Documentation

Project Management (Launcher)

The launcher stays open alongside any open Lockboxes — you can open multiple projects at once and switch between them freely.

• Create a new Lockbox — choose a template first, then name your project
• Open Lockbox — opens a Lockbox file in place (from its current location on disk)
• Import Lockbox — copies a Lockbox into your Chronicle Vault folder and opens it from there
• Duplicate a project
• Rename a project
• Delete a project (moves to recycle/trash)
• Export a Lockbox (save a copy to a chosen location)
• PIN-lock a Lockbox with a combination dial interface (4 to 8 digits), with real AES-256 encryption
• Change or remove a Lockbox PIN
• Set a custom icon for a Lockbox (preset or custom image)
• Storage settings (⚙ button): change where Lockboxes and backups are saved, with an option to move existing files

Header & Project Info

• Click to edit project title inline
• Click to edit project tagline inline
• Click to edit author name inline
• Save File button (manual save)
• Auto-save indicator (shows "Auto-saved" after background saves)
• Theme button (opens the theme picker panel)

Save & Backup System

• Manual save (Ctrl+S or the Save File button)
• Auto-save on a configurable interval (1 to 5 minutes, or Never)
• Save-on-close prompt: choose Save & Close, Close Without Saving, or Cancel
• Automatic local backup copies created on a configurable interval
• Configurable number of backups to keep (5, 10, 20, or 30)
• Manage Backups window: view, restore from, or delete individual backups
• Named manual backups
• Automatic backups taken before destructive operations like Replace All

Main Tab Bar

• Brainstorm
• Timeline
• Outline
• Characters
• Organizations
• Locations
• Glossary
• Sources
• Manuscript (always visible, accessed via the button in the header)

• Click a tab to switch to it
• Double-click a tab to rename it inline
• Right-click a tab for: Rename, Change Icon, Hide Tab (built-in) or Delete Tab (custom)
• Change Icon opens an emoji picker — select any emoji or choose ∅ to remove the icon entirely
• Hide a built-in tab to remove it from the bar; your data is always preserved and the tab can be re-added any time
• The + button at the end of the tab bar opens a menu to re-add hidden tabs or create a new custom tab
• Drag to reorder tabs (enable with the ⇄ button)
• Tab bar scrolls horizontally if tabs overflow
• Global search across all tabs (🔍 button or Ctrl+K)

Lockbox Templates

Templates configure a new Lockbox with a tab layout, renamed tabs, and starter cards suited to a specific type of project. Everything can be changed after creation.

• Template selection appears when you click "+ New Lockbox" — choose before naming the project
• All templates include the Manuscript — Chronicle Vault is always built around the act of writing
• Tabs hidden by a template can always be re-added via the + button
• Available templates
• Blank — a true empty slate: no pre-filled sections, no renamed tabs, all tabs visible, one story tab called "Manuscript"
• Fiction — the full Chronicle Vault experience, all tabs visible, fiction-ready starter cards for characters, locations, and organizations
• Non-Fiction — custom People tab (entries say "+ New Person"); Outline renamed; Organizations and Glossary visible; Brainstorm sections for thesis, structure, and argument; opens with "Untitled Book"
• Research Paper — Sources and Outline front and centre; Characters renamed "Figures"; Glossary included; Brainstorm sections for thesis, literature review, methodology, and counterarguments; opens with "Untitled Paper"
• Investigation / Case File — Brainstorm renamed "Case Notes" with a pre-filled case details section; custom Persons of Interest, Witnesses, and Evidence tabs; location cards tuned for casework; opens with "Untitled Case"
• Biography — Brainstorm → Outline → Timeline → custom People tab → Locations → Organizations → Sources → Glossary; location and organization cards oriented around historical context; opens with "Manuscript"
• Game Master — Player Characters tab (built-in Characters renamed), custom NPCs and Creatures tabs; Brainstorm sections for session notes, plot threads, quests, house rules, and GM notes; opens with "Untitled Campaign"
• Screenplay — Cast (Characters), custom Scenes tab, Settings (Locations), Sources; Brainstorm sections for logline, act structure, themes, and production notes; opens with "Untitled Script"

Global Search & Replace

• Search across all content: chapters, notes, timeline, outline, glossary
• Results grouped by tab/story/entry
• Click any result to navigate directly to it
• Find & Replace with Replace and Replace All
• Replace All creates an automatic backup before executing

