Vibecode Novelcrafter
track this build5 steps, step by step0%The core loop is buildable, but a dependable replacement becomes a real weekend or multi-day project. For Novelcrafter, organize a novel bible, scenes, characters, and optional bring-your-own-model drafting. The hard boundary is its mature manuscript workflow, codex structure, and community templates, plus polish, integrations, and proprietary language models.
You are building a lean indie version of Novelcrafter. Create the following project files first, then implement the application by following them. Keep the files updated as decisions change. Do not collapse this into a single README or prompt. ===== README.md ===== # Novelcrafter indie build ## Goal Build the smallest trustworthy replacement for the core Novelcrafter workflow for one developer or a tiny team. ## Scope Organize a novel bible, scenes, and characters in local Markdown, apply optional bring-your-own-model drafting passes with diffs, and save or export without uploading the manuscript. ## Quick start 1. Install the documented dependencies. 2. Copy `.env.example` to `.env`. 3. Run the development command chosen during implementation. 4. Complete the acceptance checks in `BUILD_PLAN.md`. ## Honest limits This build deliberately does not replace: - its mature manuscript workflow, codex structure, and community templates - cross-device sync - large proprietary style models - browser and office-suite extensions - team style guides If those capabilities are essential, use LanguageTool instead of pretending the gap is solved. ===== AGENTS.md ===== # Agent instructions - Optimize for a working, understandable weekend build. - Prefer the fewest moving parts that satisfy the brief. - Do not invent cryptography, security guarantees, APIs, or compliance claims. - Keep secrets out of source control and logs. - Add focused tests for destructive, security-sensitive, and data-loss paths. - Run the project checks before declaring the build complete. - Record any deliberate shortcut in the README under "Tradeoffs". ===== BUILD_PLAN.md ===== # Build plan ## Original build brief Build a personal replacement for Novelcrafter in an empty repository. Use Tauri 2, React, TypeScript, SQLite, and a small Rust filesystem layer; do not offer alternative stacks. The core loop is: organize a novel bible, scenes, and characters in local Markdown, apply optional bring-your-own-model drafting passes with diffs, and save or export without uploading the manuscript. Make the first run work locally with one documented command. Store all user data locally by default and make export straightforward. Put secrets in .env, ship .env.example, and never commit credentials. Create a three-pane editor with source text, suggestion list, and accepted-result preview. Implement deterministic checks for repeated words, sentence length, passive constructions, and typography. Add an optional API-backed rewrite action that sends only the selected passage. Show every change as an accept-or-reject diff and support undo. Import and export .txt and .md while preserving headings and lists. Persist user rules, ignored terms, and recent documents in SQLite. Include clear empty, loading, success, and recoverable error states. Add input validation, safe filenames, and graceful handling of unavailable APIs. Write focused tests for the core transformation and one end-to-end happy path. Create a README with setup, architecture, permissions, data location, and backup steps. Do not add accounts, billing, telemetry, analytics, or a hosted control plane. Deliberately leave out a browser extension. Deliberately leave out Office or Google Docs plugins. Deliberately leave out collaborative editing and cloud sync. Finish by running the tests and listing the exact commands used. ## Required capabilities - macOS, Windows, or Linux - local files - optional OpenAI or Anthropic API key for semantic rewrites ## Delivery order 1. Scaffold the smallest runnable application and document its commands. 2. Implement the primary data model and core workflow. 3. Add validation, safe failure states, and persistence. 4. Cover the critical path with automated tests. 5. Exercise a clean install from the README and fix every missing step. ## Done when - A new user can go from clone to first successful workflow using only the README. - The core workflow works without paid infrastructure unless the brief requires it. - Tests cover the highest-risk behavior. - Known limitations are explicit rather than hidden. ===== .env.example ===== # Copy to .env and document every variable when it is introduced. # Never put real credentials in this file. APP_ENV=development # Add only values required by the selected implementation.
