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Timeline

From idea to the Windows and Mac app stores, and now the web. Here's how we built Redstrings.

Enhancement

Redstrings 1.1.5: Photo cards

1.1.5 lets a photo carry the card. Choose a large or full photo layout, set a default per card type, and pick the photo from the files already on the card.

  • Choose a large or full photo layout for any card, with a default per card type
  • Pick the card photo from the thumbnails in the card editor
  • Full photo cards keep the aspect ratio of the photo
  • The MCP server now runs from the Windows Store install, so supported AI clients can connect on Windows
  • Connected agents can set the photo layout and fit of a card
  • Cork Board exports render cream paper again instead of black
Milestone

Redstrings 1.1: Share a project with a link

Share Project publishes the open project to share.redstrings.app. Anyone with the link opens it in a web browser. No account, no download. Visitors can move cards, follow the strings, and try edits, and none of it reaches your project.

A shared Redstrings project open in a web browser
  • File → Share Project publishes the whole project: every board, folder, card, note, image, supported attachment, and saved report
  • Anyone with the link opens it in a browser, with no account or download
  • Visitors can edit in their own tab; their changes never reach your project
  • Sign in with an email code. No password, and your email never appears on a shared project
  • Update the public copy or unpublish at any time from the same dialog
  • Opt in to the public library under an author name, and decide if search engines may index the page
  • Shared projects open in your theme and carry a link preview card for social posts
  • Pro on Mac and Windows; your store purchase is your license
Browse the public libraryHow sharing works
Enhancement

Redstrings 1.1.1: Agents write reports

The same release gives connected AI agents more to do, redesigns the Pro upgrade screen, and makes saving safer on busy projects.

  • Connected agents can save intelligence reports to the project
  • Agents can edit boards in the open project that are not on screen, and pin or retarget board folders
  • Redesigned Pro upgrade screen and one Pro marker throughout the app
  • Project settings and attachments survive concurrent saves; lost attachments are repaired on open
  • Letter shortcuts work regardless of Shift and Caps Lock, and Tab moves through the side panel
  • Notes and source fields grow to fit their content
Enhancement

Redstrings 1.0.36: Open anything

1.0.32 through 1.0.36 make opening and keeping projects simpler. One Open dialog handles projects, boards, and old single-file boards, and a damaged board repairs itself instead of refusing to load.

  • Open projects, boards, and old single-file boards from one dialog
  • Boards repair on load instead of failing, and old boards with legacy checksums open again
  • Every board size is free
  • Convert a loose board into a project, and close a project from the File menu
  • Always-on console log in the Help menu for support requests
  • Image exports fit the board content and draw the board frame around the result (1.0.31)
Enhancement

Redstrings 1.0.30: Connect your boards

1.0.30 turns project structure into part of the canvas. Pin boards that open other boards, move through connected work without losing your place, and shape each board around the story you are telling.

  • Pin a board to the wall that opens another board in your project
  • See linked boards as small bundles that make their contents recognizable at a glance
  • Move down into a pinned board or back up with Cmd/Ctrl and the arrow keys
  • Cut, copy, and paste cards, Red Strings, and decorations as a group
  • Choose a finite board size and frame, with larger canvas options for Pro
  • Return to each board at the same zoom level and position where you left it
Enhancement

Redstrings 1.0.29: Board edges and frames

1.0.29 gives every board a defined edge and a selectable frame. It also adds Cut, Copy, and Paste for board selections.

  • Boards now have defined edges that contain cards, decorations, and pinned string labels
  • Choose a board size and a frame from the Board menu
  • Cut, copy, and paste selected cards, strings, and decorations
Enhancement

Redstrings 1.0.28: Try it in your browser

Explore Redstrings without installing anything at demo.redstrings.app. The new browser demo includes five sample boards, while the desktop app gets steadier connections and smoother board switching.

  • Try an interactive Redstrings demo directly in your browser
  • Explore five sample boards and create your own boards and sub-boards
  • Keep demo edits locally in your browser or reset everything to the original workspace
  • Drag cards to create connections without previews jumping or cards stacking
  • Switch between boards without the canvas shifting unexpectedly
Enhancement

Redstrings 1.0.27: Export and polish your board

1.0.27 makes boards easier to share and edit. Export a full board or current view as a PNG, then lock decorations once the layout is set.

