Documentation
Getting started
Everything you need to know to start mapping your knowledge.
What is a motif?
A motif is a visual knowledge map centered around a topic. Think of it as a constellation — your topic sits in the middle, and everything related orbits around it.
Each item in your motif is called a node. Nodes can be books, films, podcasts, games, articles, links, or notes. They connect to each other through edges — labeled relationships like "inspired by" or "references."
Creating your first motif
- 1 Sign up and go to your Dashboard.
- 2 Click + New motif.
- 3 Give it a topic name (e.g. "The Art of Storytelling") and optional description.
- 4 Choose visibility: Private (only you), Unlisted (anyone with link), or Public (discoverable).
- 5 Your motif is created with a center node. Start adding!
Adding nodes
There are several ways to add nodes:
+ Add button
Click the Add button in the toolbar. Pick a type, search for metadata, and add.
Bulk paste
Paste multiple URLs or titles (one per line). URLs become links, text becomes notes.
Drag & drop
Drag a URL from your browser onto the graph. It becomes a link node automatically.
AI suggestions
Click "Suggest" to get AI-powered recommendations based on your topic.
Node types: 📖 Book · 🎬 Film · 🎙️ Podcast · 🎮 Game · 📄 Article · 🔗 Link · ✏️ Note
For books, films, games, and podcasts — search by title and we'll auto-fetch metadata (cover image, year, author) from TMDB, RAWG, ListenNotes, and Open Library.
Connecting nodes
Edges are the relationships between nodes. By default, new nodes connect to the center topic. You can also:
- Use Connect mode (toolbar button) — click two nodes to link them.
- Add a relationship label like "inspired by", "references", or "contradicts".
- Click an edge to edit or delete the connection.
- Choose which node to connect to when adding (dropdown in the Add sheet).
Navigating the graph
- Pan: click and drag the background.
- Zoom: scroll wheel, pinch, or use the zoom controls (bottom-right).
- Move nodes: drag a node to reposition it. Position is saved automatically.
- Click a node: opens the detail panel with metadata, notes, tags, and actions.
- Filter: use the type chips to show/hide specific node types.
- Search: press Cmd+K to find nodes by title.
AI suggestions
Click ✨ Suggest in the toolbar to get AI-powered node recommendations. The AI looks at your topic and existing nodes, then suggests 5 related items you might want to add.
Suggestions are cached for 4 hours. Click "Regenerate" for fresh ideas. AI may occasionally suggest items that don't exist — always verify before adding.