You are building a lean indie version of Novelcrafter. Create the following project files first, then implement the application by following them. Keep the files updated as decisions change. Do not collapse this into a single README or prompt. ===== README.md ===== # Novelcrafter indie build ## Goal Build the smallest trustworthy replacement for the core Novelcrafter workflow for one developer or a tiny team. ## Scope Organize a novel bible, scenes, and characters in local Markdown, apply optional bring-your-own-model drafting passes with diffs, and save or export without uploading the manuscript. ## Quick start 1. Install the documented dependencies. 2. Copy `.env.example` to `.env`. 3. Run the development command chosen during implementation. 4. Complete the acceptance checks in `BUILD_PLAN.md`. ## Honest limits This build deliberately does not replace: - its mature manuscript workflow, codex structure, and community templates - cross-device sync - large proprietary style models - browser and office-suite extensions - team style guides If those capabilities are essential, use LanguageTool instead of pretending the gap is solved. ===== AGENTS.md ===== # Agent instructions - Optimize for a working, understandable weekend build. - Prefer the fewest moving parts that satisfy the brief. - Do not invent cryptography, security guarantees, APIs, or compliance claims. - Keep secrets out of source control and logs. - Add focused tests for destructive, security-sensitive, and data-loss paths. - Run the project checks before declaring the build complete. - Record any deliberate shortcut in the README under "Tradeoffs". ===== BUILD_PLAN.md ===== # Build plan ## Original build brief Build a personal replacement for Novelcrafter in an empty repository. Use Tauri 2, React, TypeScript, SQLite, and a small Rust filesystem layer; do not offer alternative stacks. The core loop is: organize a novel bible, scenes, and characters in local Markdown, apply optional bring-your-own-model drafting passes with diffs, and save or export without uploading the manuscript. Make the first run work locally with one documented command. Store all user data locally by default and make export straightforward. Put secrets in .env, ship .env.example, and never commit credentials. Create a three-pane editor with source text, suggestion list, and accepted-result preview. Implement deterministic checks for repeated words, sentence length, passive constructions, and typography. Add an optional API-backed rewrite action that sends only the selected passage. Show every change as an accept-or-reject diff and support undo. Import and export .txt and .md while preserving headings and lists. Persist user rules, ignored terms, and recent documents in SQLite. Include clear empty, loading, success, and recoverable error states. Add input validation, safe filenames, and graceful handling of unavailable APIs. Write focused tests for the core transformation and one end-to-end happy path. Create a README with setup, architecture, permissions, data location, and backup steps. Do not add accounts, billing, telemetry, analytics, or a hosted control plane. Deliberately leave out a browser extension. Deliberately leave out Office or Google Docs plugins. Deliberately leave out collaborative editing and cloud sync. Finish by running the tests and listing the exact commands used. ## Required capabilities - macOS, Windows, or Linux - local files - optional OpenAI or Anthropic API key for semantic rewrites ## Delivery order 1. Scaffold the smallest runnable application and document its commands. 2. Implement the primary data model and core workflow. 3. Add validation, safe failure states, and persistence. 4. Cover the critical path with automated tests. 5. Exercise a clean install from the README and fix every missing step. ## Done when - A new user can go from clone to first successful workflow using only the README. - The core workflow works without paid infrastructure unless the brief requires it. - Tests cover the highest-risk behavior. - Known limitations are explicit rather than hidden. ===== .env.example ===== # Copy to .env and document every variable when it is introduced. # Never put real credentials in this file. APP_ENV=development # Add only values required by the selected implementation.