  • Export a full board or the current view as a PNG, with controls for resolution, padding, and background
  • Lock decorations to keep finished layouts in place
  • Use the redesigned card editor, with clearer controls and safer file thumbnails
  • Choose Crop or Fit for each card image, while cards resize to match their content
  • Rename a project without breaking saved references
Enhancement

Redstrings 1.0.26: Smoother large boards

1.0.26 focuses on steadier interaction as boards get larger and more visual.

  • Keep card dragging responsive on boards with many strings and images
  • Reuse image previews instead of rebuilding them as the canvas changes
  • Reduce background drawing work while preserving relationship motion
  • Keep reduced-motion interaction styles active during canvas work
Enhancement

Redstrings 1.0.25: Connect cards directly

1.0.25 makes relationship building more direct and gives strings more control.

  • Drag from one card to another to create a relationship
  • Connect one relationship to several target cards
  • Choose a default confidence for new relationships
  • Control whether selected strings appear above or below cards
Enhancement

Redstrings 1.0.24: Select more, change more

1.0.24 makes bigger edits feel like one action. Select cards, Red Strings, decorations, or assets together, then update or remove the whole group without losing your place.

  • Select multiple cards, Red Strings, and decorations, then delete them together with full undo support
  • Change the color of several decorations at once, or resize text across a selection
  • Choose how much every Red String sags, from perfectly straight to a deeper curve
  • Upload, select, and remove multiple assets at once, with clearer selection right on each asset card
  • Fixed duplicate assets and made new boards more reliable to save and reopen
  • Refreshed Node Type controls and renamed Relationships to Red Strings throughout Settings
Enhancement

Redstrings 1.0.23: More control, less friction

Bigger projects are easier to manage in 1.0.23. Nest folders to keep boards in order, find and reuse attachments without importing them again, and make every connection say exactly what you mean.

  • Organize boards with nested folders
  • Browse project files and photos in a visual gallery, then search and attach them to any card
  • Choose whether connections point left, right, or both ways
  • Control connection labels and animation, with better support for reduced motion
  • Keep open boards in sync with supported AI clients through the new live connection
Enhancement

Redstrings 1.0.22: Mark up your board

1.0.22 gives your boards a few more ways to speak for themselves. Add tape, paper, and free text. You can also try the experimental MCP server with a supported AI client.

  • Add colored tape, paper regions, and free text anywhere on a board
  • Resize, rotate, recolor, layer, and delete decorations just like the rest of your board
  • Experimental local MCP server for connecting supported AI clients to your Redstrings projects
  • Copy a ready-to-use client configuration straight from Settings
Enhancement

Pin the Evidence

Your cards can now hold the real thing—files, photos, and links—not just a note about it. We also made the board easier to move around and quicker to make your own.

  • Attach files, photos, and web links right to a card
  • Drop files onto the board to add them in one motion
  • Move between cards and connections with the arrow keys
  • Pick a card's icon and color together, with ready-made swatches
  • Press Enter to open a card, and the side panel always follows what you've selected
Enhancement

Boards Within Boards

This update adds nested board organization in the project browser, a resizable sidebar that keeps its width, and a drag gesture for connecting cards. Version 1.0.30 later adds board folders directly to the canvas.

  • Organize boards in a nested project hierarchy
  • A resizable sidebar that remembers its width
  • Drag a card handle to connect it to another card
Enhancement

Smarter AI, Smoother Store

We moved the optional AI over to Google's newest Gemini models and tidied up the Windows Store experience along the way.

  • Optional AI now runs on the latest Gemini models
  • Your old AI settings carry over on their own
  • Windows Store updates and fixes
Enhancement

Purchases That Actually Work

A few people hit a wall buying Pro on Windows: the upgrade dialog just would not show up. We tracked it down, fixed it, and made the error messages actually make sense.