Manuscript

• Multiple stories (books) in one project, all peers, no hierarchy
• First/slot-1 story is visually distinct (accent-tinted tab)
• Rename any story (double-click or right-click > Rename)
• Favorite a story (star icon on tab, or right-click > Favorite/Unfavorite)
  • Favorited stories float left in the bar, behind slot-1
• Reorder stories by dragging tabs (enable with ⇄ toggle)
  • Dragging onto slot-1 swaps the two stories
• Add a new story with "+ New Story"
• Delete a story (right-click > Delete, or from the Manuscript view)
  • Slot-1 story cannot be deleted, swap it out first
• Story bar scrolls horizontally when full; click-drag to scroll

• List of chapters for the active story
• Click a chapter to open it for editing
• Double-click a chapter title to rename it
• Drag chapters to reorder (reorder toggle)
• + Add Chapter button (opens in edit mode automatically)
• Manuscript view (shows all chapters in sequence)
• Word count display (total for active story)
• Writing goal: set a daily target, track streak and progress
  • Scope options: Main Story only, Other Stories only, Both, Everything
• Export button

• Rich text formatting toolbar — slides down when you focus a chapter, sticks to the top of the content area when you scroll down far enough:
  • Bold, Italic, Underline, Strikethrough, Superscript, Subscript
  • Font family (Georgia, Times New Roman, Arial, Courier New, Palatino)
  • Font size (8pt – 36pt)
  • Text colour (preset swatches + custom hex)
  • Text highlight (preset swatches)
  • Alignment: Left, Centre, Right
  • Paragraph style: Normal, Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading 3
  • Bullet list, Numbered list, Indent, Outdent
  • Block quote (toggle — Enter at end exits the quote, Shift+Enter adds a line within it)
  • Scene break (inserts a centred · · · divider)
  • Find & Replace (chapter-level)
  • Insert Image
  • Clear Formatting (removes inline styles, headings, block quotes, highlights, and indent)
• All formatting applies across linked text without breaking links
• Spellcheck with right-click suggestions, "Ignore Word," custom Ignored Words list
• Chapter snapshots: manually save a version of a chapter at any point
  • View, rename, restore, or delete individual snapshots
  • Auto-snapshots created before any restore operation
• Reader View: opens a paginated book-format preview in a new window
  • Navigate pages with the on-screen arrows, keyboard arrow keys, or mouse scroll
  • Scrubber bar for jumping to any position
  • Per-chapter Reader View button in the manuscript view

Brainstorm

• Create named entries (brainstorm sections)
• Each entry has a color accent
• Add cards within an entry (title + notes)
• Cards and notes open in edit mode automatically when created
• Notes support rich text, links to objects, and external URLs
• Collapse/expand cards
• Drag to reorder cards within an entry, and entries in the sidebar
• Favorite entries (star icon)
• Right-click an entry in the sidebar for: Favorite, Rename, Delete
• Deletion history: deleted entries can be restored

Characters / Locations / Organizations

All three tabs share the same sheet layout. Custom tabs you create work identically.

• Create named entries with color accent
• Favorite entries (appear at top of sidebar)
• Drag to reorder entries
• Right-click an entry in the sidebar for: Favorite, Rename, Delete
• Each entry has cards and notes (same as Brainstorm), with the same right-click options as any other text editor
• Images can be inserted into card notes — use the image button in the note toolbar
• Backlinks panel on each entry: shows everywhere in the project that links to it, grouped by tab (Characters, Locations, custom tabs, Manuscript etc.) — categories are named after your actual tab names, including renamed and custom tabs, with Manuscript always last
• Deletion history for entries, cards, and notes
• Switch between List view (sidebar) and Grid/Tile view using the ☰ ⊞ toggle in the bottom-right corner — see Grid / Tile View
• Collapse the sidebar with the ‹ button on the sidebar border; click › to expand it again — state is saved per tab

• Archive bar sits between the entry title and its cards
• "+ Archive Current State" creates a named, frozen snapshot of everything on the entry, useful for tracking how a character, location, or organization changes over the course of a long story or series
• Naming an archive: prompted when created, can be renamed later via right-click
• The live entry is unaffected by archiving, keep editing it normally afterward
• Click an archive pill to view it; a banner shows you're viewing an archive, with options to Restore or Exit Archive View
• Archived content can be edited independently of the live entry
• Restore copies an archive's content back over the live entry, with a confirmation warning
• Works identically across Characters, Locations, and Organizations

Custom Tabs

Create your own sheet tabs for any type of entry your project needs — Creatures, Factions, Suspects, Props, or anything else.

