, file, link, and group nodes are rendered through React Flow.
Obsidian numeric colors and hex colors are shown as restrained node accents.
File nodes show a bounded Markdown preview so large canvases stay responsive.
Image, video, and audio file nodes preview in place when their vault path is allowed by the asset protocol.
Double-click a file node to open that Markdown file in the active pane.
The Source drawer switches to the canvas JSON for inspection.

Save the tab normally to write node creation, node movement, edge edits, and node deletions back to the .canvas file. Glyphary preserves unknown JSON Canvas fields so Obsidian and plugin-specific metadata can round-trip even when Glyphary does not render that metadata directly.

Images And Assets

Glyphary-managed images live in _assets_/images. Dragging or pasting an image saves it there and inserts a reference.

![[Pasted image 20260613133301.png]]
![Local image](folder/Pasted%20image%2020220413143858.png)

Bare wiki image embeds such as ![[image.png]] resolve from _assets_/images. Double-click an image in the editor to inspect it at full size, then press Esc to close the preview.

Calendar Notes

Calendar notes live under Calendar/. Double-click a day to open or create an empty note, and existing files display dots.

Calendar/Sun, Jun 14th 2026.md

Tidbits

Run Create Tidbit from the command palette to create a note from the configured path pattern.

__transit__/Objects/tidbit-{{date:YYYY-mm-DD-hh-mm-ss}}.md

Global tidbit capture

Enable global capture in Settings, focus the shortcut field, press the desired hotkey, and save settings. On macOS, Glyphary asks for accessibility permission only when this feature is enabled. The shortcut is intended for a running app with an available vault; if no vault is open, the capture window is not shown.

The capture window is a lightweight editor for the new tidbit. Its title can be renamed by double-clicking, following the same rename rules as the main editor.

Settings Reference

Settings are stored per vault at <vault root>/.glyphary/config.json.

Important defaults

Images	`_assets_/images`
Drawings	`_assets_/drawings`
CSS snippets	`_snippets_`
Plugins	`.glyphary/plugins`

Settings tabs

MainAsset directory, dotfile visibility, tidbit capture, metadata pills, Vim mode, and autosave.

AppearanceWindow glass, status bar, workspace margins, section corners, theme templates, CSS snippets, and callout rendering.

PluginsEnable vault plugins discovered under .glyphary/plugins.

AIEnable AI commands and configure the OpenAI-compatible backend.

DebugReveal diagnostic controls, including global tidbit shortcut checks.

Appearance And Theming

Appearance settings include Auto/Light/Dark, glass effect, glass opacity, status bar visibility, rounded corners, margins, theme templates, and CSS snippets.

Theme Builder groups

The builder exposes Canvas, Text, Accent And Borders, Blocks, Callouts, Syntax, Typography, and Spacing And Shape.

CSS snippets

Approve CSS snippets from _snippets_. See the dedicated theming reference.

Optional editor treatments

Appearance can add colorful heading levels, heading underlines, heading anchor markers, rich callout styling, structured callout layouts, and per-callout icons on top of the selected theme template.

Plugins

Plugins are vault-scoped and disabled by default. Install them under .glyphary/plugins.

Minimal manifest

{
  "id": "meeting_tools",
  "name": "Meeting Tools",
  "runtime": "glyphary-wasm-transform@1",
  "commands": []
}

Authoring details live in the plugin authoring guide.

Vim Mode

Enable Vim mode in Settings. The status bar reports Vim normal mode and Vim insert mode.

Shortcuts

Cmd+P	Open command palette.
Cmd+S	Save the active document.
Cmd+,	Open Settings.
Esc	Close dialogs, previews, or enter Vim Normal mode.

About And Debug

The About dialog shows the app name, tagline, and implementation stack. Debug settings expose global shortcut diagnostics.

Troubleshooting

My image does not render.

Check that the file is under _assets_/images and that the Markdown reference is local.