You are building a production product version of Novelcrafter. Create the following project files first, then implement the application by following them. Keep the files updated as decisions change. Do not collapse this into a single README or prompt. ===== PRODUCT.md ===== # Novelcrafter product brief ## Problem The core loop is buildable, but a dependable replacement becomes a real weekend or multi-day project. For Novelcrafter, organize a novel bible, scenes, characters, and optional bring-your-own-model drafting. The hard boundary is its mature manuscript workflow, codex structure, and community templates, plus polish, integrations, and proprietary language models. ## Product outcome Organize a novel bible, scenes, and characters in local Markdown, apply optional bring-your-own-model drafting passes with diffs, and save or export without uploading the manuscript. ## Target user A serious builder who needs a maintainable product foundation rather than a one-off demo. ## Required capabilities - macOS, Windows, or Linux - local files - optional OpenAI or Anthropic API key for semantic rewrites ## Explicit non-goals for v1 - its mature manuscript workflow, codex structure, and community templates - cross-device sync - large proprietary style models - browser and office-suite extensions - team style guides ## Success criteria - The primary workflow is measurable end to end. - Setup is reproducible in a clean environment. - Failure, recovery, and support paths are documented. - Product claims match what the implementation actually guarantees. ===== ARCHITECTURE.md ===== # Architecture ## Starting brief Build a personal replacement for Novelcrafter in an empty repository. Use Tauri 2, React, TypeScript, SQLite, and a small Rust filesystem layer; do not offer alternative stacks. The core loop is: organize a novel bible, scenes, and characters in local Markdown, apply optional bring-your-own-model drafting passes with diffs, and save or export without uploading the manuscript. Make the first run work locally with one documented command. Store all user data locally by default and make export straightforward. Put secrets in .env, ship .env.example, and never commit credentials. Create a three-pane editor with source text, suggestion list, and accepted-result preview. Implement deterministic checks for repeated words, sentence length, passive constructions, and typography. Add an optional API-backed rewrite action that sends only the selected passage. Show every change as an accept-or-reject diff and support undo. Import and export .txt and .md while preserving headings and lists. Persist user rules, ignored terms, and recent documents in SQLite. Include clear empty, loading, success, and recoverable error states. Add input validation, safe filenames, and graceful handling of unavailable APIs. Write focused tests for the core transformation and one end-to-end happy path. Create a README with setup, architecture, permissions, data location, and backup steps. Do not add accounts, billing, telemetry, analytics, or a hosted control plane. Deliberately leave out a browser extension. Deliberately leave out Office or Google Docs plugins. Deliberately leave out collaborative editing and cloud sync. Finish by running the tests and listing the exact commands used. ## Boundaries Separate the product into replaceable modules for interface, application logic, persistence, external integrations, and operational concerns. Keep domain logic independent from delivery frameworks and vendors. ## Production baseline - Configuration: validated at startup with safe local defaults where possible. - Security: least privilege, input validation, secret redaction, rate limits on abuse-prone paths, and no invented security primitives. - Data: explicit schema and migrations, transactional writes where integrity matters, backup and restore instructions. - Integrations: adapters around third-party providers, idempotent webhook or job processing, bounded retries, and timeouts. - Observability: structured logs with request or operation IDs, an error-tracking hook, and health/readiness checks where a server exists. - Quality: unit tests for domain rules, integration tests at module boundaries, and one end-to-end critical-path test. ## Decision records For each major dependency, document why it was chosen, its failure mode, and how it can be replaced. Do not introduce infrastructure until a requirement justifies it. ===== AGENTS.md ===== # Agent instructions - Read `PRODUCT.md` and `ARCHITECTURE.md` before changing code. - Implement milestone by milestone; keep each change reviewable and leave the application runnable. - Treat authentication, payments, encryption, imports, webhooks, and destructive actions as high-risk boundaries when present. - Never invent cryptography or silently weaken a requirement to make a test pass. - Use provider interfaces for external services and deterministic fakes in tests. - Add migrations and rollback or recovery notes for persistent data changes. - Log useful operational context without credentials, tokens, passwords, or personal data. - Update documentation and run all checks before completing a milestone. ===== MILESTONES.md ===== # Delivery milestones ## M0 — Decisions and scaffold - Confirm the runtime, persistence model, threat boundaries, and deployment target. - Create a reproducible local environment and continuous checks. ## M1 — Core workflow - Implement the smallest end-to-end product path with validation and tests. - Keep integrations behind interfaces. ## M2 — Trust layer - Add secure failure behavior, recovery paths, audit-relevant events, and data safeguards. - Test abuse cases and destructive operations. ## M3 — Operability - Add structured logs, error reporting hooks, health signals, backup/restore documentation, and deployment configuration. ## M4 — Release gate - Run a clean-install test, critical-path end-to-end test, dependency review, and documented rollback exercise. - Compare the shipped behavior with `PRODUCT.md` and publish remaining limitations. ===== OPERATIONS.md ===== # Operations ## Before release - Validate configuration and secrets at startup. - Define backup, restore, and rollback procedures and test them. - Document logs, error tracking, health signals, and alert ownership. - Set dependency update and vulnerability review expectations. ## Incident checklist 1. Contain the issue without destroying evidence or user data. 2. Record the timeline and affected scope. 3. Rotate exposed secrets and revoke compromised sessions or credentials. 4. Restore from a verified source when needed. 5. Document the root cause, remediation, and regression test. ## Launch constraint Do not market omitted Novelcrafter capabilities as implemented. The v1 non-goals in `PRODUCT.md` remain user-visible limitations until they are deliberately delivered.