• Click the + button at the end of the tab bar and choose "New custom tab…"
• Give the tab a name (e.g. "Creatures") and choose an icon from the emoji picker
• Set an entry label — what a single entry in this tab is called (e.g. "Creature")
• Custom tabs work identically to Characters, Locations, and Organizations: entries, cards, notes, archives, backlinks, favorites, drag to reorder
• Entries in custom tabs are fully linkable from anywhere in the project via "Link to Object" and Quick Create
• Backlinks track everywhere in the project that links to a custom tab entry
• Right-click a custom tab to Rename, Change Icon, or Delete it
• Deleting a custom tab preserves all its data — restore it from Deletion History to get it back with everything intact
• Custom tabs support Grid/Tile view (see Grid / Tile View)
• View preference (list or grid) is saved per tab per Lockbox

Grid / Tile View

An alternative to the sidebar list view, available on Characters, Locations, Organizations, Brainstorm, Sources, and any custom tabs.

• Toggle between List (☰) and Grid (⊞) view using the buttons in the bottom-right corner, next to the zoom control — the toggle is visible whenever you're on a compatible tab
• Grid view shows all entries as tiles with their name, color accent, and a card/note/word count summary
• Click any tile to open that entry; a "← Back to all [Tab Name]" button appears at the top of the entry, and the navigation back pill appears in the bottom-right corner
• Clicking the Characters tab button while viewing an entry returns you to whichever view you were last using
• Drag tiles by their ⠿ handle to reorder entries — the order carries through to list view
• Right-click a tile for the same options as right-clicking a sidebar entry: Favorite, Rename, Delete
• Your view preference (list or grid) is saved inside the Lockbox and restored when you reopen it
• Character thumbnails
• Character tiles show the entry's initials on a color-matched background by default
• Upload a photo via the 📷 button that appears on hover over a tile, or right-click a tile and choose "Add Thumbnail" / "Change Thumbnail"
• Uploaded images are automatically cropped to a square and stored inside the Lockbox file

Glossary

• Add glossary terms, each with a definition field
• Tag terms with custom tags, filter by tag
• Search terms
• Alphabetical index in the sidebar
• Export glossary to PDF
• Drag to reorder terms; delete terms
• Backlinks: shows where each term is referenced in the project

Timeline

• Add timeline events with title, date, and description
• Color-coded events, displayed in order on a scrollable timeline
• Event descriptions expand on hover and collapse when you move away
• Description field supports rich text and object links
• Drag handle or the timeline dot to reorder an event
• Multiple timelines (side timelines): add, rename, delete, reorder
• Drag to scroll the timeline bar when full

Outline

• Add named outline sections, each with a rich text body editor
• Bullet list support with Tab/Shift+Tab indenting
• Multiple outlines (side outlines): add, rename, delete, reorder
• Drag to reorder sections; collapse/expand individual sections
• Toolbar per section: bold, italic, bullets, numbered list, clear format

Sources

• Add source entries for external references (URLs, books, articles, etc.)
• Each source has: Title, Type, URL, Notes
• Type options: Website, Article, Book, Video, Interview, Personal Note, Other
• Click the ↗ button to open a URL in the default browser
• Search by title, URL, or notes content; filter by type
• Right-click any auto-detected URL in a chapter or note > "Save as Source" to quickly add it
• Sources can be linked to from any text editor via "Link to Object"; clicking a source link navigates to the source entry

Linking System

• Right-click selected text in any editor > "Link to Object"
• Search and select any Character, Location, Organization, Glossary term, Source, or entry from a custom tab
• Link text can be edited, it doesn't have to match the object's actual name
• Multiple objects can be linked from one piece of text
• Filter by type using tabs in the modal
• Click a linked word to navigate to the linked object; multi-linked text shows a picker
• A navigation pill appears after clicking a link, click it to return to where you came from
• Right-click linked text > "Manage Link" to edit or remove it
• Renaming an entry never breaks an existing link to it
• Backspace/Delete into a linked word highlights it first as a warning before deleting it

External URL Detection

• URLs starting with https://, http://, or www. are auto-detected in editors
• Detected URLs become clickable links that open in your default browser
• Detection runs after a brief pause while typing, so it never interrupts active typing
• Pasted URLs are detected immediately
• Right-click a detected URL > "Save as Source" to add it to the Sources tab

Deletion History

• Deleted items (characters, locations, organizations, brainstorm entries, timeline events, outline sections, chapters, glossary terms, stories, sources) are retained rather than permanently removed
• Keeps your most recent 50 deletions; once you pass 50, the oldest entry is permanently dropped to make room for the next one
• Open Deletion History from the Edit menu
• Restore individual items back into the project
• Permanently delete items from history when no longer needed
• History is stored inside the Lockbox file itself

Right-Click Menu (in editors)

This is the menu for right-clicking inside text, in a chapter, card, note, or other rich text field. Right-clicking an entry in a sidebar list (Brainstorm, Characters, Locations, Organizations) shows a different, shorter menu: Favorite, Rename, Delete.

