Local Files

Lines is local-first. Your working product document is saved on your Mac as readable Markdown, not hidden behind a proprietary cloud canvas.

You choose where the file lives, how it is backed up, how it is versioned, and when it is shared.

Human-readable and machine-readable

A Lines Markdown file combines readable project content with deterministic, machine-readable sections. Depending on what you create, the file can store:

• Pages and canvas state.

• Nodes and connections.

• Views and bindings.

• Freehand strokes and vector paths.

• Design text and images.

• Layout guides.

• Supporting Markdown documents.

This gives people an inspectable source of truth while preserving the structure software and agents need to work with the model.

Save it where your work belongs

Use Command + S to save and Command + Shift + S to save a copy or choose a different location. After a document has a saved location, Lines autosaves local edits once changes settle.

Because the document is a file you control, you can move it, duplicate it, archive it, include it in an existing repository, or inspect it in a text editor. Your operating-system backup or sync settings may also apply if you place the file in a managed folder.

Share deliberately

Lines does not require the working project file to be uploaded to a Lines account. Agent handoff happens through an explicit Ship export, and ordinary file sharing happens through the tools and destinations you choose.

That means the privacy boundary is easy to understand:

• Editing stays on your device by default.

• Saving writes to the location you select.

• Exporting creates a separate handoff artifact.

• Sharing is an action you control.

Local-first is not the same as encrypted

Lines files should be protected like any other project file on your Mac. The current format is designed to be inspectable; it is not a private vault and should not be assumed to provide file-level encryption.

Use macOS account security, FileVault, appropriate filesystem permissions, trusted backup tools, and your organization’s data-handling practices when a project contains confidential information.

Local-first is ultimately about ownership: your product model remains useful outside the application, and access to your work does not depend on a hosted editor staying online.

Learn more about files and local-first storage in the documentation — /docs/files-and-local-first-storage.