mohio

Desktop Basics

This guide covers the workflows that are currently available in the desktop app.

Start the App

1. Open a terminal in desktop/.
2. Run npm install if dependencies are not installed yet.
3. Run npm run dev.

Open a Workspace

You can open a workspace in either of these ways:

• Click the workspace selector in the top bar.
• Use File > Open Folder...
• Use the shortcut CmdOrCtrl+O

After you choose a folder, Mohio shows its Markdown documents in the left sidebar.

When no workspace is open, the main empty-state button is labeled Open Folder. When a workspace is open, the top-bar quick New Document action creates a new document in the currently selected document folder. If no document is selected yet, New Document creates the file at workspace root.

Browse Documents

• Folders appear before documents.
• Click a folder row to expand or collapse it.
• Click a document row to open it in the editor.
• If a document has a visible title, Mohio shows that title in the sidebar.
• Right-click a document row to open the context menu:
  • Delete Document
• Use the left sidebar tabs:
  • Documents to browse all documents
  • Search to run live workspace search

Search Documents

• Open the left sidebar Search tab.
• Use the full-width search field at the top of that tab to find documents by:
  • file name/path
  • document content
• Results update while you type.
• Matching text in the open document is highlighted in yellow while a search query is active.
• Use the search field’s built-in clear control (when available) to clear the query quickly.

Edit a Document

• Select a document from the left sidebar.
• Edit the title at the top of the page.
  • If the document starts with a linked first H1 (# ...) that matches the filename, the title reflects that H1.
  • If the first H1 is missing or mismatched, the title reflects the filename instead.
• Edit the body in the main editor, which displays Markdown as formatted text while still saving Markdown source underneath.
• Use the toolbar for headings, lists, quotes, links, images, code, and other basic formatting.
• Hold Cmd/Ctrl and click an internal link in the editor to open that linked document directly.

Collapse and Reopen Side Panels

• Use the top-left panel icon to collapse/reopen the left workspace panel.
• Use the top-right panel icon to collapse/reopen the right panel.
• The center editor expands automatically when a side panel is collapsed.

How Saving Works

• Mohio saves your changes automatically after a short pause.
• You do not need to click a save button.
• Changing the title can also rename the file on disk.
• Mohio records local Git safety snapshots in the background with one commit format:
  • Snapshot: <ISO date>
• Snapshot commits are triggered before high-risk actions (such as rename, delete, assistant send, app blur/exit) and after an idle pulse.
• Mohio automatically syncs snapshot commits in the background when remote push succeeds.

Sync Now

• Sync runs automatically in the background after Mohio creates snapshot commits.
• Use the top-bar sync status control (left of the right-panel toggle) when you want to force an immediate push.
• Status labels:
  • Synced <relative time>
  • Syncing...
  • Sync paused
  • Offline (last synced <relative time>)

Versions

• Open the right sidebar Versions tab while a document is selected.
• Review the commit list for that document.
• Each version row shows:
  • commit message
  • date/time
  • author
  • files changed count

If a File Changes Outside Mohio

• Mohio watches the document that is currently open.
• If that file changes on disk, Mohio reloads it when it can do so safely.

Incoming Changes and Overlaps

• Mohio checks for incoming shared updates:
  • when you open a workspace
  • when you open a document
• If incoming updates are safe, Mohio applies them automatically.
• If local and incoming edits overlap, Mohio shows guided choices in History:
  • keep local
  • keep incoming
  • combine manually

Use the Assistant Panel

• Open a folder and select a document.
• Use the right sidebar Assistant tab to browse Codex chats for the current workspace.
• The assistant opens in a chat-list view first.
• Click an existing chat to open it.
• The quick actions and composer stay at the bottom of the sidebar while you browse the chat list.
• If you trigger a quick action or send a message from the list view, Mohio automatically starts a new chat first.
• When a chat is open, use the back button to return to the list.
• Use the ... menu in an open chat to start another chat, rename the current one, or remove it from the visible workspace list.
• Your own prompts appear as compact bubbles, but Codex replies render as full-width left-aligned responses.
• While Codex is still working, Mohio keeps a muted animated Thinking... line at the bottom of the chat during quiet gaps, hides it while fresh text is printing, and leaves streamed text visible once it appears.
• You can type your own request or use the quick actions:
  • summarise document
  • improve document
• The composer is a growing text area (up to 5 lines) with an icon-only send control inside the field.
• Press Enter to send, or Shift+Enter to insert a new line.
• Mohio sends the current document content along with the wider workspace context for that run.
• The selected document stays the main context for what you send, but the chat history itself comes from Codex and is not tied to one document inside Mohio.

Current Limits

• You cannot rename documents from a dedicated sidebar action yet.
• Mohio only shows Codex chats whose working folder matches the open workspace.
• The assistant can chat about your workspace, but it cannot apply document edits through Mohio yet.
• There is no rendered preview mode for Markdown yet.

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