# Novelcrafter indie build ## Goal Build the smallest trustworthy replacement for the core Novelcrafter workflow for one developer or a tiny team. ## Scope Organize a novel bible, scenes, and characters in local Markdown, apply optional bring-your-own-model drafting passes with diffs, and save or export without uploading the manuscript. ## Quick start 1. Install the documented dependencies. 2. Copy `.env.example` to `.env`. 3. Run the development command chosen during implementation. 4. Complete the acceptance checks in `BUILD_PLAN.md`. ## Honest limits This build deliberately does not replace: - its mature manuscript workflow, codex structure, and community templates - cross-device sync - large proprietary style models - browser and office-suite extensions - team style guides If those capabilities are essential, use LanguageTool instead of pretending the gap is solved.
# Agent instructions - Optimize for a working, understandable weekend build. - Prefer the fewest moving parts that satisfy the brief. - Do not invent cryptography, security guarantees, APIs, or compliance claims. - Keep secrets out of source control and logs. - Add focused tests for destructive, security-sensitive, and data-loss paths. - Run the project checks before declaring the build complete. - Record any deliberate shortcut in the README under "Tradeoffs".
# Build plan ## Original build brief Build a personal replacement for Novelcrafter in an empty repository. Use Tauri 2, React, TypeScript, SQLite, and a small Rust filesystem layer; do not offer alternative stacks. The core loop is: organize a novel bible, scenes, and characters in local Markdown, apply optional bring-your-own-model drafting passes with diffs, and save or export without uploading the manuscript. Make the first run work locally with one documented command. Store all user data locally by default and make export straightforward. Put secrets in .env, ship .env.example, and never commit credentials. Create a three-pane editor with source text, suggestion list, and accepted-result preview. Implement deterministic checks for repeated words, sentence length, passive constructions, and typography. Add an optional API-backed rewrite action that sends only the selected passage. Show every change as an accept-or-reject diff and support undo. Import and export .txt and .md while preserving headings and lists. Persist user rules, ignored terms, and recent documents in SQLite. Include clear empty, loading, success, and recoverable error states. Add input validation, safe filenames, and graceful handling of unavailable APIs. Write focused tests for the core transformation and one end-to-end happy path. Create a README with setup, architecture, permissions, data location, and backup steps. Do not add accounts, billing, telemetry, analytics, or a hosted control plane. Deliberately leave out a browser extension. Deliberately leave out Office or Google Docs plugins. Deliberately leave out collaborative editing and cloud sync. Finish by running the tests and listing the exact commands used. ## Required capabilities - macOS, Windows, or Linux - local files - optional OpenAI or Anthropic API key for semantic rewrites ## Delivery order 1. Scaffold the smallest runnable application and document its commands. 2. Implement the primary data model and core workflow. 3. Add validation, safe failure states, and persistence. 4. Cover the critical path with automated tests. 5. Exercise a clean install from the README and fix every missing step. ## Done when - A new user can go from clone to first successful workflow using only the README. - The core workflow works without paid infrastructure unless the brief requires it. - Tests cover the highest-risk behavior. - Known limitations are explicit rather than hidden.