• Cut, Copy, Paste
• New [Entry type]: create a new entry from selected text — one button per sheet tab currently visible in your project, including custom tabs and any built-in tabs that have been renamed (e.g. "New Person," "New Witness," "New Evidence")
• Link to Object
• Manage Link (when right-clicking already-linked text)
• Save as Source (when right-clicking a detected URL)
• Spellcheck suggestions and Ignore Word

Themes

• Built-in theme presets (multiple dark and light options)
• Full custom theme editor: customize every color individually
• Save custom presets
• Theme selection is shared across all open projects

Zoom & Display

• Zoom in/out (Ctrl+scroll, or the zoom panel in the bottom-right corner)
• Zoom range: 75% to 200%
• Type a specific zoom percentage or use the slider
• Zoom level is saved per-installation and restored on launch

Export

• Export the current chapter or the full manuscript
• Export formats: PDF, Word (DOCX), EPUB
• Glossary export to PDF
• Export scope shown before exporting (which story, how many chapters)
• Optional configurable title page: title, subtitle, author, word/character/paragraph count, date

Keyboard Shortcuts

• Ctrl+S: Save file
• Ctrl+K: Open global search
• Ctrl+P: Print current tab
• Ctrl+Scroll: Zoom in/out
• Enter: New paragraph in editors
• Shift+Enter: Line break in editors
• Tab / Shift+Tab: Indent/outdent in outline bullet lists
• Escape: Close modals, dismiss search, blur a focused input

Spellcheck & Ignored Words

• Built-in spellcheck in all chapter and note editors
• Right-click a misspelled word for suggested corrections
• "Always Ignore" adds a word to your Ignored Words list so it's never flagged again, useful for names, invented terms, or anything spelled wrong on purpose
• Manage Ignored Words: view and remove words from the Edit menu
• Your Ignored Words list is shared across all your projects

Images

• Insert images into chapter editors using the "+ Insert Image" button in the formatting toolbar, which opens a file picker and inserts at your cursor position
• Insert images into card notes (Characters, Locations, Organizations, Brainstorm, Sources, and custom tabs) using the image button in the note toolbar
• Images are stored inside the Lockbox file
• Hover over an image to reveal a small control bar: align it left, right, or as a full-width block, or remove it
• Resize an image by dragging its resize handle
• Watermark support (configurable per-project)

Print

• Print the current tab's content using Ctrl+P or the 🖨 button in the header
• Prints whichever tab is active: a character sheet, chapter, timeline, outline, glossary, or source entry
• Images embedded in notes and chapters are included in the printout
• Editor controls, toolbars, and UI chrome are stripped — only the content prints
• The OS print dialog opens, so you can print to a physical printer or save as PDF

Licensing & Free Trial

• Chronicle Vault starts with a 7-day free trial with full access to every feature
• Anything you create during the trial is a normal Lockbox file on your own computer and stays fully yours whether or not you buy a license
• The launcher shows how many trial days remain

• When the trial ends, Chronicle Vault switches to read-only mode until you enter a license key
• In read-only mode you can still open Lockboxes, read everything, print, and use every export (PDF, Word, EPUB) — nothing is locked away
• Editing is paused: the Save File button in the header becomes a 🔒 Read-Only indicator, and it returns to a Save button the moment you activate a license

• Chronicle Vault is a one-time purchase that can be activated on up to 2 devices
• Enter your license key from the launcher prompt, the read-only notice, or the License section in Settings
• Once activated, editing is enabled immediately with no restart required

• Chronicle Vault checks your license periodically but is built to keep working normally without an internet connection for an extended period
• A temporary lack of internet will not lock you out of your own work

• To free up an activation slot, open Settings and use Deactivate this machine, or manage your activations through the Lemon Squeezy customer portal
• Deactivating leaves your Lockbox files completely untouched

Updates

• Chronicle Vault checks for new versions when you launch it, and you can check any time from Help → Check for Updates
• When an update is available, the launcher shows an "Update available" badge and a prompt — nothing downloads or installs on its own
• Choose Download & Install to update, Later to be reminded next time, or Skip This Version to dismiss that specific release
• After downloading, you can Restart Now to finish installing, or let it install automatically the next time you quit
• Updates replace the application only — they never touch your Lockbox files or your writing
• If a lockbox window is open when you go to install, close it first (you'll be prompted to save) so no work is interrupted