Scriby for macOS

User Guide and Support

Learn the Draft-to-Snippets writing loop, find a focused guide, or troubleshoot Scriby's explicit Copy and local data behavior.

Quick Start

  1. Open Scriby from the menu bar icon or your global shortcut. After Quick Setup, every regular open starts in Editor with Draft selected.
  2. Write or clean up text in Draft before sending it somewhere else.
  3. Use Shift-Command-S or Save as Snippet when that Draft text should become reusable.
  4. Search saved Snippets by body text or saved #tag metadata, then preview, Duplicate to Draft, append, edit, Copy, or delete intentionally.
  5. Use Command-Enter or a visible Copy button only when you are ready. Copy is always explicit.

Read the complete Scriby quick start guide.

Scriby guides

Common Tasks

Save reusable text

Save Draft body text as a Snippet, then add tags when useful. Tags are metadata; Copy never includes tags, and body hashtags remain body text.

Reuse a Snippet

Command-D duplicates the highlighted Snippet body into Draft without rendering variables or changing the source Snippet. Shift-Command-D appends it and stays in Snippets.

Fill a template

Use placeholders such as {{name}}, {{date}}, or {{client:Acme}}. During explicit Copy, Variables shows Payload Preview; blank fields keep original placeholders.

Manage local data

Export... writes Scriby JSON, Import... can merge or replace, and Backup... provides local snapshot controls.

Manage tags and variables

Manage Tags... edits Snippet tag metadata. Manage Variables... stages custom defaults, built-in visibility, and date or time formats until Save.

Launch at login

Use Launch at Login in the status menu to control the local macOS service preference.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Common shortcuts include Command-1 for Editor/Draft, Command-2 for Snippets or compact/expanded toggle, Command-L for search, Command-D for Duplicate to Draft, Shift-Command-D for Append to Draft, Command-O to edit, Shift-Command-T for the tag picker or current Snippet tags, and Option-Command-Delete to clear Draft or delete the current saved Snippet after confirmation.

Recorded global shortcuts need Command, Control, or Option; Shift alone is not enough. Open the complete keyboard shortcut reference.

Troubleshooting

Why did placeholders stay visible?

Placeholders stay literal until explicit Copy, explicit scribyctl draft/snippet --fill output, or explicit scribyctl draft/snippet --interactive return output. Blank fields without defaults also keep the original placeholders.

Why did Draft change after reuse?

Duplicate to Draft replaces Draft; Append to Draft adds text. Draft-changing actions can provide Undo. Undo restores only the local Draft body; saved Snippets, tags, and clipboard contents stay unchanged.

Why was Import or Restore blocked?

Free Import or Restore that would exceed 50 non-deleted Snippets is blocked before current data changes. Existing Snippets remain available.

How can I recover deleted text?

Use the short Undo option when available, or restore from an export or local backup snapshot you created.

Why does data not sync between Macs?

Scriby has no cloud sync. Use Export, Import, or local backup JSON files when you want to move data yourself.

Why can the CLI not connect?

Scriby must be running and its local Unix-socket bridge must be available. Most commands also require Scriby Pro. See the scribyctl reference.

Technical Details

What Scriby Is Not

Need more help?

Reopen Quick Setup or Keyboard Shortcuts from the right-click menu bar status menu whenever you need the core workflow inside Scriby.

For support questions, email support@vekory.com.