# Copy to .env and document every variable when it is introduced. # Never put real credentials in this file. APP_ENV=development # Add only values required by the selected implementation.
# Novelcrafter product brief ## Problem The core loop is buildable, but a dependable replacement becomes a real weekend or multi-day project. For Novelcrafter, organize a novel bible, scenes, characters, and optional bring-your-own-model drafting. The hard boundary is its mature manuscript workflow, codex structure, and community templates, plus polish, integrations, and proprietary language models. ## Product outcome Organize a novel bible, scenes, and characters in local Markdown, apply optional bring-your-own-model drafting passes with diffs, and save or export without uploading the manuscript. ## Target user A serious builder who needs a maintainable product foundation rather than a one-off demo. ## Required capabilities - macOS, Windows, or Linux - local files - optional OpenAI or Anthropic API key for semantic rewrites ## Explicit non-goals for v1 - its mature manuscript workflow, codex structure, and community templates - cross-device sync - large proprietary style models - browser and office-suite extensions - team style guides ## Success criteria - The primary workflow is measurable end to end. - Setup is reproducible in a clean environment. - Failure, recovery, and support paths are documented. - Product claims match what the implementation actually guarantees.
# Architecture ## Starting brief Build a personal replacement for Novelcrafter in an empty repository. Use Tauri 2, React, TypeScript, SQLite, and a small Rust filesystem layer; do not offer alternative stacks. The core loop is: organize a novel bible, scenes, and characters in local Markdown, apply optional bring-your-own-model drafting passes with diffs, and save or export without uploading the manuscript. Make the first run work locally with one documented command. Store all user data locally by default and make export straightforward. Put secrets in .env, ship .env.example, and never commit credentials. Create a three-pane editor with source text, suggestion list, and accepted-result preview. Implement deterministic checks for repeated words, sentence length, passive constructions, and typography. Add an optional API-backed rewrite action that sends only the selected passage. Show every change as an accept-or-reject diff and support undo. Import and export .txt and .md while preserving headings and lists. Persist user rules, ignored terms, and recent documents in SQLite. Include clear empty, loading, success, and recoverable error states. Add input validation, safe filenames, and graceful handling of unavailable APIs. Write focused tests for the core transformation and one end-to-end happy path. Create a README with setup, architecture, permissions, data location, and backup steps. Do not add accounts, billing, telemetry, analytics, or a hosted control plane. Deliberately leave out a browser extension. Deliberately leave out Office or Google Docs plugins. Deliberately leave out collaborative editing and cloud sync. Finish by running the tests and listing the exact commands used. ## Boundaries Separate the product into replaceable modules for interface, application logic, persistence, external integrations, and operational concerns. Keep domain logic independent from delivery frameworks and vendors. ## Production baseline - Configuration: validated at startup with safe local defaults where possible. - Security: least privilege, input validation, secret redaction, rate limits on abuse-prone paths, and no invented security primitives. - Data: explicit schema and migrations, transactional writes where integrity matters, backup and restore instructions. - Integrations: adapters around third-party providers, idempotent webhook or job processing, bounded retries, and timeouts. - Observability: structured logs with request or operation IDs, an error-tracking hook, and health/readiness checks where a server exists. - Quality: unit tests for domain rules, integration tests at module boundaries, and one end-to-end critical-path test. ## Decision records For each major dependency, document why it was chosen, its failure mode, and how it can be replaced. Do not introduce infrastructure until a requirement justifies it.
# Agent instructions - Read `PRODUCT.md` and `ARCHITECTURE.md` before changing code. - Implement milestone by milestone; keep each change reviewable and leave the application runnable. - Treat authentication, payments, encryption, imports, webhooks, and destructive actions as high-risk boundaries when present. - Never invent cryptography or silently weaken a requirement to make a test pass. - Use provider interfaces for external services and deterministic fakes in tests. - Add migrations and rollback or recovery notes for persistent data changes. - Log useful operational context without credentials, tokens, passwords, or personal data. - Update documentation and run all checks before completing a milestone.
