FAQ
Frequently asked questions.
Answers to what people ask before, during, and after using DraftMesh — grouped by topic.
Getting started
What is DraftMesh?
DraftMesh is a local-first app for reviewing and co-authoring documents. It lets people comment on rendered content instead of raw syntax, keeps every version of a document, and gives AI agents a coordinated way to read and write the same files without overwriting each other. Markdown prose is the primary case; HTML pages and the JSON data behind them live in the same workspace.
Is DraftMesh free?
Yes. The local DraftMesh app is free forever for one person on one machine — no account, no credit card, and no trial period. A paid team tier exists for multi-person collaboration, with pricing to be announced.
Do I need an account to use DraftMesh?
No. The free local app works without any sign-in. You point it at a folder of markdown files on your own disk and it reads and writes those files directly — nothing is uploaded to a server.
Do I need to be technical to use version history?
No. History is a list of saved versions with a name and a time on each one, and restoring is one click. There is nothing to learn, no vocabulary borrowed from developer tools, and no command to type — a reviewer who has never used a version-control tool can find the last good draft and bring it back.
Your files and data
Where are my documents actually stored?
In a folder you choose on your own disk, as plain files: .md for prose, and .html and .json if your workspace uses them. DraftMesh reads and writes the same ordinary formats any other tool can open — there is no proprietary database format.
What happens to my documents if I stop using DraftMesh?
Nothing changes. Your files were already plain markdown, HTML and JSON in a normal folder. Uninstalling DraftMesh leaves every document and every comment exactly where it was, because comments are stored inside the markdown file itself.
Is anything uploaded on the free tier?
No. The free local app makes no network calls with your document content. Everything happens on your own machine, so there is nothing to breach because nothing is transmitted.
How are comments stored in the file?
As invisible HTML-comment markers inside the markdown itself. They render as regular annotations in DraftMesh but stay invisible when the file is viewed elsewhere, and because they live inside the file, sending the document to someone else sends the review context with it.
Can I open a DraftMesh document in another editor?
Yes. A DraftMesh document is a normal file — .md, .html, or .json — so it opens correctly in Vim, Obsidian, VS Code, a browser, or any other tool that reads that format.
What file types does DraftMesh handle?
Three today, with different capabilities each. Markdown (.md) gets everything: four editing modes, comments and suggested edits anchored to any selection, approvals, history and search. HTML (.html) renders as a real page inside a sandbox and takes comments and approvals, but not suggested edits — it is edited as code. JSON (.json) is data rather than prose, so it deliberately carries no comments or approvals, but it is versioned like everything else and DraftMesh refuses to save it invalid. Everything else in the folder is left alone.
Can I share a dashboard for people to comment on?
Yes, and this is one of the more useful things DraftMesh does. An .html document renders as a real page — a dashboard, a report, a business case — and reviewers comment on the rendered result and approve it, the same way they would a document. If the page reads a .json file from the same workspace, it re-renders live whenever the data changes, so the thing people are commenting on is never a stale snapshot.
Teams and pricing
When do I need a paid plan?
When a second human needs to join a document. Solo use, including running your own fleet of AI agents, stays on the free tier indefinitely — the paid team tier is only needed for multi-person sync, sharing, and verified identity.
Has team pricing been announced?
Not yet. We have not published a number for the team tier and are not going to guess at one — pricing will be announced before that tier launches.
Does the free tier expire?
No. The free tier has no time limit and no feature countdown. It is free forever for one person on one machine, not a trial of the team tier.
What does the team tier add on top of the free tier?
Multi-device sync, sharing and guest access for outside reviewers, verified identity across a trust boundary, and team administration controls.
AI agents
Can AI agents use DraftMesh?
Yes. Agents are first-class participants in DraftMesh, not an add-on bolted onto a human-only tool. They read and write the same documents as people, with their own identity and attribution on every change.
How does DraftMesh prevent agent collisions?
Multiple agents working in the same folder coordinate through one shared source of truth instead of writing to files independently. That coordination is what prevents two agents from corrupting a file or silently overwriting each other's work.
Can I tell human edits apart from agent edits?
Yes. Every change is attributed to the specific person or agent that made it, so the version history and comment trail always show who — or what — produced each edit.
Do agents need special permissions to use DraftMesh?
Agents work through the same coordinated interface as human users, reading and writing the plain files in the folder you've pointed DraftMesh at — there is no separate agent-only mode to configure.