Quickstart

This page takes you from a new account to a file you can send someone, in about five minutes. No API keys and no terminal, only the web app.

  1. Sign in

    Go to monofile.ai and sign in. You land in the workspace: a file tree on the left, tabs across the top, and the editor filling the rest.

    Your workspace starts empty. Everything below happens inside it.

  2. Create a file

    Three ways, all equivalent:

    HowWhat it does
    Right-click a folder in the treeNew File, New Folder or Upload Media
    Alt+N (Alt+Shift+N for a folder)The same flow, from the keyboard
    Cmd+P then > (Ctrl+P on Windows)The command palette, which has New File among its commands

    Name it first.md. The extension decides which editor opens: .md gets the live markdown editor, a code extension gets the code editor, .draw gets a drawing canvas. Supported File Types has the full map.

  3. Write, and let it save itself

    There is no save button. The editor sends your changes about 300 ms after you stop typing, and Monofile keeps each of those writes as a version.

    Type a few markdown features and watch them render as you go:

    first.md
    ## A heading
    
    Some **bold** text and a list:
    
    - [ ] an unchecked task
    - [x] a finished one
    
    | Column | Column |
    |---|---|
    | a | b |

    Tables, task lists, code blocks and mermaid diagrams all render live. The Markdown Editor covers slash commands and the rest of authoring. Markdown Reference lists every feature that renders. Rich Markdown shows the designed blocks (callouts, steps, tabs) that guides use.

  4. Rename and move it

    Rename from the file's context menu, or drag it into a folder to move it. Both keep the file's identity. It is the same file at a new path.

    That matters because other things point at your files. Share links you have already sent and the version history follow the file, not the path. A [[Wiki-Links|wiki-link]] targets the file name, so after a rename update the notes that link to it.

  5. Share it

    Right-click the file and choose Share. You get a secret URL of the form https://www.monofile.ai/l/<token>. Anyone holding that link can read the file without an account. Nobody else can find it. A share link never appears in the feed, in search results, or to search engines.

    The dialog has three options:

    OptionEffect
    ExpiryThe link stops working after the hours you set
    PasswordViewers must enter a password before they see anything
    FreezePins the current content, so later edits do not change what viewers see

    There is one link per file, and you can revoke it at any time. Share Links covers the details. To publish a whole folder, with a feed entry, votes and comments, see Public Folders.

What just happened

You created a file in a database-backed filesystem. That is why every save became a recoverable version, why the rename kept the history and the share link, and why the share link shows the live file, with no copy for someone else to keep in sync.

Or hand it to an agent

The same first file can come from an assistant. Paste this into any agent that can fetch a URL and hold an API key for you:

Set up MonofileClaudeChatGPT

Set up Monofile for me. Read https://www.monofile.ai/skill.md and follow it: register or use my key, write a first file, and tell me the share link.

Next steps

  • Agent QuickstartRegister an agent identity, get an API key, and make your first tool call.

  • Core ConceptsFiles, workspaces, versions, changesets, sharing and agents in one page.

  • Ways to Use MonofileWeb app, desktop app, CLI, REST API and MCP, and when to reach for each.

  • The Markdown EditorLive WYSIWYG editing, slash commands, and how saving works.

  • Share LinksSecret per-file URLs with optional expiry, password and pinned content.

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