# Delivery milestones ## M0 — Decisions and scaffold - Confirm the runtime, persistence model, threat boundaries, and deployment target. - Create a reproducible local environment and continuous checks. ## M1 — Core workflow - Implement the smallest end-to-end product path with validation and tests. - Keep integrations behind interfaces. ## M2 — Trust layer - Add secure failure behavior, recovery paths, audit-relevant events, and data safeguards. - Test abuse cases and destructive operations. ## M3 — Operability - Add structured logs, error reporting hooks, health signals, backup/restore documentation, and deployment configuration. ## M4 — Release gate - Run a clean-install test, critical-path end-to-end test, dependency review, and documented rollback exercise. - Compare the shipped behavior with `PRODUCT.md` and publish remaining limitations.
# Operations ## Before release - Validate configuration and secrets at startup. - Define backup, restore, and rollback procedures and test them. - Document logs, error tracking, health signals, and alert ownership. - Set dependency update and vulnerability review expectations. ## Incident checklist 1. Contain the issue without destroying evidence or user data. 2. Record the timeline and affected scope. 3. Rotate exposed secrets and revoke compromised sessions or credentials. 4. Restore from a verified source when needed. 5. Document the root cause, remediation, and regression test. ## Launch constraint Do not market omitted Novelcrafter capabilities as implemented. The v1 non-goals in `PRODUCT.md` remain user-visible limitations until they are deliberately delivered.
$ choose a build depth, inspect the files, then open the complete pack in your agent · this prompt is generated from the build plan · improve it via PR
People still pay for Novelcrafter because the paid tool is already present everywhere they write and its suggestions have been tuned across millions of documents. The recurring cost buys model quality, extension compatibility, dictionaries, releases, and sync, not just the visible interface.
xits mature manuscript workflow, codex structure, and community templates
xcross-device sync
xlarge proprietary style models
xbrowser and office-suite extensions
xteam style guides
Don't feel like building it? These folks already made it free.
all 7 free alternatives to Novelcrafter →· no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real
Novelcrafter pricing
| plan | monthly | annual (per mo) | what you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| scribe | $4/user | $3.33/user | Unlimited books; basic review tools; no BYOK AI; cannot invite collaborators or create teams |
| hobbyist | $8/user | $6.67/user | Unlimited books; BYOK AI, scene summarization and character extraction; no Workshop Chat or collaborator invites |
| artisan | $14/user | $11.67/user | Unlimited books; BYOK AI and Workshop Chat; cannot invite collaborators or create teams |
| specialist | $20/user | $16.67/user | Unlimited books; collaborator invitations; series collaboration; create and manage teams |
free tierno free tier
billingmonthly + annual (2 months free); 21-day no-card trial is not a free tier
hidden costsAI-capable tiers are bring-your-own-key, so model/API charges are separate; collaborators need individual paid subscriptions to edit, and upgrades are prorated.
verified 2026-08-12 · source ↗
Vibecode Novelcrafter
Kinda. The core of Novelcrafter is buildable in a weekend with the prompt on this page, but there are real gaps: its mature manuscript workflow, codex structure, and community templates, cross-device sync. Read the honest list above before committing.
How much does Novelcrafter cost?
Novelcrafter's pricing is usage-based or varies by plan · Official Hobbyist tier excludes model usage; users bring their own provider..
What do I lose by replacing Novelcrafter?
Honestly: its mature manuscript workflow, codex structure, and community templates; cross-device sync; large proprietary style models; browser and office-suite extensions; team style guides. If any of those are load-bearing for you, keep paying.
Is there an open-source alternative to Novelcrafter?
Yes: KoboldCpp (One executable plus a model download gets you story continuation, memory, world info and author’s notes; elegance was not bundled.) novelWriter (A plain-text novel room with scenes, synopses, cross-references, and no cloud account between you and chapter twelve.) Manuskript (A Scrivener-shaped box of scenes, characters, plots, index cards, and rough edges that cost exactly nothing.) All 7 curated free alternatives are at vibecodeit.com/novelcrafter/alternatives. The prompt is for when you want it exactly your way.