  • Fixed the Windows upgrade dialog not appearing
  • Clearer messages when a purchase fails
  • Settings tidy-up with better validation and empty states
Milestone

Redstrings Comes to Mac

The wait is over. Redstrings is on the Mac App Store. It took a while to clear review, but it now runs on both Windows and Mac.

  • Live on the Mac App Store
  • Runs on Intel and Apple Silicon Macs
  • Same features and price as the Windows version
  • One app, both platforms
Milestone

Submitted to the Mac App Store

Redstrings is coming to Mac. We got it running smoothly on Apple's hardware and sent it off for review.

  • A Mac build that runs on older and newer machines
  • Sent to Apple for review
  • Beta testing opened up
Enhancement

Faster, Smoother, Steadier

Early users pushed Redstrings harder than we had. So we added a performance mode for big boards and fixed the rough edges they hit.

  • A performance mode for large boards
  • Smoother canvas during heavy edits
  • Fixed selection and connection glitches
  • A batch of bugs from real-world use, gone
Enhancement

Easier to Organize and Share

We made projects simpler to keep tidy and share. The file browser got cleaner, and you can now export your work as a report.

  • A cleaner file browser
  • Export your board as a report
  • More reliable saving and loading
  • Better handling of projects with several boards
Milestone

Redstrings Goes Live on Windows

A big one. Redstrings is on the Microsoft Store. A real product, out in the world, ready to help people make sense of tangled information.

  • Launched on the Microsoft Store
  • In-app purchases up and running
  • Pro upgrade and add-ons ready
  • Version 1.0 out the door
Enhancement

Beyond the Basics

With the core solid, we stretched what Redstrings could do. Custom card types for Pro users, themes for different moods, and optional AI help for anyone who wants it.

  • Custom card types for Pro
  • Dark and Cork Board themes
  • Optional AI analysis you plug your own key into
  • Projects that span multiple boards
Development

Save, Search, Fly Around

The last stretch before launch. We made sure you could save your work, find anything fast, and move around with the keyboard.

  • Save and reopen your projects
  • Search and filter across a board
  • Keyboard shortcuts throughout
  • A file browser to keep projects in order
Development

Making It Feel Real

A tool lives or dies on how it feels. This week was the small stuff that makes Redstrings feel like an actual board: pins, a slight tilt to the cards, photos, that tactile pull.

  • Pinned cards with a natural tilt
  • Photos on your cards
  • A proper editor for each card
  • Undo and redo
Development

The Red Strings

The feature we named the whole thing after. Red strings between cards, so a relationship is something you can see, not just picture in your head.

  • Connect any two cards
  • Label what a connection means
  • Draw connections by hand
  • That signature red string look
Development

Getting the Canvas Right

Week one was all about the canvas. Pan, zoom, drag, drop. None of the good stuff works if the basics feel off, so we started there.

  • An endless canvas you can pan and zoom
  • Drop cards anywhere
  • Drag things around freely
  • The first version of the cards
Planning

Scoping the First Version

Vision in hand, we worked out what "minimum" actually meant. Some hard calls about what to build first and what could wait.

  • Picked tools built for a fast, native feel
  • Settled on seven card types: Person, Team, Artifact, Process, Place, Event, Note
  • Designed the project file format
  • Mapped a four-week plan to launch
Planning

Pressure-Testing the Idea

Before writing any code, we poked holes in our own idea. Who is this really for, and why would they pick it over what they already use?

  • Focused on management consultants first
  • Sized up the alternatives: Miro, Obsidian, Scapple, Notion
  • Found our angle: visual, relationship-first, and yours alone on your machine
  • Gut-checked the red string metaphor
Ideation

A Detective Board for Your Mind

Every project starts with a problem. Consultants, researchers, and other people who wrangle complicated information kept losing the big picture. Spreadsheets were too rigid, whiteboards too loose. We wanted a detective board for your mind: a place to map how things connect and spot the pattern.

  • Named the problem: making sense of messy information
  • Landed on the detective board idea
  • Picked our people: consultants, researchers, investigators, writers
  • Decided project files stay local by default

What's Next?

Redstrings runs on Windows and macOS, and shared projects open in any browser. Browse what people have published, or tell us what you need next.

Get RedstringsPublic library