Canvas overview

Canvas is a native macOS app for floating Markdown notes. Each note is one floating panel and one Markdown file. The panel remembers its position and size. The app and the canvas CLI read and write the same local files, so a person and an agent work on the same notes.

Canvas 2.3.0 ships Canvas.app and the canvas CLI through @arach/blink. Blink.app and blink remain compatibility names. Existing note paths, configuration keys, bundle identity and blink.sock remain unchanged.

The note is the window, and the desktop is the workspace. Canvas has no library window and no Dock icon. It runs from the menu bar with floating note panels, a menu bar popover, and a command palette.

Install and launch

Requirements:

macOS 14 or later on Apple Silicon.
Node.js 18 or later for the npm command launchers.

Install the package. It includes the signed native canvas CLI.

npm install -g @arach/blink    # or: bun add --global @arach/blink

Install the app. canvas app install downloads the signed, notarized release, validates it, and installs Canvas.app in /Applications.
```
canvas app install
```
Launch the app.
```
canvas app open
```
Result: the app icon appears in the menu bar. If Lattices is running, Canvas hides its own icon by default (see behavior.alwaysShowMenuBarIcon in Configuration).

To update the app, run canvas app update. You can also download the DMG from the download page.

First note

Press Hyper+N to create a note. Hyper is Control+Option+Shift+Command. Hyper+B shows or hides all note panels. You can change both hotkeys in config.json.

From a terminal or an agent:

canvas present standup "# Standup" --slot 6 --writer agent
canvas type standup "- shipped the CLI" --writer agent
canvas cat standup

present creates the note and sets its grid slot. type appends text that the open panel reveals character by character. See CLI for the full command set.

Agent surfaces

Use these agent surfaces in this order:

Surface	Use it for	Reference
`blink` CLI	Create, read, edit, search, and delete notes; group and brand workspaces; open and arrange live panels.	CLI
Files	Read or write `<id>.md` notes and `config.json` directly when the CLI does not fit.	Concepts, Configuration
Agent socket	Query open panels, present notes, save and restore desks, and receive change events from the running app.	Agent socket API

Install the agent skill to give a coding agent these instructions:

npx skills add arach/lattices --skill blink --global --yes

There is no Canvas MCP server today. The broader agent verb set and MCP layer in Agent API proposal and Agent integration proposal are proposed, not shipped.

Relationship to Lattices

Canvas is a separate product in the Lattices family. It shares the Lattices repository (products/blink/) and website, but it is not part of the Lattices menu bar app.

Blink.app (bundle ID dev.arach.blink) has its own process, lifecycle, release tags (blink-v*), and npm package (@arach/blink).
Quitting Lattices does not quit Canvas. Quitting Canvas does not quit Lattices.
The Lattices menu bar app can install and launch it from the current Blink entry in its Apps list. Canvas's note panels and NoteStore stay inside Canvas.
There is no lats canvas command or family canvas.* API today. The earlier family-domain proposal is separate from this product rename. Operate Canvas with the blink CLI.

For the Lattices side of the family, see the Lattices overview and the product map.

Next steps

Concepts: the note, panel, and file model.
CLI: every blink command.
Configuration: behavior, hotkeys, and appearance.
Workspaces: named, branded groups of notes.
Placement: the grid and slot model.
iOS sync: the read-only iPhone and iPad companion.
Release: how Canvas ships.

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Overview